Boat Tour or Rafting From Side: Which Is Right?
Both happen on water, and that is about where the likeness ends. One asks you to paddle. The other asks you to choose which side of the deck has the better sun.
Short answer
A boat tour is a passive day: you are carried, fed and allowed to swim when the boat stops. Rafting is an active day on a river where you paddle as part of a crew. Pick the boat for rest, swimming and small children. Pick rafting if your group wants effort and adrenaline.
How your energy gets used
On our boats, the only effort you are asked for is climbing back on after a swim. The crew handles the sailing and the lunch, and the entertainment comes to you. Rafting flips that around, because the raft moves partly by the work of the people in it, and the river sets the pace.
For the rafting side of the picture, including where it runs and who may take part, see our rafting site, where the details are kept. We describe only the boat days here because they are what we can speak about precisely.
Rivers without the paddle
If the idea of a river is what draws you, four of our tours spend their first stretch on the river before reaching the sea: Caretta Bay, Manavgat and bazaar, Dolphin Island and Pirate. Each one stops to swim where the river's cold fresh water meets the warm salt of the Mediterranean, and you can feel the difference within a few strokes. It is a gentler way to meet a river, with lunch included.
Who should do which
- Non-swimmers who are nervous around water. The boat, where staying on deck is a perfectly normal choice. Life jackets are on record for the Island tour.
- Families with small children. The boat. The two pirate-themed days exist for them.
- A group of friends who want a story to tell. Rafting, or a boat with a foam party, depending on the friends.
- A couple who need rest. Relax, without question.
- Anyone recovering from a big night. Probably the boat, if only because you can lie down.
Practical differences
Boat tours here have fixed fares on the prices page, collection from your hotel, and payment on the day. What to wear is simple: swimwear, a towel, sun cream and a hat. Rafting has its own requirements, so check them on its own site before you pack.
Weather affects both, in different ways. For boats, the sea can change the route. Swim stops can move as well, and the crew decides.
If you have room for both
They do not compete for the same part of your holiday. A rafting day is hard work, and a boat day the day after can feel like a reward. Use our comparison to find the boat that follows it best, and remember that you can cancel a boat tour free of charge up to 48 hours before it begins.
