Buggy Safari in Türkiye: What an Off-Road Buggy Tour Is Like and How to Prepare

A buggy safari is a guided off-road drive in a small open car: you take the wheel, a guide leads the convoy, and for an hour or so you follow dirt tracks through pine forest, across dry ground and, on some routes, through mud and shallow water. You don’t need a driving licence or any off-road experience on the tours listed here, and the hotel transfer is part of the package.

Maxtoria lists buggy safaris in the countryside behind Side, Manavgat, Belek and Alanya on Türkiye’s southern coast. This guide explains what a buggy is and how it differs from a quad, how the outing runs, the age and passenger rules to check, what the dust and mud are really like, how to stay safe and what to sort out before you book.

What is a buggy safari?

A buggy is a small, light off-road car. Instead of handlebars you have a steering wheel and pedals, you sit in a seat rather than astride the vehicle, and a passenger sits beside you rather than behind. A tubular frame, usually called a roll cage, surrounds the seats. On the Side mud-and-water tour, for example, the listing describes a steering wheel, an automatic gearbox and a protective roll cage, and several tours state that their vehicles are automatic. Details vary by vehicle, so check the listing if something like a seat belt or an automatic gearbox matters to you.

The word safari here simply means a trip into the countryside: there are no animals to spot. Every tour listed here offers both a buggy and a quad, also called an ATV, and you choose the vehicle as an option when you book. That makes it easy to mix: one of you can book a buggy and a friend a quad on the same tour.

Where Maxtoria’s buggy safaris run

The tracks start a short drive inland from the resorts, where the coastal plain rises into the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. The tours are listed by resort:

• Side and Manavgat. One Side tour runs around Beşkonak, where the Köprüçay River leaves the Taurus foothills in the Manavgat countryside, with forest tracks and shallow river crossings. Another sticks to red earth, pine forest and mud pools somewhere behind the resort strip. Both collect you from hotels in the Side area; see the quad and buggy safaris in Side.

• Belek and Kundu. The Belek and Kundu buggy safari also runs beside the Köprüçay near Beşkonak, with a stop at the river, and collects from hotels in Belek and Kundu.

• Alanya and Avsallar. Two tours climb into the pine-covered Taurus foothills just behind the coast, one behind Alanya and one behind Avsallar, both with a viewpoint stop. Each collects only from part of the coast, so check the pickup zone on the Alanya quad and buggy safari page.

A tour listed under Antalya does not mean driving in Antalya city. The province of Antalya stretches along most of this coast, and the Antalya-listed tour is the Belek one, which runs in the countryside near Beşkonak. If you are staying in the city itself, check whether your hotel is inside a tour’s pickup area before you book; you can compare the options on the Antalya buggy safari page.

How a buggy safari works, step by step

Details vary by operator, but the tours listed here follow the same basic pattern:

1. Pickup. A driver collects you from your hotel before the session time. The exact pickup time is confirmed after you book.

2. Arrival at the base. You meet the team at the operator’s base in the countryside, where the vehicles are kept.

3. Briefing and helmets. Staff fit your helmet and run through the controls and the rules of the convoy.

4. Practice. Every tour includes a practice or test lap before the trail, so you can get a feel for the accelerator, brakes and steering.

5. The convoy. You drive your own vehicle in single file behind the guide, who sets the pace for the group. On some tours a second guide rides at the back.

6. Stops. Depending on the route, you pause at the river, a forest clearing or a viewpoint over the mountains and the coast.

7. Return. You drive back to the base, hand in your helmet and take the transfer back to your hotel.

The whole session lasts about 90 minutes to two hours depending on the tour, with roughly 55 to 90 minutes of actual driving. Transfer time comes on top. All the tours listed here start at 10:00, with a second session at 13:00 or 14:00.

Buggy safari for beginners

Most people on a buggy safari have never driven off-road before, and the tours listed here are set up for them. No driving licence and no previous experience are needed on any of them. The briefing and practice lap cover the basics, and the guide sets a pace that suits the group.

The one firm rule is age. Where a tour states a minimum age for drivers, it is between 16 and 18: 16 on one Side tour, 17 on another and on the Alanya tour, and 18 on the Belek tour. The Avsallar tour doesn’t give a number, only that children up to 16 ride as passengers and do not drive. Check the listing for whoever plans to take the wheel.

If you drive a car at home, a buggy will feel familiar, but it reacts more sharply on loose ground. A few habits help:

• Accelerate and brake smoothly, and slow down before a bend rather than in it.

• Keep both hands on the wheel, with your thumbs outside the spokes on rough ground.

• Leave the gap the guide asks for, so you aren’t driving through the dust of the vehicle in front.

• Look well ahead along the track, not at the bonnet.

Driving alone, with a passenger, or a family buggy

Buggies come in single and double versions on every tour listed here. A single buggy is yours alone. A double buggy carries a driver and a passenger side by side, which suits couples, a parent with a child, or anyone who would rather not drive. Some tours also offer a family buggy that seats three to four people, and the Belek tour lists a family buggy option too; check the seat count there.

Passenger rules depend on the tour. Children can ride as passengers from 3 on the Avsallar tour, from 6 on the Beşkonak tours from Side and Belek, and from 12 on the Side mud-and-water tour. The Alanya tour sets no minimum passenger age, but the operator may limit very young children. These rules apply to family buggies as well, so check them before you book one for young children.

Terrain, dust, mud and water

Expect dust. On dry days the vehicles in front throw up a fine cloud that gets into your hair, your clothes and every fold of your bag, and the tours listed here don’t provide goggles, bandanas or dust masks. Bring your own sunglasses and a bandana or buff to pull over your nose and mouth.

Mud depends on the route and the season. Every route has dirt or gravel tracks through forest, and most have muddy stretches, especially after rain. The Side pine trails, mud and water tour makes mud the point, with mud pools, water crossings and short rocky climbs, and it has showers and changing cabins at the base. The Beşkonak tours cross shallow water beside the Köprüçay, and the Avsallar route follows dry streambeds rather than water.

Only the Köprüçay tours include a swim. On the Belek tour the group stops by the river for about 20 minutes. On the Side tour around Beşkonak the swim stop runs in the summer months only. The river water is cold even in summer, so bring swimwear, a towel and dry clothes if your tour includes the stop.

Buggy safari safety

A guided buggy safari is organised to be done by beginners, but no motorised outing on rough ground is risk-free. Most incidents come from speed, overtaking or losing concentration on a bend, so the basics matter:

• Wear your helmet with the strap fastened from the practice lap to the end of the ride. A helmet is included on every tour listed here.

• Use the seat belt if your buggy has one, and keep your arms and hands inside the frame.

• Follow the guide. Stay in line, keep your distance and don’t overtake.

• Drive at your own pace. Nobody minds if you take a bend slowly; the guide adjusts to the group.

• No alcohol before or during the ride. At least one Side tour forbids it outright; don’t drink before any of them.

• Wear closed shoes. Some tours say they are required for driving.

• Speak up if something feels wrong with the vehicle or you want to slow down.

Insurance is included on every tour listed here, though the listings rarely say what it covers; the Belek tour names third-party liability insurance. Check that your own travel insurance covers off-road driving too.

Who should skip it

A buggy ride is bumpy, and the jolts go straight through your spine. Every tour listed here says it is not recommended during pregnancy or for people with back problems, most add neck problems, and at least one Side tour also mentions heart conditions. A listing that says nothing about a condition is not a guarantee that the ride suits you. Follow your tour’s rules, and ask a doctor if you are unsure.

Buggy, quad, jeep, rafting or horse riding?

These outings suit different moods, and many visitors do more than one. On a quad you sit astride the vehicle and steer with handlebars, leaning your body into bends; it feels more like riding a motorbike. A buggy feels more like driving a small car, with a wheel, a seat and a passenger beside you. Some people find the buggy easier to settle into, others prefer the quad’s directness. On the tours listed here you choose between them when you book, for the same route.

On a jeep safari you are a passenger in an open 4x4 for most of a day, with a swim and lunch along the way; our jeep safari guide explains how the day runs. Rafting means paddling down a mountain river with a guide and getting thoroughly wet; see the rafting and combo tours from Side. If you would rather leave the engine behind, a guided trail ride is slow and quiet, and our horse riding guide covers what to expect.

What’s included, and what you pay for

The tours listed here share most of the basics, but read the included and not-included lines on each listing.

• On every tour: the return hotel transfer from the tour’s pickup area, your buggy or quad, a helmet, a safety briefing and practice lap, a professional guide and insurance.

• Not included on any tour: food and drinks, photos and videos, and goggles, bandanas or dust masks. On some tours photos may be offered for purchase after the ride.

• On some tours: extras such as lockers or tips for the guides are listed as not included.

Pickup areas are limited. The Alanya tour collects between Alanya centre and Mahmutlar, the Avsallar tour between Okurcalar and Dinek, and the Belek tour from Belek and Kundu hotels. Carry some cash for drinks and photos, and bring your own water.

Responsible off-road riding

The tracks run through forest, farmland and river valleys that people live and work in. Keep to the route the guide takes, and don’t cut corners through undergrowth or across fields. Slow down near villages, walkers and animals, and stay quiet around houses. At the river, take nothing but photos and leave nothing behind: carry your rubbish back to the base. Pine forest on this coast is very dry in summer, so never smoke on the trail.

Booking your buggy safari on Maxtoria

Before you book, decide who will drive, who will ride as a passenger and whether you want a buggy, a quad or a mix. Then check the minimum ages, the pickup area and the guide’s languages: every tour offers English and Turkish, and some add German and Russian. On every tour listed here:

• You choose the vehicle type, single, double or family where offered, as an option when you book.

• Cancellation is free until 24 hours before the start.

• You can book until 5 hours before a session.

• You can pay by card online, or pay on the day if you book while signed in to your Maxtoria account.

• Your exact pickup time is confirmed after booking. Be ready outside your hotel a few minutes early.