Rides in Antalya District

Rides around Antalya almost always mean climbing into the Taurus mountains, and the only question is what you climb in. Buggies and quads leave from Alanya, Belek and Side: two hours of riverbeds, dust and shallow water with a stop at a viewpoint. Jeep safaris go further and higher, up to the Dimçay river where lunch is laid over the water, calling at mountain villages on the way. The two-, three- and five-in-one combinations stack rafting, buggy, zipline, cabrio safari and canyoning into a single day on one transfer, and that is the format the coast sells most.

Quieter options exist. The horse safari at Alanya fills half a day at walking pace along pine tracks above the sea. The cable car lifts you to the Alanya castle, from where both bays and the peninsula between them are visible at once. A category of its own is the D400 coast road from Antalya to Kaş: switchbacks above the water with a stop at Kaputaş beach, wedged between cliffs. The Green Canyon safari pairs an off-road section with time on the water, and at the Green Lake the jeep and the boat follow one after the other.

Practical notes. The off-road season runs April to November; some tracks close in winter once the mud sets in. Driving a buggy usually requires eighteen years and a licence, while passengers may be younger. You come back dusty from head to foot, so leave pale clothes behind and bring eye protection. Transfers are included almost everywhere but pick-ups are early: around seven in the morning from Side and Belek. Cable car queues are shorter before eleven and after five.