Side or Alanya buggy safari: the deciding question
Side and Alanya share a coastline but not a transfer zone. The resorts around Side, from Kumköy and Sorgun to Kızılağaç and Kızılot, are served by this site. Alanya town and the resort belt either side of it are served by our sister site. Neither product is meant to drag you the length of the Riviera for a buggy ride, so the hotel you are staying in already answers most of the question.
Where the two genuinely differ, beyond pickup, is in the ground they cover and in how much each site has on record. Both sell an 18 km route and both make every driver do a test drive first. The detail below is taken from each site's own records, and where one of them has not published something, we say so rather than fill the gap.
The Side buggy, as sold here
Our record for the only product on this site.
- Where: the Manavgat district, on privately held off-road ground inland from the Side coast
- Route length and ground: 18 km of woodland track and open dirt, dusty most of the way, with small streams and splash stops when conditions allow
- Departures: three a day, at 08:00, 11:00 and 13:00, each the moment the activity departs; pickup comes earlier
- Door to door: approximately 4–4.5 hours
- Fares: €30 per driver and €15 per passenger
- Ages: drivers from 16, passengers from 6
- Licence: irrelevant here, as the buggies are confined to an off-road course on private land where public traffic never goes
- Booking terms: pay on the tour day; cancel without charge until 48 hours before
The Alanya buggy on our sister site
Our sister site quadsafarialanya.com presents the Alanya buggy safari in detail on its own page, including its current fares. We do not repeat the fares here; the sister site is where they are kept. This is what its records state.
- Ground, as the sister site puts it: mountain terrain, forest tracks and off-road trails, natural river-bed sections and a rugged landscape, with the base set inland, back from the coastal strip
- Route sold: 18 km; a 28 km route exists there but has no published fare and is not sold
- Sessions: two a day, starting at 08:00 and 13:00, which are session start times rather than pickup times
- Fares there: a passenger's ticket costs half the driver's, with no extra band for children
- Drivers: 16 and up; licences are not checked there either, since its riding never leaves a private off-road course for the open road, and a compulsory test drive comes first, with the guide deciding
- Vehicles: recorded on that site as automatic
- Included there: the round-trip transfer, the safety briefing, the test drive, a helmet, which is mandatory, and the guided off-road route
- Pickups there: Alanya town, Mahmutlar, Oba, Kestel, Konaklı, Avsallar, Türkler and Okurcalar
- Terms there: free cancellation 48 hours ahead, payment on the tour day
- Not published there: a total programme length, so we cannot compare door-to-door times
Who each one suits
The Side buggy suits anyone staying in our nine areas. The transfer is designed around them, the three departure slots give you room to plan a beach morning or a lazy afternoon around the ride, and the programme length is on record, so you know roughly when you will be back. Passengers from 6 can come along with a driver of 16 or older, which makes it workable for many families.
The Alanya buggy suits guests based in Alanya or along the resort belt from Okurcalar to Mahmutlar. For them the sister site's transfer is the natural fit, and the landscape it describes, mountain terrain and river-bed sections inland from Alanya, gives the ride its own character. If that kind of ground is what you are picturing, its page is the one to read.
If you are staying somewhere in between, look at both pickup lists before deciding, since neither site promises a transfer outside its own areas. From Alanya, our side of the arrangement means a WhatsApp question before booking, not an instant reservation.
How to choose
Begin with the hotel. If it is in Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Titreyengöl, Sorgun, Kızılağaç, Gündoğdu or Kızılot, the Side buggy is the straightforward choice. If it is in Alanya or one of the resorts on the sister site's list, start there.
Then think about timing. The buggy's three slots, 08:00, 11:00 and 13:00, are when the activity departs; the transfer comes for you before that, depending on your hotel and the route, and we confirm the time with your booking. The sister site works with two sessions a day and gives no total programme length, so look there to see how its day is organised.
Finally, think about who is driving. On both sites the minimum driving age is 16 and the guide makes the call after the test drive. If you would like us to check whether your hotel is inside our transfer area, send its area to +90 536 603 75 84 on WhatsApp and we will reply with a clear yes or no.
What the Side buggy day includes
At the base, registration comes first, then two briefings. The first explains the vehicle, the controls, the route and how the group moves; the second is about safety: staying behind the guide, the gap to keep, when overtaking is allowed, a sensible speed and emergency steps. After the vehicle walk-through, each driver completes a practice drive and the guide settles who drives the main safari. Non-drivers ride the same route as passengers.
The buggy itself is automatic, with a wheel, pedals and a seat you sit inside. Wear clothes you do not mind ruining, preferably dark ones, and closed shoes; flip-flops will not do for driving.
- Round-trip transfer between your hotel and the base
- The buggy for the safari, plus a helmet
- 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
- Bought separately if you want them: goggles, a bandana, food and drinks, photos and video