The same river, two pickup areas
Köprülü Canyon lies inland behind Manavgat. It is the destination for both departures, and the rafting itself is the same there: Köprüçay, guide in the boat, briefing and practice session. So you are not choosing between two rivers but between two transfers with their own terms.
Rafting from Side collects in Side and the surrounding resorts – Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Gündoğdu, Titreyengöl, Sorgun. Rafting from Antalya collects from hotels in Antalya, in an air-conditioned vehicle both ways. Book the departure whose area your hotel is in; the route is built precisely around it.
Price: €18 against €23
Adults pay €18 from Side and €23 from Antalya. Children pay €12 from Side and €14 from Antalya – within each tour's age band. On both departures you pay on the day of the tour; nothing is charged online.
Included in both cases are the round-trip transfer, a guide in every raft, briefing and practice, helmet, life jacket and paddle, insurance and lunch by the river. Drinks are extra on both, as are water-shoe hire, photos and video, and a wetsuit if you choose to hire one.
Children and infants: the biggest difference
From Side, children aged 4 to 11 pay the child fare; under 4 the rafting is not recommended, and there is no infant tier. From Antalya the minimum age for rafting is 7, and the child fare applies to ages 7 to 11.
In return the Antalya tour has something Side does not: infants aged 0 to 3 come along free and stay at the riverside picnic while the family is on the water. For children aged 4 to 6 the Antalya tour names no fare band of its own – ask us before you book if you want to travel from Antalya with a child of that age.
Equipment and cancellation
On equipment the two departures are the same: the kit in the price is helmet, life jacket and paddle, fitted before you board. Neither includes a wetsuit; on both it is optional, and you can hire one at the base for an extra fee.
Cancellation is where they differ: the Antalya tour names free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The Side tour names no fixed deadline – the terms are given to you with the booking confirmation, and we do not claim a rule for Side that is not written down there.
What is the same on both
On the river nothing differs that you would notice: guide in the boat, safety briefing, practice on calm water, life jacket and helmet, lunch on the bank. Non-swimmers can join on both, nobody needs experience, and anyone who has been drinking goes on the river on neither departure.
The health rules are the same too: not during pregnancy, not with a serious heart condition, asthma, a severe back problem or after a recent operation. And on both, pickup is spread through the morning, generally from about 08:00, with the return normally at roughly 16:30 to 18:30.
Which departure you should book
If you stay in Side or the pickup area around it, book rafting from Side: cheaper, child fare from age 4, and the combo packages with zipline, jeep safari, quad and buggy are ready on the packages page. If you stay in Antalya, book the Antalya departure – especially with an infant, who stays by the river there free of charge.
What does not work: booking the cheaper departure for a hotel that is not in its area. The transfer drives its pickup area, not the whole coast. If you are not sure which area your hotel belongs to, message us on WhatsApp before you book.