Mondays and Thursdays
Manavgat River Boat Tour and Bazaar From Side
The longest day we sell, and the only one that ends on dry land with a shopping bag. It runs on the two days the Manavgat Grand Bazaar is held: Monday and Thursday.
Short answer
About 10 hours from pickup to drop-off, with the boat leaving at 10:00. €21 from age 11, €15 for ages 4 to 10. Your transfer, lunch, a guide and the foam party are in the fare. Drinks and bazaar spending are not.
Murat Atalay Travel Agency TÜRSAB licensed travel agency No. 11294
At a glance
- What
- River cruise, swim at the river mouth, lunch, foam party, then two free hours at the bazaar.
- Where
- Collected at your hotel in the Side belt, from Gündoğdu to Kızılot, and in Manavgat town.
- Price
- Aged 11 and over: €21 · Aged 4 to 10: €15 · Under 4: free
Full price details → - How long
- About 10 hours from pickup to drop-off.
- Included
- Transfer, lunch, guide, foam party. Drinks and the waterfall are extra.
- Pickup
- We confirm your pickup time the day before, by phone or WhatsApp. Wait at the main entrance gate of your hotel.
- When
- Mondays and Thursdays only, the days the bazaar is held. Ask about tomorrow on WhatsApp.
- Terms
- Pay on the day in euros. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before.
- Who
- Anyone who wants a calm river and a market in one day.
- Page updated
The programme
How the river and bazaar day runs
About 10 hours in all, from the early pickup to the drop-off, with the boat leaving at 10:00.
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Pickup from your hotel
From Side hotels usually between 08:30 and 09:30 in summer. We confirm yours the day before.
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10:00 on the Manavgat River
A calm cruise between green hills, away from the resort strips.
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Swim at the river mouth
Locals call this spot the Bosphorus: very cold fresh water or the warm sea, a few strokes apart.
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Lunch on deck
Cooked fresh on board once you have swum.
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Foam party at sea
The boat heads into open water and the deck fills with foam.
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Two free hours at the bazaar
Textiles, spices, produce and souvenirs. The guide can tell you how to reach Manavgat Waterfall instead, at your own cost.
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Back to your hotel
The transfer drops you off after the market.
The Grand Bazaar is held only on Mondays and Thursdays, and this tour is sold for those two days. The waterfall is an optional extra paid on the day.
Price
River and bazaar: price and contents
Every figure below is read live from the booking system, the same rows the form charges. The lists are the operator's own record of what the fare covers.
In the price
- The guided river and open-sea cruise
- Air-conditioned hotel pickup and drop-off
- A freshly prepared lunch on board
- The foam party on board
- A local guide for the whole day
Not in the price
- All drinks, sold at the bar on board
- The transfer to Manavgat Waterfall and its national park entrance fee
- Photos and videos by independent photographers
- Personal spending and purchases at the bazaar
Bring small Turkish lira notes for the market. Bargaining is expected, and covered shoulders are the local norm there.
The morning on the river
In summer the transfer usually reaches Side hotels between 08:30 and 09:30, and the exact time reaches you the day before. The boat then sets off along the Manavgat River between green hills, away from the hotel strips. The river stays calm, which makes this a sensible choice for anyone uneasy about open water.
Fresh water or salt
At the river mouth, called the Bosphorus by people here, the boat stops for a swim. The river is very cold and very clear, and the sea beside it is warm, sometimes a single stroke away. Lunch is cooked on board once you are back on deck. Later the boat moves out to open sea for a foam party, then returns to the pier.
Two hours at the bazaar
Back on land you have two free hours in one of the region's biggest markets, full of textiles, spices, produce and souvenirs. Bargaining is expected, so carry small Turkish lira notes. Covered shoulders are the local norm, and you may want something to pull on over swimwear.
Prefer the waterfall?
During the free time the guide can help you reach Manavgat Waterfall instead. Getting there and the park's entrance fee sit outside the fare, and you settle both on the day.
What is left to pay
All drinks are sold at the bar on board. Pictures from the independent photographers and anything you buy at the market are also extra. As with every tour here, you pay the fare on the day and may cancel for free up to 48 hours before.
The catalogue
The other tours
Same pickup, same way of paying, nine different days. Not sure? Start with which boat tour to choose.
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The harbour classic
Side Boat Tour
A full day along the Side coast: live music, repeated swims and snorkelling, a meal on deck and foam to finish.
€20 per person aged 11+ · About 7 hours
See this tour -
The longest sea day
Side Island Boat Tour
Board around 09:30 and swim at Kızılot and Boğaz, with a hot lunch and soft drinks all day in the fare. Back in Side about 17:30.
€24 per person aged 11+ · About 8 hours
See this tour -
River, delta and bay
Caretta Bay Boat Tour
Down the Manavgat River to a delta swim, then a long stop in Caretta Bay, where you may see a sea turtle. Foam party on the way home.
€20 per person aged 11+ · About 6 hours
See this tour -
Mondays and Thursdays
Manavgat River Boat Tour and Bazaar
Slow water, a dip at the river mouth, lunch on deck and foam at sea, then two free hours at the Manavgat Grand Bazaar.
€21 per person aged 11+ · About 10 hours
Book your seats -
Built for small children
Little Pirates Boat Tour
Children get pirate costumes, a treasure hunt and games on deck. Parents get the sun, and everyone gets a swim and lunch.
€20 per person aged 11+ · About 6 hours
See this tour -
No music, no party
Relax Boat Tour
Your own reserved sunbed, quiet swim breaks, a buffet at lunchtime, and every drink, soft or alcoholic, in the fare.
€45 per person aged 11+ · About 7 hours
See this tour -
Twelve guests at most
Fishing Tour from Side
An early morning at sea with rods, lines and bait supplied, simit and tea on deck, and a captain who shows beginners what to do.
€45 per person aged 11+ · About 6 hours
See this tour -
River mouth to open water
Dolphin Island Boat Tour
A river-mouth swim, a grilled lunch, then a long anchor at Dolphin Island. Wild dolphins and turtles live here, though no sighting can be promised.
€21 per person aged 11+ · About 6 hours
See this tour -
Noisy, happy, for families
Pirate Ship Boat Tour
A pirate show with face painting, a treasure map and tug-of-war, a swim where river meets sea, and a foam party to finish.
€23 per person aged 11+ · About 6 hours
See this tour
Book
Reserve seats on the river and bazaar day
Tour, date, guests, hotel, phone number. No card, no prepayment: you pay on the tour day.
On the water
River, deck and bazaar
Photographs of the tours, as supplied by the operator.
Questions