Side days compared
Dolphin Boat or Rafting from Side: Calm River or White Water
Both days involve a river. On one you float gently down it to the Mediterranean; on the other you paddle through rapids inland. The word is the same, the day is not.
Short answer
Choose the dolphin boat if you want an easy day: a calm Manavgat river cruise, a swim at the Boğaz river mouth, lunch on deck and a long swim at Dolphin Island, where wild dolphins and turtles may pass (a chance, never a promise). Choose rafting if you want an active day in white water with a guide in your raft. Adrenaline on one side, a deck and the open sea on the other.
Two very different rivers
The river on the dolphin day is the calm Manavgat. The boat leaves at 10:00 and cruises down it until it reaches the sea at Boğaz. There it anchors for the first swim, where cold fresh river water and warm salty sea lie a few strokes apart. Our river mouth guide explains why that first swim surprises people.
A rafting day takes you inland to a mountain river in a canyon, where you paddle through rapids in an inflatable raft with a guide. It is splashy, physical and team-based.
Who each day suits
| Dolphin boat | Rafting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | Relaxed; swims are optional | Active; you paddle |
| Setting | River, then the open Mediterranean | A mountain river canyon |
| Mixed ages | Children 2 to 10 at €15, under 2 free | Its own site sets its age rules |
| After lunch | Dolphin Island, a last swim, foam party | Listed on its own site |
Safety, said plainly
On the dolphin boat, the record says this: a fully insured boat, a licensed captain, a certified crew and equipment, and full-day travel insurance in the fare. The river stretch is calm; what the open sea is like on a given day, nobody can tell you in advance. Our safety guide sets out what is on record and what to tell us before you book — any health worry, mobility need or nervousness about water.
Rafting has its own safety briefing and equipment, run by its own team. Read their page for how they handle it.
Groups, and doing both
For a group of friends, one good order is rafting early in the week, while energy is high, and the dolphin boat later, when everyone wants to lie on a deck. The dolphin boat takes up to 20 guests in one booking and collects from hotels across Side and the nearby areas, with the transfer in the fare.
Rafting is sold by our sister site siderafting.de, which lists its own price, times and inclusions. The dolphin day costs €21 for each adult, settled in euros once the trip day arrives; book it here without a card, and cancel free up to 48 hours before if plans change.
Side Dolphin Island Boat Trip: price, what is included, and booking