The age rules at a glance
Families ask about ages more than anything else, so here are the rules as they stand. They come from the operating base and are checked there on the day.
- Under 6: cannot be booked and cannot join the safari
- 6 to 15: rides as a passenger, always beside a driver
- 16 and over: may drive, or ride as a passenger if they prefer
- Each driver: carries an ID that proves their age to the base staff, then completes the compulsory practice drive
What a buggy safari Side with kids costs
The price model is deliberately simple. Each person pays either the driver fare of €30 or the passenger fare of €15, in person on the tour day. A child is not a special category: a nine-year-old riding with a parent is a passenger and pays €15, exactly like an adult who chooses the passenger seat.
There is no reduced rate for younger children and no seat that comes without a fare — everyone who takes the transfer and joins the route pays as a driver or as a passenger. For that money a child gets exactly what an adult gets: the shuttle there and back, a helmet, both briefings, a guide on the route, insurance as far as the operating policy provides for it, and the cabins and showers afterwards.
Pairing drivers and children on one booking
Nobody rides along without someone at the wheel beside them, so the form refuses any booking with more passengers than drivers. In practice that means every child needs an adult, or a guest of 16 or over, at the wheel beside them.
Two parents with two children aged 7 and 10 book two drivers and two passengers, and each parent takes one child. Two parents with one child book two drivers and one passenger. If only one parent wants to drive, that leaves two passengers for one driver, which the form will not take. In that situation, or when a lone parent brings two children, drop us a WhatsApp before booking so the two of us can think it through.
A teenager of 16 or 17 may drive and can take a younger sibling as a passenger. Planning that? Let us know ahead of booking, and we will check the details with the base for you.
Travelling with a little one under 6
The safari cannot take children under 6, in any seat, and we do not book them. That rule is the operator's, and we keep to it rather than make exceptions at the booking stage.
Families with a younger child sometimes split the day: one parent goes on the safari with the older children while the other stays with the little one, and they swap on another date. Three departures daily, and no charge for cancelling while 48 hours or more remain, make that swap simple to organise.
Getting children ready for dust and splashes
Children usually love the messy part. Expect forest tracks, dusty dirt roads, bumpy ground, little stream crossings and splashy water stops, plus mud on days the ground allows it — never something we can promise. Dress them in old, comfortable outdoor clothes in dark colours and closed shoes or trainers.
Pack a full change of clothes for everyone. Showers and changing cabins at the base mean nobody has to sit in the shuttle home caked in dirt. Goggles and bandanas cost extra and can be bought on site; they keep the worst of the dust away from small eyes and mouths. The fare does not stretch to food or drinks, so a bottle of water, a snack for the little ones or some loose change is worth packing.
Is the safari right for your child?
Nobody knows your child better than you do. The buggy shakes on rough ground, the ride is dusty and loud, and a passenger has to sit through the whole route; the programme takes around 4–4.5 hours from hotel to hotel. Children who enjoy bumpy, outdoorsy days tend to be happy; a child who dislikes noise or dirt may not be.
Before the ride everyone hears an information briefing and a safety briefing, and a helmet is worn for the entire safari. A guide leads from the front and watches every driver on the practice drive; whether someone drives the main route is that guide's decision. If your child has a back, neck or heart condition or has had recent surgery, ask us first and check with a medical professional. This is guidance, not medical advice.
Booking as a family
Choose one of the three departures — 08:00, 11:00 or 13:00. Each marks the start of the safari rather than the shuttle's arrival at your door; you are collected earlier, and we confirm that time when you book. The transfer is included from Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Titreyengöl, Sorgun, Kızılağaç, Gündoğdu and Kızılot, and for hotels outside those areas please ask us on WhatsApp first.
Parents need no driving licence for any of this, since the buggies never leave the private off-road course for a public road. Online bookings start from tomorrow, there is no card or online payment involved, and the family pays on the day itself. Pull out 48 hours or more before the start and it costs the family nothing. WhatsApp: +90 536 603 75 84 — Murat Atalay Travel Agency, TÜRSAB No. 11294.