The vehicle: an automatic buggy with a wheel and pedals
The buggy is the easy half of the answer: an open off-road vehicle with an automatic gearbox, steered with a wheel and driven with two pedals, one to go and one to stop. No clutch, no gears. If you have driven a car the controls feel familiar; if not, the vehicle briefing and the practice drive teach you them before the safari starts.
You wear a helmet for the whole drive, and it is included. Prefer handlebars and a thumb throttle? That is the quad safari, the second of the three products on this site.
The course: a private off-road track, not a road
The 'safari' half is where you drive — and it is not a road. Everything happens on a private off-road course inland from the Side coast, laid out for exactly this, which is why no driving licence is required: the safari runs on a private off-road course, not on public roads.
Expect forest tracks and dirt roads, uneven ground and dust — and, depending on the day, mud, small stream crossings and water-splash stops where the group gets wet on purpose. It is a drive, not a sightseeing stop, and no two days on the course are the same.
The day, step by step: from your hotel to the showers
The safari is a half-day programme, approximately 4–4.5 hours door to door. In season there are three departures a day, 08:00, 11:00 and 13:00 — the time the activity starts at the base. The transfer collects you from your hotel earlier; the exact pickup time depends on your hotel and the route and is confirmed with your booking.
At the base the order is always the same:
- Arrival and registration — drivers show ID as proof of age
- Information briefing: vehicle, route, rules, group organisation
- Safety briefing: distance, overtaking, stopping, speed, emergencies
- Vehicle briefing and the practice drive, completed by every driver
- The guide's assessment, then the main safari — the 18 km route, with breaks
- Showers and changing cabins at the base, then the transfer back to your hotel
What is in the fare — and what you pay for at the base
The fare covers the whole programme: the round-trip hotel transfer, the buggy, the helmet, the information and safety briefings, the vehicle briefing with the practice drive, the guide on the route, insurance where applicable under the operating policy, and the changing cabins and showers at the base.
Four things are extra and paid at the base: goggles and a bandana — sold there, optional, and you may bring your own — food and drinks, and the photos and video the base team takes. No prices for these appear on this site. Pickup is offered from Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Titreyengöl, Sorgun, Kızılağaç, Gündoğdu and Kızılot; staying elsewhere, ask on WhatsApp before you book.
Who can drive, and who rides along
Drivers are 16 or older and show ID at the base. On the practice drive the guide watches every driver and has the final say on who drives the main safari; anyone who does not drive rides the same route as a passenger, at the same fare.
Everyone aged 11 and over pays the adult fare, driving or not. The buggy safari itself sells adult seats only; a child aged 6–10 rides as a passenger beside an adult on the family buggy safari or the quad safari, at the child fare. Under 6, no child can take part on any of the three safaris.
Booking, paying, cancelling — and what to bring
Booking on this site takes your details and your chosen departure; no card is entered and nothing is charged online. You pay on the day of the tour, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure. Each departure takes a maximum of 40 participants.
Bring old clothes in dark colours that can get dusty or muddy, closed shoes — sports shoes yes, flip-flops no — and, if you like, a change of clothes for after the showers.