Antalya’s hotels stretch along the coast, from Konyaaltı beach in the west, past the old town of Kaleiçi and its Roman harbour, to the resort strip of Lara and Kundu in the east. Behind all of them rise the Taurus Mountains, and that is where most outdoor day trips from the city go. This guide sorts them by how much of your day they take and what kind of day they give you, then offers a few rules of thumb for choosing. For the bigger picture across all six resorts, see Antalya safari tours: which resort, which tour?
Half days: quads, buggies and horses
For the Antalya Quad Safari and the Antalya Buggy Safari, a minibus takes you 20–25 km out of town – about 30–45 minutes – to an off-road park in the countryside of Kurşunlu, near Aksu. Once the safety briefing and a few minutes of practice are done, you get about an hour and a half on forest tracks full of dust, mud and water. The trip takes about four hours: the morning group is picked up from 08:30 and is back at around 12:30, and the afternoon group goes from 14:00 to about 18:00. The driver has to be 16 or older (under-18s need a parent’s consent, and some vehicles take only drivers of 18+), while passengers can join from 7.
The Antalya Horse Riding Tour starts from a stable in the Lara and Kundu area on the east side of the city. The route mixes pine forest with the long sandy beach between Lara and Kundu, and you spend about an hour and a half in the saddle within a trip of about three and a half hours. There is a morning group (pickup from 09:00) and a sunset group (from 16:00), whose ride ends around sunset in spring and autumn. No experience is needed: after a short briefing, beginners stay mostly at a walk with a little gentle trotting, and the guide matches them with calm horses. Children can ride from 6, under-12s with an adult in the group, and the weight limit is about 100 kg per rider.
A mountain day: Gebiz and Yumaklar
The Antalya Jeep Safari takes you into the Taurus foothills without anyone in your group having to drive. Experienced drivers take the jeeps north-east out of the city, through Gebiz and up to Yumaklar, a village at about 920 metres. On the way there are panoramic stops and time to see everyday village life; later you swim in the natural pool below a waterfall, and lunch is served at a mountain restaurant (drinks are extra). Pickup is at around 08:30, and you are back at around 16:30.
This is the day to pick when your group spans several ages: tickets cover adults, children (3–11) and infants (0–2), and everyone simply rides along with a seat belt on. The jeep safari is not suitable for pregnant guests. Our jeep safari guide to Gebiz and Yumaklar walks through the route stop by stop.
Water days: Köprülü Canyon and the Green Canyon
- White water: the Antalya Rafting Tour drives about an hour and a half to Köprülü Canyon National Park for roughly 14 km of class II–III rapids on the Köprüçay, about 2–2.5 hours of paddling with swim stops, and a buffet lunch by the river. Pickup is at around 08:30, return at about 17:30, and the minimum age is 7. A version with a short river zipline at the rafting base runs on the same schedule.
- Calm water: the Antalya Green Canyon Boat Tour travels about two hours to the Oymapınar Dam lake north of Manavgat. You cruise for about two to three hours between steep, forested canyon walls and stop once or twice to swim; lunch and soft drinks on the boat are included. Pickup is at around 07:30, return at about 17:00, and children of every age can come along.
Rafting is the active choice when everyone is at least 7 and comfortable in water. The boat suits families with toddlers, older travellers and anyone who would rather watch the scenery go by than paddle.
How to choose
- Short on time: a half day – the quad, the buggy or the horse ride – keeps the rest of the day free for Kaleiçi or the beach.
- Small children: the Green Canyon boat or the jeep safari. Horse riding starts at 6; rafting and riding as a quad or buggy passenger at 7.
- Teenagers: from 16 they can drive their own quad or buggy with a parent’s consent, and rafting suits them too.
- Couples: the sunset horse ride, or a double buggy with seats side by side.
- Midsummer heat: the morning groups for quads, buggies and horses, or a day on the water.
- Health: the jeep, quad, buggy, rafting and horse riding tours are not suitable during pregnancy, and quads, buggies and horses are not for people with back or heart problems.
Combining trips? On a long weekend, one half day and one full day are plenty. Over a week you can add a third, but leave a free day between rafting and the Green Canyon, as both involve a good amount of road time.
Pickup and booking
All these trips include free pickup from hotels in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı, Kaleiçi and the rest of Antalya; Kaleiçi guests are sometimes collected from a meeting point close by rather than at the door. Your exact time follows after booking and depends on the hotel’s location. For horse riding, the driver meets you at the hotel’s main gate. Booking works on the tour page or on WhatsApp, with no deposit: you settle up in cash on the day and can cancel without charge until 24 hours before.
Every trip from the city is listed on the Antalya safari tours page.
