ACTIVITES IN SIDE TURKEY

SKIING

Saklikent Ski Center
The ski center is located one and a half hours away from Side, in the west of Antalya on Beydaðlarý,. The skiing area is at an altitude of 1850 meters and the ski season is short. The thickness of the snow is about 50 to 100 cm. There is a pension (boarding-house) with 14 beds, a restaurant with an 80-person capacity, a cafeteria and countryside coffee houses.

There are two T-bars with capacities of 240 and 340 people per hour, and the two slopes are rated with difficulty levels of easy and medium. Davraz Mountain is located two hours away from Side, close to Isparta and holds ideal characteristics for skiing. The best season is between December and April and the snow thickness is 0.5 - 2 meters. The ski slopes are 4 km long and suitable for Nordic and Alpine disciplines, ski touring and snowboarding. There is one chairlift. Besides the Ski house with a 50-bed capacity and a 150-person restaurant, the hotels in the city centre and Eðridir district are also available. The construction of new establishments still continues.

Rafting

Within the Koprulu Canyon National Park, Koprucay is among the most breathtaking rafting centres in the country. Koprucay River rushes powerfully over the rocks, and offers excellent rafting opportunities. There are a couple of agencies in the city who organise trips, including transport and equipment.

You reach within one hour drive to the departure point from Side. With a practised boat leader and a secure rubber boat it goes approx. 12 km down the big river. Over stones and rapids all participants must "paddle" well so that you and the boat come well down the river. On the way a tracing is inserted. There is a lunch, mostly it is a grilled fresh trout. A beautiful experience day you expect. Almost all local agencies offer this excursion off 20 Euro at. They can pick you up in Side and also you can drive directly to the departure point in Beskonak for one of the many local travel-agencies.

Hunting

Foreigners can only hunt in parties organised by Turkish travel agencies which have been authorised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. These agencies provide all information concerning seasons, authorised zones, permits, weapons and ammunition.

A list of agencies can be obtained from the Union of Travel Agencies (TURSAB). Along the coasts and in the highlands there is an abundance of partridge, pheasant, pigeons quail and turtledove. In the rocky crags and down on the plane there are wild pigeons, woodcocks and blackbirds. The wild ducks and geese that live in the lakes and ponds come down to the coast in the winter. In the forests along the coast are deer, fox, martin, roe deer, squirrels and mountain goats, while the mountains have bear and several species of wolf.

Fishing

Tourists may fish for leisure purposes in non-prohibited areas without a license. Amateur equipment and non-commercial, multi-hooked lines should be used and nets should not weigh more than 5 kg. Commercial fishing by foreigners carries heavy penalties.

There are endless varieties of fish in the waters around Antalya, from sea Bream to swordfish. In the semi-salty waters, where the rivers run into the sea, there is sea bass and striped mullet, as well as pike, plaice, crayfish, crawfish and lobster. The area is a paradise for trout fishing, and in the creeks where trout are in abundance, there are also bass, carp and eel.

Boat Tour

White water rafting is a very popular activity in Turkey. It boasts some excellent rivers and it is not uncommon to be used by professional rafters. If you have never been before that is no problem as you need no experience to enjoy this exhilarating sport. Each raft carries up to 8 people and you will have a professional guide who is in full control at all times.

You have an ore each and can paddle in accordance with the guides instructions. You will be picked up in the morning by an air conditioned bus and driven to the river through forests, mountains and turkish villages. You will have the opportunity to purchase photographs and videos of your day out to so you can look back at and relive the experience. Jeep Safaris are a fun day out! You will be picked up in the morning and taken to the meeting place where you will meet the other day trippers.

You and your friends will then be allocated a jeep and driver for the day. You will then drive convoy through Side and Manavgat off the beaten track through the forests and up to the Dam where you can take some fabulous photographs of the scenery. You drive up into the mountains and can take it in turns to be the driver where you can then sit and relax in the local restaurants and enjoy the turkish cuisine. Turkish baths are very popular and cleanliness has always been a priority in both Turkish and Islamic society.

When you have your hamam you leave your clothes in a locker and wrap yourself in a towel along with wooden slippers. Once in the hamam you fill your bowl with water from the taps and wash yourself by tipping the bowls of water over yourself. You then lie down on the central marble slab where you are scrubbed with a rough cloth and then lathered with soap and massaged with oils.

Jeep-safari

The some other kind of an excursion, however nevertheless an experience, a jeep safari will be for you. On dusty runways through the Toros-mountains this tour leads. They discover in this case things which you would not have found alone. Who wants can take the steering wheel even into the hand. Under the care of a leader you go, down to the last cedar forests, in a small convoy into the mountains.

In the proximity of a mountain village there is a lunch, some jeep-tours do a beautiful picnic with grill on the way. Onto the steering wheel should put only responsible drivers with sufficing going-practice and experience. The prices for the unforgettable pleasure catch at 20 euro p.P. at and go to 40 euro high. The higher price does not guarantee any better jeep safari, the tours almost have all the same route.



There are many well equipped medical service providers, private clinics, and hospitals located around Side. You get medical care directly at the place where needed. The necessary medicaments are brought by a pharmacist-service. Their rooms are very clean, bright and have satellite TV, Phone, refrigerator, shower, and toilet. They are widely suitable for wheel-chair. The private hospitals are open all-season and their staffs speak fluently English and German. The costs for the medical treatment are balanced by cash, by cheques or by foreign travel insurance.

Food and Drink

There are many restaurants and bars to visit in Side Antalya. A traditional starter is called meze which consists of hot and cold dishes including stuffed vine leaves, olives, cheese with many vegetables in sauces, which also come with flat bread and yoghurt and salsa dips, something for everyone. Teste kebabs are very popular as a main course, they are cooked in a clay pot which is then cracked open at your table for you to see your freshly cooked meal of your choice of meat and vegetables. Turkish tea or çay is brewed in a combination kettle teapot boiled on a hob which has water boiling in the bottom section and tea brewing in the top so it can be made weak or strong. It is drunk from small glasses always black and often with plenty of sugar.



Turkish coffee or turk kahvesi is brewed with a specified amount of sugar and coffee granules. It is very strong to taste so many people order it with lots of sugar. It is quite an art to know when to stop drinking as you will end up with a mouthful of sludgy residue which falls to the bottom of the cup! A favourite alcohol in Turkey is Yeni Raki it is similar to Greece's Ouzo with an aniceed taste and is often given free after your meal. Turkish Delight is very popular with the locals and tourists alike. It now comes in many flavours, is sold everywhere and you can now visit Turkish factories to watch it being made and sample the delights.