Five departures, one shape of day
The coast has five resort belts and each has its own departure. Side and Alanya are the longer days at approximately 8 hours; Belek, the Antalya city belt and Kemer run approximately 7 hours. What separates them is the country behind the hotels: Side climbs into lake country with a canyon viewpoint and an optional boat hour, Alanya follows the Dim River with a swim, Belek and the city belt share the Park Safari day with stream crossings, a village house and swims in a stream and at a waterfall, and Kemer is a stream-crossing day with a mountain-stream stop before lunch.
Pickup belts do not overlap, so the first decision is made by your hotel address rather than by the route. If you are unsure which of the five departures collects from your hotel, the decision page lists the belts side by side.
- Side — Roman bridge, orchards, Green Lake and Green Canyon viewpoints, lakeside lunch, approximately 8 hours
- Alanya — Taurus foothills, Dim River crossings, waterfall and dam photo stops, riverside swim and lunch, approximately 8 hours
- Belek — transfer to the Park Safari base in Gebiz, Çığırgan stream and pomegranate orchards, stream crossings, village house with sage tea at Hasgebe, swims in the Haspınar stream and at Uçan Waterfall, lunch at our restaurant, approximately 7 hours
- Antalya city belt — the same Park Safari day as Belek: village house at Hasgebe, a road at approximately 700 m with views of Bozburun Mountain, swim stops in a stream and at a waterfall, lunch at our restaurant, approximately 7 hours
- Kemer — pine forest, rocky trails and muddy crossings, coast viewpoints, mountain-stream stop, lunch among the pines, approximately 7 hours
Morning: pickup at your hotel gate
The day starts in the morning at the main entrance gate of your hotel. The exact time is confirmed after booking and depends on where your hotel sits along the belt, because several hotels are collected in turn before the day heads inland. On the Belek and Antalya day the pickup is by our transfer vehicles, which bring you to the Park Safari base in Gebiz; the jeeps start there, after the guides' tour and safety briefing. There is no afternoon or evening departure on any of the five routes; the programme needs the whole day.
From pickup to drop-off the length differs by belt, and how long each departure lasts is explained on its own page. On the day itself you only need to be at the gate in the morning with your things packed.
The climb: where the asphalt ends
Each convoy heads for the foothills. On the Side route the tarmac ends at an old Roman bridge and the tracks run between orchards of orange, lemon and pomegranate trees, then past fields of cotton and sesame. Above Alanya the climb passes orange groves and banana plantations. On the Belek and Antalya day the convoy leaves the Park Safari base in Gebiz behind a lead jeep and runs past the Çığırgan stream and pomegranate orchards to Değirmenburnu village; above Kemer the pines close in around small mountain villages and terraced gardens.
This is the part of the day where the jeeps stop being transport and become the point. The drivers know the tracks, the guests hold on, and the dust starts.
Tracks, crossings and the water fight
Off the asphalt the tracks are dirt: dry riverbeds and stream crossings on the Side route, river crossings on the Dim River above Alanya, stream crossings via Hacıosmanlar village on the Belek and Antalya day, rocky trails and muddy water crossings above Kemer. Guests ride as passengers in open-top 4x4s; a professional driver is at the wheel of each jeep and nobody in the party takes it.
In summer the water fight between the jeeps is part of the programme, and it continues at the river stops. You get wet, so the packing list matters; what to wear and bring for the day is a short page of its own. In winter the fleet switches to covered jeeps and the water games stop.
What you see: mountains, villages, forest and river
The Alanya day on the Dim River is the one with a real river running through it: crossings in the water, photo stops at a waterfall and at the turquoise Dim Dam, a village stop with farmers' produce and spring water, a coastline photo, a village house and mosque visit, and a swim before lunch. Dim Cave is an optional visit with a small entrance fee paid on the spot.
The Side departure into the lake country has the longest list of named stops: ancient Roman aqueducts, a viewpoint over Green Lake, a swim stop and Turkish pancakes in Oymapınar village, the Oymapınar Dam photo stop, a viewpoint above Green Canyon and a village mosque visit. There is a chance of passing Yörük nomad families on the way, though this depends on the day and is not part of the programme.
The Belek and Antalya day follows our Park Safari programme, so its stops have names: a village house at Hasgebe in the forest, with a photo stop, the guides' account of village life and sage tea gathered by the villagers; a road at approximately 700 m past village houses, with panoramic views of Bozburun Mountain; a swim stop in the Haspınar stream at Hastümen; and after lunch, via Değirmenburnu, Akçapınar and Kozan, a 45-minute swim stop at Uçan Waterfall before the Dorumlar village route leads back to the base by the Çığırgan stream, where the tour ends. The Kemer day has viewpoints over the valleys and the Mediterranean and a stop at a clear mountain stream to wade, cool off and fight with water.
If you want the longer version, we have written up what actually happens at a mountain village stop.
Lunch, included on every departure
Lunch is included on all five departures. Above Alanya it is a platform restaurant over the Dim River, above Side a lakeside table, on the Belek and Antalya day our restaurant, with a rest-and-lunch break of approximately one hour, and above Kemer a rustic mountain restaurant among the pines.
Drinks are ordered and paid for at the table. The photos and videos taken by the tour team, personal expenses and any optional stop with an entrance fee are also paid on site.
Optional extras that come up during the day
Two optional extras exist and both are on the eastern routes. On the Side day there is an optional boat hour on Green Lake, paid on the day, and a programme-dependent Manavgat Waterfall stop with the entrance paid on site. On the Alanya day the Dim Cave visit is optional with a small fee. None of the three western routes carries a named optional stop.
Because the day is settled in cash on the spot, bring enough for the tour price, drinks and any extra you might choose.
The descent, and reserving the day
After lunch the convoy heads back with a last stretch of dust or splash; on the Belek and Antalya day it ends at the Park Safari base by the Çığırgan stream and the transfer takes you to your hotel gate. Reserving is free and takes no card: choose the date and your pickup area, enter adults and children, and hand over the fare in cash once the day arrives. If your hotel is in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı or the city centre, reserve the Antalya city departure; dropping the booking costs nothing right up to 48 hours before departure.
For a Belek hotel, the Belek day leaves from Belek, Kadriye, Boğazkent and the smaller resorts around them, and its page has the pickup list. For a Kemer, Side or Alanya hotel, the region pages carry the same detail for their belts.