Buggy safari Side guide: what the safari actually is
Everything happens on private off-road terrain back from the Side shoreline, within the Manavgat district of Antalya province. A guide leads you round the Short route: 18 km made up of forest tracks, dirt roads, dusty stretches, uneven ground and small stream crossings, with water-splash stops along the way. When the ground is wet there is mud as well, although nobody can promise it on any particular day.
The vehicle is an automatic buggy — a steering wheel, two pedals and a seat you sit down inside, with a tubular frame running around and over the seats. There are no gears to think about, so people who have never driven off-road tend to get the hang of it quickly. A longer route exists on the same course, but it is not offered on this site yet, so everything on these pages refers to the 18 km route.
From leaving your hotel to being dropped back, plan on roughly 4–4.5 hours. Registration, both briefings, practice laps and the transfer are counted in that figure; it is not just your time behind the wheel.
Price: who pays €30 and who pays €15
Prices are per person. Whoever sits at the wheel is a driver and pays €30; whoever rides alongside a driver is a passenger and pays €15, which is exactly half. Those are the only two prices you will find here.
There is no separate tariff for children. A guest aged 6 to 15 joins as a passenger at €15, and every person who takes the transfer and comes on the safari counts as either a driver or a passenger, so no seat goes unpaid. Nothing is charged online — the money changes hands on the tour day. The price guide walks through both fares in more depth.
Departure times are not pickup times
Three activity departures are scheduled each day: 08:00 in the morning, 11:00 in the late morning and 13:00 in the afternoon. These are the times the safari programme is due to begin, not the moment the transfer pulls up outside your hotel.
Your hotel pickup comes earlier than the departure you choose. How much earlier depends on where your hotel is and on the route the transfer takes that day, so we send you your own pickup time along with the booking instead of printing one here. The booking calendar only offers departures that are genuinely available on the date you select.
Hotel pickup areas around Side
Staying outside the areas listed below, for example in Manavgat town centre, Antalya, Belek or Alanya? Check with us on WhatsApp first; we will say honestly whether a transfer from your hotel can be organised. Please do not book first and ask afterwards.
These nine areas have the round-trip transfer built into the price:
- Side
- Kumköy
- Evrenseki
- Çolaklı
- Titreyengöl
- Sorgun
- Kızılağaç
- Gündoğdu
- Kızılot
How the day runs, step by step
The programme follows the same order every time, and no one is let off the briefings. Once the main safari is over you can rinse off and change, because the base has showers and changing cabins for exactly that, so a set of spare clothes is worth packing.
- Arrival at the base and registration
- Information briefing — what the buggy is and how its controls work, where the route goes, how everyone is arranged as a group, the rules of the activity, stopping, and what lies ahead
- Safety briefing — staying behind the guide, safe distances, when overtaking and stopping are allowed, sensible speed, protective kit, what to do in an emergency, and doing what the guide says
- Vehicle explanation and a practice drive for every driver
- The guide's assessment of each driver
- The main off-road safari on the 18 km route
Drivers, passengers and the licence question
To drive you must be 16 or over; the base looks at an ID for that, purely to confirm age. Passengers can come along from age 6 and always ride with a driver. Children under 6 cannot be booked.
Nobody asks for a driving licence, as the buggies only ever run on a private off-road course, not a public road. What every driver does need is the practice drive: it is compulsory, the guide watches each driver closely, and it is the guide who decides who takes the wheel for the main route. Anyone who does not drive, or decides on the day that they would rather not, still covers the whole route from the passenger seat, paying the passenger fare.
What is included, what to wear and what costs extra
Included: transfer from your hotel and back, the buggy itself, a helmet, both briefings (information and safety), the vehicle explanation with the practice drive, a professional guide on the route, insurance as far as the operating policy provides for it, and use of the base's changing cabins and showers.
Goggles and a bandana are not part of the package; you can buy both at the base. The same goes for anything to eat or drink, and for pictures or clips shot by the base's own team, paid for separately.
Wear old, comfortable outdoor clothes that are allowed to come back dusty or muddy, in darker colours rather than white, plus closed shoes or trainers. Flip-flops are not suitable for driving.
Booking, payment, cancellation and who should ask first
You can reserve online or through WhatsApp on +90 536 603 75 84 for any date from tomorrow; for a same-day seat, send a message instead of using the form. No card details are needed and the site has no payment step. Should your plans change, cancelling costs you nothing provided you tell us at least 48 hours ahead of the start.
The safari is not suitable during pregnancy. If you have back or neck trouble, have had recent surgery or live with a heart condition, ask us before booking — the buggy shakes over rough ground and the passenger seat may suit you better; when in doubt, speak to a medical professional. Nobody under the influence of alcohol or drugs takes part, whether as driver or passenger. Behind the bookings stands Murat Atalay Travel Agency, registered with TÜRSAB under No. 11294.