The rule everything else follows: you will get wet
Twelve kilometres of the Köprüçay is not a boat ride where a little spray comes over the side. You paddle, and where your guide judges it safe there are swimming stops. Anyone hoping to stay dry has picked the wrong river. So every decision about clothing starts from one sentence: whatever you have on your body is going to be soaked, and it has to be able to take that.
It sounds obvious, and it decides the whole day. Get into the raft in jeans and a cotton hoodie and you spend the afternoon in heavy, cold fabric waiting for the shower. Wear swimwear under light, quick-drying clothes and you step out of the boat, towel off and walk to lunch. Rafting from Side is €18 per person; the right clothes cost nothing extra, they just have to be in the bag.
Under it all: swimwear
Put your swimsuit, bikini or swim shorts on at the hotel, under your normal clothes. That spares you a change in the bustle of arrival, and at the rafting base you only have to peel off the top layer. There is a changing area, but the morning runs more smoothly if you first need it after the run.
Choose swimwear that stays put when you move. You are paddling, climbing in and out, and jumping in at the swimming stop. A bikini that shifts on the first jump, or shorts with no drawcord, are not the thing for a river.
Over the swimwear: light, quick-drying, expendable
Over the swimwear goes clothing that can get wet and that you will not mourn: a light sports shirt, synthetic shorts, or a rash guard if you own one. Cotton is the worst choice on the river — it soaks up water, gets heavy and is still damp on the drive home.
A shirt over the swimwear does a second job: it sits between your skin and the life jacket. The jacket is fitted snugly at the base, and over twelve kilometres a shirt underneath is simply more comfortable than the jacket directly on skin.
Shoes: the one rule nobody bends
Footwear is where most guests get it wrong, and the one part of your outfit the operator will not discuss. Flip-flops are not allowed on the river. They come off in the water, and a bare foot on wet rock is the shortest route to an injury.
You need shoes that fasten to your foot and can get completely wet: water shoes, old trainers, or sandals with a heel strap. If you arrive without anything suitable, water shoes can be rented or bought at the base — the price is set there by the operator, which is why we do not print one. The full story is in our guide to rafting shoes.
What the base gives you
Helmet, life jacket and paddle come from the base, and all three are fitted before you get into the raft. They are in the price of the tour, along with the safety briefing and the practice session on calm water. Children aged 4 to 11 get a helmet and jacket in their size.
For afterwards: towel, dry clothes, shower
The second half of the packing list is the one people forget: the journey back. After the river and lunch you still have a drive ahead of you, and nobody wants to sit through it in wet clothes. The base has showers and a changing area — but they only help if you have something dry to put on.
Sunscreen goes on face, neck, shoulders and knees before you board, and again after lunch. A hat does not fit under the helmet, so cream is your only protection in the boat. Your phone, wallet and dry clothes stay in the secure storage at the base while you are on the water.
- A towel
- A full change of dry clothes, underwear included
- A second pair of shoes if your river shoes are the trainers you wore in the morning
- A plastic bag for the wet things, so your rucksack does not travel home damp
- Sunscreen, applied twice
Combo tours: wet and dusty
If you combine the rafting with a quad or buggy stage, a second requirement arrives: the forest track is dusty. A bandana for mouth and nose is not in the package price and is sold separately at the base; a scarf of your own does the same job. Clothes for these packages must be able to get dirty as well as wet. The packages and their prices are on the Side rafting packages page — and if you only want the river, book rafting from Side on its own.