The same river, two departures
Köprülü Canyon lies inland behind Manavgat, and the rafting happens there for both departures: on the Köprüçay, with a guide in the boat, a briefing and a practice session before the start. What you are booking is not a different river but a different pickup area with its own terms.
Rafting from Side is our main departure; pickup covers Side and the surrounding resorts, including Kumköy, Evrenseki, Çolaklı, Gündoğdu, Titreyengöl and Sorgun. Rafting from Belek collects from hotels in Belek. Book the departure for where you actually stay – the transfer route is built precisely around it.
Price: €18 against €25
From Side adults pay €18, from Belek €25. Children pay €12 from Side and €15 from Belek, each within the age band the tour sets. On both departures you pay on the day of the tour; nothing is charged online.
Both prices include the round-trip transfer, a guide in every raft, safety briefing and practice, helmet, life jacket and paddle, insurance and lunch by the river. Drinks are extra on both departures, as are water-shoe hire, photos and video, and a wetsuit if you choose to hire one. The price difference does not buy a different service on the river, then – it buys a different pickup.
Children: from 4 in Side, from 7 in Belek
For families this is the difference that matters most. On the Side tour children aged 4 to 11 pay the child fare; for children under 4 the rafting is not recommended. On the Belek tour the child fare applies to ages 7 to 11 – children under 7 are not provided for as participants there.
Neither departure has an infant tier. If you are travelling with a four-, five- or six-year-old, only the Side tour has a fare band that takes the child along.
Equipment: the same kit on both
On both departures the kit in the price is helmet, life jacket and paddle, fitted before you board. Neither tour includes a wetsuit: on both it is optional, and you can hire one at the base for an extra fee.
So the equipment is no reason to pick one departure over the other. We quote no price for the wetsuit hire; if you have a question about it, ask us before you book.
Cancellation: 24 hours in Belek, confirmed terms in Side
The Belek tour states free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour. The Side tour names no fixed deadline; the cancellation terms are given to you with the booking confirmation. We deliberately do not claim a 24-hour rule for Side that is not written down there.
Since nothing is paid in advance on either departure, cancellation is not about money flowing back but about how binding your reservation is towards the operator.
Which departure you should book
If you stay in Side or one of the resorts in its pickup area, rafting from Side is the obvious choice: cheaper, with a child fare from age 4, and with combo packages for zipline, jeep safari, quad and buggy on the packages page. If you stay in Belek, book the Belek departure – with pickup from your hotel in Belek and the 24-hour cancellation.
What you should not do is book the cheaper departure for a place you are not staying in. The transfer is built around each pickup area, and a hotel outside it is not a stop on the route. If you are unsure which area your hotel falls into, message us on WhatsApp.