What the zipline adds to the rafting
The rafting is the same as on the rafting-only tour from Side: 12 kilometres of the Köprüçay, a trained guide in every raft, safety briefing and practice session, helmet, life jacket and paddle. The package changes none of that.
What it adds is a flight on a zipline across the canyon, 400 metres long or more. You see the river you have just paddled from above – which is why the Rafting & Zipline from Side is, for many guests, the most natural combo: no vehicle, no dust track, just the canyon from a second angle, for a small step up from rafting alone.
How the day runs
Pickup from your hotel in Side or one of the surrounding resorts is generally at around 08:00 to 08:30; your exact time is confirmed personally after you book. The air-conditioned vehicle heads up through Manavgat into Köprülü Canyon National Park.
At the base come equipment, briefing, the practice session and the run down the river. Lunch is served on the bank. The zipline runs in whatever order the base is working that day – before or after the rafting. You are normally back at your hotel at roughly 16:30 to 18:30; the return depends on group size, the day's schedule, traffic and the river.
- Hotel pickup, approximately 08:00–08:30
- Drive into Köprülü Canyon National Park
- Briefing, equipment, practice session
- 12 km of rafting on the Köprüçay
- Zipline flight of 400 m or more across the canyon
- Lunch by the river (drinks extra)
- Return drive, roughly 16:30–18:30
You do not have to fly – and you still pay no more
This is the part of the package we most like explaining. Anyone who reaches the platform and decides the height is not for them does not have to fly. They wait by the river, watch the others and go back with the same group. Nothing is charged for that, and the package price stays exactly the same.
That makes the zipline the easiest combo for a mixed group: those who want to fly, fly; those who would rather not miss nothing of the rafting or the lunch. You do not have to decide in advance, only when you are standing at the top.
Who can join
The rafting needs no experience, and non-swimmers can take part – the fitted life jacket keeps you afloat and the guide sits in the boat. Children aged 4 to 11 pay the child fare; for children under 4 the rafting is not recommended.
The day is not recommended during pregnancy or with a severe back, heart or respiratory condition, and that applies to the rafting and the zipline alike. After a recent operation or with a severe mobility problem you are also better off staying on land. Anyone who has been drinking goes neither on the river nor on the wire. If in doubt, ask us on WhatsApp before you book.
Price and what is included
The Rafting & Zipline from Side costs €25 per person, and children aged 4 to 11 pay €15. For comparison, rafting alone from Side starts at €18. Included are the round-trip transfer in an air-conditioned vehicle, the guide in the boat, briefing and practice, helmet, life jacket and paddle, accident and activity insurance, lunch by the river and the zipline flight.
Drinks are always extra, including at lunch. Also extra: water shoes if you have none with you (rent or buy at the base), and professional photos and video. Nothing is charged online: you book, we confirm, and you pay on the day of the tour.
Zipline, or another package?
The zipline is the right choice if you want to see the canyon from above and have no wish to drive anything. If you would rather be at the handlebars or the wheel, the overview of all rafting packages from Side lists the quad and buggy versions with their own prices, plus the jeep safari.
And if you want both – the flight and the drive – there are three-activity packages with zipline and quad, or zipline and buggy. Anyone who only wants the river stays with rafting alone at €18.