Side buggy safari departure times at a glance
Three activity departures are scheduled each day. You choose one when you book, and everything else — transfer, briefings, practice laps and the 18 km safari — is planned around it.
- 08:00 — the morning departure
- 11:00 — the late-morning departure
- 13:00 — the afternoon departure
A departure time is not a pickup time
This is the single most important thing to understand about the schedule. When you book the 11:00 departure, 11:00 is when the activity is due to depart. It is not when you should be standing outside your hotel, and it is not when the transfer is due at your door.
The transfer has to collect you, follow its route for that day and deliver you to the base, out on private off-road land behind the Side coast, before the activity can depart. That is why the pickup always comes earlier than the departure time on your booking. If you wait at the hotel until the departure time itself, you will have missed your transfer.
So read the three times on this page as a choice of slot — morning, late morning or afternoon — and treat the pickup time in your confirmation as the time that matters when you plan the rest of your day.
How your pickup time is worked out and confirmed
The exact pickup time is set for each booking. It depends on three things: where your hotel is, which of the nine pickup areas it sits in, and the route the transfer takes that day. Two hotels on the same departure can therefore have different pickup times.
Because of that, we do not print a fixed pickup time for any area or hotel on this site. You receive yours with the booking confirmation. If anything about it is unclear, or you have not seen it, message us on WhatsApp at +90 536 603 75 84 well before the day.
If the people in your group are staying at two different hotels, mention both when you book. Each hotel gets its own pickup time, so every address needs to be known before a time can be confirmed. The more precisely you give the hotel and the area, the fewer questions are left for the morning of the tour.
Pickup is included from Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Titreyengöl, Sorgun, Kızılağaç, Gündoğdu and Kızılot. From anywhere else, including Manavgat town centre, Antalya, Belek and Alanya, ask us on WhatsApp before booking whether a transfer is possible.
Choosing between morning, late morning and afternoon
The safari itself is the same whichever slot you take: the same 18 km route, the same briefings, the same practice drive, and the same fares of €30 per driver and €15 per passenger. The choice is really about how it fits around the rest of your day.
The whole programme takes roughly 4–4.5 hours door to door, from pickup to drop-off, so give yourself a clear half day around whichever departure you pick. Avoid squeezing another fixed appointment in close to it, and keep in mind that you will want a shower and fresh clothes afterwards, which the base's showers and changing cabins take care of.
Which departures are available on your date
The three times are the regular schedule, but not every departure runs on every date, and the slots can change with the season. In the booking calendar you will only see departures that are really available on your chosen date. If a time is not offered, it is not available that day.
Online bookings open from tomorrow. If you hope to go on the same day, send a WhatsApp message rather than using the form, and we will tell you whether any departure still has room.
What happens once you reach the base
Once you arrive at the base, the programme follows a fixed order. None of these steps is skipped, which is part of why the whole outing takes the time it does:
- Registration
- Information briefing on the vehicle, controls, route, group organisation, rules and stopping
- Safety briefing on following the guide, safe distance, overtaking, stopping, speed, protective equipment and emergencies
- Vehicle explanation and practice drive for every driver
- The guide's assessment
- The main off-road safari over 18 km
Being ready for your transfer
Be ready at your hotel at the pickup time in your confirmation, dressed for the day: old, comfortable outdoor clothes in darker colours and closed shoes or trainers, since flip-flops are not suitable for driving. Put a change of clothes in a bag for after the shower.
Drivers should have an ID with them, which the base checks to confirm they are 16 or over. A licence is not needed, as you drive only on a private off-road course, not a public road. And if your plans change, remember that cancelling is free up to 48 hours before the start.