Dusty mountain tracks, shallow river crossings and water fights between the jeeps in the Taurus foothills behind Antalya. Open-top 4x4 jeeps with professional drivers, viewpoints over green valleys, a mountain village stop with traditional crafts and lunch at a riverside restaurant beside running water. Pickup from hotels in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı and the city centre. Approximately seven hours, no prepayment, free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure.
Pickup is from your hotel in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı or the city centre, in the morning. The road leaves the coast and climbs into the Taurus foothills, and the view changes from apartment blocks to pine forest, citrus orchards and streams. Where the asphalt gives out, the open-top jeeps are waiting and the day changes character.
Each 4x4 carries eight to ten guests and a professional driver; guests never take the wheel. The convoy sets off along dusty mountain tracks, bouncing over stones and dropping into shallow river crossings that send water over the bonnet and into the back. At the river stops the water fight starts, water pistols between the jeeps, and nobody is spared, drivers included. Expect to be wet before lunch and dry again by the next viewpoint.
The viewpoints are worth the climb: green valleys with the tracks you have just driven scratched across them. There is a stop at a mountain village where traditional crafts are still practised, which is the one slow moment of the day and a good one for photographs. Lunch is at a riverside restaurant beside running water, with free time afterwards to sit in the shade, dry off or wander along the bank.
In the afternoon the convoy descends towards the coast and the driver drops you at your hotel gate. From pickup to drop-off the day takes approximately seven hours. Summer runs use open-top jeeps; in winter the fleet switches to covered vehicles. Guiding is in English, German, Russian and Turkish. Reservation is free with no prepayment: you pay in euros on the day, and you can cancel free of charge up to 48 hours before departure.