Side-Turkey.

The Green Canyon boat tour takes you across the Oymapinar reservoir, a calm freshwater lake about 12 km north of Manavgat, ringed by steep pine-covered slopes. We collect you from your hotel in the morning, board a catamaran at 10:00, spend around 4.5 hours on the water with swimming stops, and serve lunch at a floating platform. From Side, adults pay EUR 35 and children EUR 20, transfers included.

I am Murat Atalay, and my team at side-turkey.com runs excursions out of Side and Manavgat all season. This page is the operator's complete guide, written for someone who is deciding and booking rather than just browsing: every 2026 departure point and price, the day laid out step by step, what is genuinely included, and the drawbacks other pages do not print. The tour most of our guests choose is the Green Canyon boat tour from Side, and everything below describes that day first, with the Evrenseki, Kumkoy, Belek, Antalya and Alanya versions covered as we go.

What Green Canyon actually is

Start with the thing most brochures skip: Green Canyon is not a wild river gorge you raft down. It is the local name for the lake that formed behind the Oymapinar hydroelectric dam on the Manavgat river. When the valley flooded, the water rose between the limestone walls and left a long, branching lake with arms reaching deep into the Taurus foothills. The result is a canyon you cruise through at ease, not one you scramble along.

Because the water comes down off the mountains, it holds the dense green-blue colour the tour is named after, and it stays noticeably colder than the sea even in the middle of August. It is also calm freshwater: no swell, no chop, no rolling deck, no spray. That single fact decides more bookings than anything else I could write here, and I come back to it below in the section on families and seasickness.

The reservoir sits about 12 km north of Manavgat town, which is why this excursion works so well from Side, Colakli, Evrenseki, Kumkoy and the villages between them: you are staying on the closest stretch of coast to the canyon. Guests joining from Antalya or Alanya spend considerably longer on the bus for exactly the same boat, which is worth knowing before you compare prices.

The catamaran day, step by step

Here is how the classic Side-area day actually runs. This is our operating pattern, not an idealised timetable.

Morning pick-up. A minibus collects you from your hotel. For the Side region, pick-ups fall roughly between 08:20 and 09:00 depending on your resort; the exact time is confirmed the day before and varies from hotel to hotel. The bus then climbs inland through Manavgat and into the foothills. For most Side-area hotels the transfer is comfortably under an hour once everyone is aboard, and the change of scenery from beach strip to river valley is part of the day.

Boarding at 10:00. The catamaran leaves the jetty at 10:00. It is a wide, double-hulled boat, far more stable than a small motor launch, with shaded seating as well as open deck space. Shade matters more than people expect out here in July. If onboard music is not your idea of a relaxing day, ask us about the music-free catamaran option when you book: same lake, same lunch, no speakers.

The first cruising leg. The boat works its way up the main body of the reservoir and into the narrower arms, where the cliffs close in and the water turns its deepest green. This is the stretch people photograph most. There is no set commentary schedule to sit through; you find a spot on deck and watch the walls go by.

Swimming stops. The captain anchors in sheltered arms of the lake and you swim straight from the boat. The first few seconds are a shock, because this is mountain-fed freshwater, noticeably colder than the sea. Almost everyone gasps, then stays in far longer than they planned. If you are travelling with reluctant swimmers, our separate guide to swimming in Green Canyon goes into detail on the water and how to ease into it.

Lunch at the floating platform. Around midday the catamaran ties up at a platform on the water. Lunch is included in your ticket, and so is fishing equipment if you fancy dropping a line off the edge while lunch is prepared; plenty of guests are just as happy to eat and watch the lake. Soft drinks on the catamaran are unlimited and included. Anything you order from the platform restaurant separately, and all alcohol, is paid on the spot, so bring a little cash.

The afternoon leg and return. More cruising, usually another chance to swim, then back to the jetty after around 4.5 hours on the water. The minibus returns you to your hotel, and most Side-area guests are back in the afternoon with the whole evening free. It is a full day out that still leaves room for dinner plans.

Green Canyon prices for 2026, from every departure point

These are our live 2026 prices, taken directly from our own listings, not last season's leftovers. Hotel transfers are included in every figure below; there is no pick-up surcharge from any of the regions listed.

A few things stand out from that table. The Mix combo from Evrenseki is the cheapest ticket on the lake at EUR 25, and it is also the longest day at around 9 hours. The Side catamaran at EUR 35 is the sweet spot for most guests: closest coast, shortest transfer, around 4.5 hours on the water. Antalya is the dearest at EUR 54 for the simple reason that the buses cover far more road. The Evrenseki dam tour runs about 7 hours door to door.

If you want to see how these figures sit against what hotel reps, street agencies and the big booking platforms charge, our Green Canyon price comparison guide breaks it down honestly. The short version: booking directly with the local operator removes the commission layers, which is why the numbers above look the way they do.

Every departure on this page can be reserved without prepayment. You tell us the date and your hotel, we confirm your places, and you pay on the day of the tour.

Which version of the tour should you choose?

Eight product pages, one lake. Here is how I would choose if I were the guest.

Staying in Side, Sorgun, Titreyengol, Gundogdu, Kizilagac or Kizilot? Take the classic Green Canyon boat tour from Side. Catamaran, 10:00 departure, EUR 35 for adults and EUR 20 for children, the exact day described above. It is the version we have been refining the longest and the one I recommend first.

Staying in Evrenseki and curious about the engineering? The Green Canyon and Oymapinar Dam tour from Evrenseki is a 7-hour programme at EUR 33 per adult and EUR 20 per child that pairs the cruise with the dam that created the lake in the first place. Seeing the wall of concrete that holds all that green water back changes how you read the canyon.

Watching the budget? The Green Canyon Mix combo from Evrenseki is our lowest-priced route onto the water: EUR 25 per adult, EUR 15 per child, for a long 9-hour day that combines the canyon cruise with additional stops. Check the tour page for the current programme before you book, as combo content is set season by season.

Staying in Kumkoy? You have two options: the straightforward Green Canyon tour from Kumkoy at EUR 43 per adult and EUR 30 per child, or the Green Canyon and Oymapinar tour from Kumkoy if you want the dam visit built into the day.

Based further along the coast? We run the Green Canyon cruise from Belek at EUR 48 per adult, the Green Canyon tour from Antalya at EUR 54, and the Green Canyon tour from Alanya at EUR 38. Same lake, same lunch platform; the difference you are paying for is road time, so set off expecting a longer day than the Side version.

Pick-up times, region by region

These are the approximate collection windows we work to on the Side-area departures. Treat them as planning figures: the exact time is confirmed the day before and varies from hotel to hotel, because the route depends on who else is on your minibus.

• Kizilot: around 08:20
• Gundogdu: around 08:30
• Kizilagac: around 08:30
• Colakli: around 08:40
• Evrenseki: around 08:45
• Titreyengol: around 08:45
• Sorgun: around 08:50
• Kumkoy: around 08:55
• Side centre: around 09:00

Have breakfast first; every hotel on this list can manage an early sitting, and the boat does not leave until 10:00. For the full picture, including how confirmation works the evening before, see our region-by-region article on Green Canyon pick-up times. Hotel pick-up and drop-off are free on every version of the tour, from every region in the price table, so there is nothing to arrange on your side beyond being in the lobby on time.

Swimming in the canyon

The swimming is the part guests talk about at dinner, so it deserves its own section. This is freshwater fed from the mountains, and it behaves nothing like the sea at your hotel beach. It is colder, noticeably so, and the cold does not fade much through the summer. It is also still: no waves, no current pulling at your legs at the surface, no salt in your eyes. You climb down from the catamaran, swim in water the colour of bottle glass with cliffs rising on both sides, and climb back up for a hot tea or a cold drink.

Non-swimmers and nervous swimmers can simply stay on deck; nobody is required to get in, and the swimming stops are anchored breaks rather than a race off the side. Bring a towel, because you will want one immediately when you come out. Everything else worth knowing, from what the cold actually feels like to how families manage it with children, is in our complete guide to swimming in Green Canyon.

Families, seniors and anyone who hates a rolling boat

I sell sea trips too, so believe me when I say this plainly: Green Canyon is the boat day I recommend to people who do not normally enjoy boats. The reservoir is flat. The catamaran barely registers that it is moving. If someone in your party turns green on the open sea, this is the excursion where they eat lunch with an appetite.

For families, the sums work in your favour. Children travel at reduced prices on every departure, from EUR 15 on the Evrenseki Mix combo up to EUR 34 from Antalya, and the day has a natural rhythm for younger guests: bus, boat, swim, lunch, fish off the platform, swim again, home. There is shade when they wilt and unlimited soft drinks when they are thirsty. We wrote a separate honest assessment of the tour for parents, Green Canyon with kids, which covers pushchairs, toddlers and teenagers in more detail.

Older guests tend to enjoy this tour for the same reasons: proper seating, a stable deck, no long walks, and scenery that does the work. The one caveat I give seniors honestly is the water temperature; the swimming is optional and plenty of guests skip it without feeling they missed the point of the day.

What to bring

Keep the bag small. The boat has shade and the lunch is handled, so you need less than you think.

• Swimwear worn under your clothes, so you are not queuing to change
• A towel, non-negotiable given the water temperature
• Sun cream and a hat; the light off the water is strong even under haze
• A phone or camera, ideally with a waterproof pouch for the swimming stops
• A light layer for the morning transfer; the foothills start cooler than the coast
• Some cash for restaurant extras and alcohol at the platform, which are not included

What is included, and what costs extra

Included in the ticket price on the classic catamaran day: hotel transfers both ways, the cruise itself with around 4.5 hours on the water, lunch at the floating platform, fishing equipment at the platform, and unlimited soft drinks on board the catamaran.

Not included: drinks ordered from the platform restaurant, all alcohol, and personal spending. That is the whole list. There is no fuel surcharge, no transfer fee, no obligatory extra revealed on the bus. I have kept the excluded list short deliberately, because surprise costs are the single most common complaint guests bring back from excursions bought on the street, and I would rather you knew the shape of the day before you hand anyone money.

When to go: season notes

The tour runs through the warm months, and each part of the season has a different character. Early season brings the quietest lake and the greenest hillsides, with the freshwater at its sharpest; swimmers need a moment of courage. High summer is the busiest period on the water, with more boats sharing the canyon arms, but it is also when the cold swim feels best, because you step out of serious heat into genuinely refreshing water. Late season softens everything: fewer boats, gentler light on the cliffs, and a calmer platform at lunch.

My honest steer: if your dates are flexible and you dislike crowds, aim either side of the peak weeks. If you are here in July or August anyway, do not let the busy season put you off; the lake is large, the arms are long, and the catamaran finds its own space. Book a day or two ahead in peak weeks, as the boats do fill.

The honest downsides

No excursion survives contact with reality without a few caveats, and I would rather list them myself than have you find them in a review afterwards.

• It is a reservoir, not untouched wilderness. The canyon exists because of a dam. Some guests find that fascinating; a few purists find it takes the edge off. Decide which camp you are in before booking.
• The water is cold. I have said it more than once because it is the most common surprise. Pleasant once you are in, but a shock at entry, every time.
• High summer means company. Other operators run the lake too, and some of their boats carry loud music. If that would spoil it for you, book our music-free catamaran and keep your distance from the party fleet.
• From Antalya and Alanya it is a long day on the road. The lake is the same, but the bus legs are substantial. If a shorter day matters more than your current hotel location, the Side and Evrenseki departures are the efficient ones.
• Lunch drinks beyond the included soft drinks cost extra. Small sums, but bring cash so it never becomes an irritation.

If you are still weighing the whole thing up, I wrote a longer, franker piece on exactly this question: is Green Canyon worth it? It reaches a positive verdict, but it earns it honestly.

How to book, and why booking direct is easier

Booking with us is deliberately old-fashioned in the best way. Pick your departure point, choose a date, and send the reservation; there is no prepayment, no card details demanded up front, and you settle the balance in cash on the day of the tour. Your hotel pick-up is free and arranged for you, and we confirm the exact collection time the day before. If your plans change, talk to us; we are a local office in the Side and Manavgat area, not a call centre in another time zone.

For most readers of this page the right starting point is the classic Green Canyon boat tour from Side at EUR 35 per adult and EUR 20 per child, with the Evrenseki, Kumkoy, Belek, Antalya and Alanya alternatives above if your hotel sits elsewhere on the coast. If you still have questions we have not answered here, the odds are good they are covered in our Green Canyon frequently asked questions guide, and anything beyond that we will answer directly before you commit to anything.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Green Canyon boat tour cost in 2026?

From the Side region, EUR 35 per adult and EUR 20 per child on the classic catamaran, with hotel transfers included. Other 2026 departures: Evrenseki dam tour EUR 33/20, Evrenseki Mix combo EUR 25/15, Kumkoy EUR 43/30, Belek EUR 48/30, Antalya EUR 54/34 and Alanya EUR 38/30. There are no transfer surcharges on any of them.

How long does the tour last?

The Side catamaran departs at 10:00 and spends around 4.5 hours on the water, with the hotel-to-hotel day depending on your region's transfer times. The Green Canyon and Oymapinar Dam tour from Evrenseki runs about 7 hours, and the Evrenseki Mix combo is the longest programme at around 9 hours.

Is lunch included in the price?

Yes. Lunch at the floating platform is included, along with fishing equipment there and unlimited soft drinks on board the catamaran. Drinks ordered from the platform restaurant and all alcohol are excluded, so bring a small amount of cash for extras.

What time will I be picked up from my hotel?

For Side-area resorts, pick-ups run from around 08:20 in Kizilot to around 09:00 in Side centre, with Gundogdu, Colakli, Evrenseki, Titreyengol, Sorgun and Kumkoy collected in between. The exact time is confirmed the day before and varies from hotel to hotel. The boat itself leaves at 10:00.

Do I have to pay in advance to reserve?

No. You reserve without prepayment, we confirm your places and your free hotel pick-up, and you pay on the day of the tour. If your plans shift, contact us and we will rearrange the date with you directly.