Three departures a day, in season
The safari runs on a private off-road course inland from the Side coast, and in high season there are three departures a day: a morning departure at 08:00, a late-morning departure at 11:00 and an afternoon departure at 13:00. All three drive the same forest tracks and dirt roads — dust, mud and water-splash stops included — and all three begin with the same briefings and the same practice drive before anyone reaches the main track.
Whether you book the quad safari, the buggy safari or the family buggy safari, the departures are the same three. The price does not move with the slot either: on the Quad Safari an adult pays €25 and a child aged 6–10 rides as a passenger for €15, whichever departure you choose.
The calendar shows only departures that actually run
The three slots are configurable per season and are set in advance, so which of them runs on a given date is a matter of the schedule, not of chance. The booking form reads that live schedule for the date you pick and shows only the departures that run on that day. A time you cannot book is a time you never see.
If a date shows one or two departures, that is the real timetable for that day, not a glitch. If it shows none, the safari is not running on that date — pick another day, or message us on WhatsApp and a person answers. A departure can also be full; the form says so plainly, and you switch to another departure or date.
Departure time is not hotel pickup time
This is where most of the confusion comes from, so here it is plainly: 08:00, 11:00 and 13:00 are the times the activity is scheduled to start. None of them is the time the transfer reaches your hotel. Your hotel pickup is earlier than your departure — how much earlier depends on your hotel, your pickup area and the route the transfer drives that day.
The hotel transfer collects guests from Side, Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Titreyengöl, Sorgun, Kızılağaç, Gündoğdu and Kızılot, and where your hotel sits on that route decides your minute. One pickup time printed here would be wrong for most hotels, so we confirm your exact pickup time with your booking instead — before the day, not on it.
Morning, late morning or afternoon: which departure suits your day?
Nothing about the safari itself changes between the three: same course, same 18 km off-road route, same helmet, same guide out front. What changes is the shape of your day. The 08:00 departure means an early alarm and the rest of the day still ahead of you when the transfer brings you back. The 11:00 departure leaves room for a proper breakfast. The 13:00 departure is for people who would rather not set an alarm on holiday at all; the light is lower by the end of the ride.
Whichever you take, plan on approximately 4–4.5 hours door to door — pickup, transfer, briefings, practice drive, the driving itself, showers if you want them, and the transfer back. There is no fixed return time; the day runs at the group's pace, not to the minute.
What the departure time does not change
Who can take part does not depend on the slot: drivers are 16 or over with ID as proof of age, anyone aged 11 or over pays the adult fare, and children aged 6–10 ride as passengers on the Quad Safari and the Family Buggy Safari on any of the three departures. The route, the briefings and the practice drive are the same on every departure too.
Nor has the departure time anything to do with a driving licence. No driving licence is required — the safari runs on a private off-road course, not on public roads — whichever departure you book.
On the day: from pickup to departure
Your confirmation names your departure. Your exact hotel pickup time follows from our team before the day, and it is always earlier than the departure. Closed shoes and old clothes are the right call — dust and mud are part of the experience. The helmet is included and stays on for the whole safari; goggles and a bandana are sold at the base if you want them.
At the base the programme is the same for every departure: registration, information briefing, safety briefing, vehicle briefing, then the practice drive on which the guide checks that every driver is in control — only then does the main off-road safari begin. You pay on the day of the tour, nothing is charged on this website, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before your departure.