Buggy or quad Side: the short answer
Most people who type this question have already made the big decision: they want to drive something themselves, off the tarmac, for a morning or an afternoon away from the sunbed. What is left is the machine. On this site that machine is a buggy, and only a buggy. It is automatic, you sit inside it rather than on top of it, and you steer with a wheel and work the pedals. If that sounds like the more familiar way to drive, that familiarity is often what settles it.
The quad belongs to our sister site, quadsafariside.com, and we would rather send you there than describe a vehicle we do not sell. What we can do here is set the two offers side by side, using only what each site records about itself, so you can see where they overlap and where they part ways.
The buggy safari on this site
Everything below comes from our own record for the Side buggy. It is the only product we sell, so there is no second tier tucked away in the small print.
- Vehicle: an automatic buggy; you sit in it, steer with a wheel and use pedals
- Route: the Short route, 18 km of forest tracks, dirt roads, uneven ground and small stream crossings
- Departures: 08:00, 11:00 or 13:00, which are activity departure times; your hotel pickup comes earlier
- Day length: approximately 4–4.5 hours door to door
- Prices: €30 per driver and €15 per passenger, settled on the tour day
- Ages: drivers 16 and over, passengers from 6
- Licence: not something anyone checks, because the buggies keep to a private off-road course and never join a public road
- Cancellation: free until 48 hours before the start
The quad safari on our sister site
On our sister site quadsafariside.com you will find the Off-Road Forest Track quad safari described in full, together with the second track it names, its current fares, session times and cancellation terms. We deliberately do not repeat those figures here: they are maintained on that site, and the version you read there is the one that applies. The points below are the ones its own records state plainly.
- How the sister site describes its ground: dense forest with roots and ruts, mud, standing water, and open sections across the Taurus foothills above Side
- Ages: guests may drive solo from 16; passengers ride from 6, and nobody under 6 takes part
- Included there: the round-trip hotel transfer, a safety briefing, a helmet issued at the base, a supervised test lap, showers and changing cabins
- There, you buy any goggles or bandanas at the base yourself, and food, drinks, photos and video are not in the fare
- Payment there is on the tour day, in euros, and drivers show ID at the base
- A second track is named on that site but is not sold online and has no published fare
- Fares, session times, ride length and the cancellation window: read them on the sister site, where they are kept current
Who each one suits
The buggy tends to suit people who want to drive yet prefer a proper seat and a steering wheel. It works for pairs, too, when one drives and the other just wants to come along: the passenger does the same 18 km for half the driver's fare, and children need no separate price, since anyone from 6 to 15 simply rides as a passenger. Back or neck trouble? Talk to us before you book, because the buggy shakes on rough ground and the passenger seat may be gentler.
The quad suits riders who specifically want a quad. Some people arrive on holiday with that picture already in their heads, and nothing we write should talk them out of it. The sister site describes forest ground with roots and ruts and open sections over the foothills, so if that is the landscape you are after, its page is worth reading. It also tells guests with back or neck trouble to choose the passenger seat, which mirrors our own advice.
Families whose children are 6 or older can do either, as long as the person driving is at least 16. For children under 6, neither ride is an option.
How to decide in two minutes
Ask yourself three questions. First, do you want a wheel and pedals, or are you set on a quad? If you are unsure, most people find the buggy the easier start, simply because the controls feel familiar. Second, is someone in your group keen to come along without driving? On this site that person pays €15 and the driver pays €30, and neither amount changes hands until the day itself.
Third, how does the outing fit into your holiday? Our buggy leaves at 08:00, 11:00 or 13:00. Those are the times the activity departs, not the moment the transfer reaches your hotel, which is earlier and confirmed once you book. The whole thing takes approximately 4–4.5 hours door to door. For the quad's timings, the sister site is the place to look.
Still on the fence? Drop a WhatsApp to +90 536 603 75 84 saying who is in your group. You will get an honest view on whether the buggy suits you, and if a quad sounds closer to what you want, we will say that plainly.
What the buggy day includes
Here is how the buggy day unfolds. You arrive at the base and register, then sit through an information briefing and a safety briefing before someone explains the vehicle. A practice drive follows, during which the guide watches each driver; the guide alone decides who drives the main safari. If you do not drive, whether you chose that or the guide suggested it, you still cover the full route as a passenger, at the passenger fare.
Wear old clothes in dark colours and closed shoes or trainers; flip-flops are no good for driving. Mud appears when conditions allow, so it is never promised, but dust is part of the deal either way.
- Hotel transfer there and back, covering the nine resort areas around Side
- The buggy for the safari
- A helmet, worn for the whole ride
- Information briefing, safety briefing, vehicle explanation and practice drive
- Professional guidance on the route
- Insurance, where applicable under the operating policy
- Changing cabins and showers at the base
- Optional and paid at the base: goggles, a bandana, refreshments and the team's photo or video package