Three ages that decide everything: 6, 11 and 16
Every family question about this safari comes down to three ages. A child aged 6–10 rides as a passenger and pays the child fare: €18 on the family buggy safari, €15 on the quad safari. From the eleventh birthday everyone pays the adult fare, at the wheel or beside it: €30 on the buggies, €25 on the quad. Driving starts at 16, and the driver shows ID at the base as proof of age.
That leaves the group we are asked about most: children aged 11–15. Too young to drive and too old for the child fare, they ride as passengers next to an adult driver at the adult fare. The booking form prices your group by exactly these fares, and ages are checked at the base — against the same rules you are reading here.
- Under 6: cannot take part — no infant seat, no free place
- 6–10: passenger only, child fare, on the Family Buggy Safari or the Quad Safari
- 11–15: passenger only, adult fare
- 16 and over: may drive after the practice drive, ID as proof of age
Family Buggy Safari or Buggy Safari — which one a family books
The buggy safari on its own sells adult places only: everyone in the booking is 11 or over, and the form will not add a child to it. The family buggy safari is the same product booked the way a family arrives — the same automatic buggies with a wheel and pedals, the same private off-road course inland from the Side coast, the same hotel transfer, briefings and practice drive. What changes is the seat: an adult drives, and a child aged 6–10 rides as a passenger at the child fare.
Every family booking needs at least one adult and at least one child aged 6–10 — that pairing is what makes it the family product. Prefer handlebars to a wheel? The quad safari takes child passengers of the same age, again with an adult driver. Either way, tell us who is coming when you book and we confirm the vehicle arrangement with you. We do not publish a seats-per-vehicle figure; we would rather confirm your family's arrangement personally than print a number that might not fit your group.
A child's day, from hotel door to hotel door
The programme runs approximately 4–4.5 hours door to door, and children follow the same programme as the adults. It opens with the round-trip hotel transfer from Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Titreyengöl, Sorgun, Kızılağaç, Gündoğdu or Kızılot; the pickup time is earlier than the departure you choose, depends on your hotel and the route, and is confirmed with your booking. At the base come registration, the information briefing and the safety briefing — following the guide, safe distance, stopping rules, appropriate speed, what to do if something goes wrong. Children listen too: a passenger who knows why the convoy stops is a calmer passenger.
The adult driver then takes the vehicle briefing and the practice drive under the guide's eye, and only after that does the group head out on the 18 km off-road route: forest tracks, dirt roads, dust, mud, uneven ground, small stream crossings and the water-splash stops children talk about for the rest of the holiday. Back at the base there are changing cabins and showers before the transfer takes you back to the hotel. All times are approximate; there is no fixed return time.
Helmets for everyone, and the guide's final word
Everyone wears a helmet for the whole safari, adults and children alike, and it is included in the price. Goggles and a bandana are not — both are sold at the base, so decide there whether your child wants them against the dust. Insurance is included where applicable under the operating policy.
The adult who drives is assessed on the practice drive, and the guide has the final say on who drives the main safari. An adult the guide does not clear rides the route as a passenger at the same fare, so the children's day is unchanged. No driving licence is required — the safari runs on a private off-road course, not on public roads — but the driver must be 16 or older with ID as proof of age.
Some things are worth weighing before you book, for a child as honestly as for yourself. If you are pregnant, have back or neck problems, have had recent surgery or have a heart condition, please sit this one out or ask us first — for back or neck issues the passenger seat is the gentler option, but the vehicle still shakes. Anyone who has been drinking alcohol or has taken drugs does not take part, as driver or as passenger. And children under 6 cannot take part at all.
Packing for a child on the buggy safari
Dress children as you would dress yourself for dust and mud: old clothes, dark colours rather than white, and closed shoes — sports shoes are ideal, flip-flops are not. A full change of clothes for after the showers makes the ride back far more comfortable. Food and drinks at the base are not in the price and are paid there.
Bring the driver's ID. You pay on the day, nothing is charged online, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the safari — room for a family to change plans without a cost.