If you are staying in Antalya, white water is closer than you might expect. Köprülü Canyon National Park lies about an hour and a half east of the city, in the Taurus Mountains between Serik and Manavgat, and two of our tours spend the day there: the Antalya Rafting Tour and Antalya Zipline & Rafting, which adds a short zipline ride at the rafting base. This guide follows the day from hotel to river and back, and helps you choose between the two.
Pickup in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı and Kaleiçi
Both tours start at around 08:30. We collect you from hotels in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı and the city centre; the exact time depends on which part of Antalya you are staying in and is sent to you after booking. Guests in Kaleiçi may be met at a nearby meeting point instead of at the hotel door – you will find the details with your pickup time.
From the city the minibus heads east and then up into the mountains. After about an hour and a half you reach the Köprüçay, where the rafting bases cluster around Beşkonak and Bozyaka. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes from the start; it saves time at the base.
The river day, step by step
- Around 08:30: pickup from your hotel in Antalya.
- Around 10:30–11:00: arrival at the base, where everyone is fitted with a life jacket, helmet and paddle, and the instructors run through the paddle commands.
- About 11:00–14:00: rafting. The route covers roughly 14 km of the Köprüçay with class II–III rapids: about 2–2.5 hours on the water, broken up by swim and photo stops. Each raft carries 8–12 people and one instructor.
- Lunch: a buffet by the river – think grilled chicken, rice or bulgur, pasta, salads and fruit. Drinks are paid separately.
- From about 15:30: the return transfer, which brings you back to your hotel at around 17:30.
Treat these times as a guide: they can shift a little with the base and the river level.
What the zipline adds
The zipline version is the same river day with one extra. At the rafting base, short lines – a few hundred metres, depending on the base – run over or along the Köprüçay. An instructor fits your harness, clips you on and checks everything before you push off. The ride usually comes just before or just after the rafting, so the shape of the day stays the same: pickup and return times match the rafting tour, and lunch is included either way.
So which one? The combination suits teenagers, groups of friends and anyone who likes a little height on top of the white water. Plain rafting makes more sense if someone in your group is uneasy about harnesses and heights, or if you simply want the day to be about the river. The minimum age is 7 for both activities, and under-18s take part with a parent. Our zipline guide explains how these short river lines compare with the canyon zipline at Göynük near Kemer.
Who the rafting day suits – and who should wait
Class II–III rapids mean plenty of waves and splashes, but nothing that needs previous experience: the instructor steers and calls the strokes, and the whole raft paddles together. Swimming skills aren’t required – your life jacket does the floating – but you should be relaxed around water. That makes the day a good match for couples, groups of friends and families whose children are 7 or older.
Rafting is not suitable for pregnant guests, and children under 7 cannot join. If that rules out the river for your group, the Antalya Green Canyon Boat Tour is the calm alternative: a cruise on the turquoise Oymapınar Dam lake north of Manavgat, open to all ages, with swim stops, lunch and soft drinks on board. Because the lake is about two hours from the city, it starts earlier, at around 07:30, and returns at around 17:00.
Rafting is possible mainly from April to October, plus some November days when the water level and the weather allow. Outside midsummer, ask about renting a wetsuit at the base.
What to wear and pack
- Swimsuit under light clothes that dry quickly
- Water shoes or old trainers that won’t slip off in the current (the base also rents shoes)
- A towel and a full set of dry clothes for the ride home
- Water-resistant sunscreen, plus a hair tie for long hair
- Some cash for drinks and the optional extras at the base: shoe and wetsuit rental, waterproof phone pouches, photos and video
Valuables are safer back at the hotel, and a phone on the river needs a sealed waterproof pouch.
Fitting the day into a city stay
Because you are back at around 17:30, the rafting day still leaves you an evening in town – time for a shower and dinner in Kaleiçi, or a walk down to the old harbour. Avoid booking another early start for the next morning, and if you plan both rafting and the Green Canyon, put a beach day between them: both are full days with time on the road.
You can book in a couple of minutes on the tour page or on WhatsApp. There is no deposit: the tour is paid in cash on the day, and cancelling is free until 24 hours before the start. For the drive times from the other resorts and more about the river itself, read our Köprülü Canyon rafting guide. Every trip that starts from the city is listed on the Antalya safari tours page.
