Antalya Buggy & Quad Safari

What this trip is, and why it is worth it

The Antalya buggy and quad safari is a half-day off-road adventure in the wooded foothills behind Kemer, the resort strip that sits about 40 kilometres southwest of Antalya at the foot of the Western Taurus Mountains. You swap the beach for a roll cage or an ATV saddle and spend an hour or two threading forest tracks, splashing through shallow streams and bouncing over rutted, dusty trails. It is noisy, filthy and grin-inducing fun, and because no licence or experience is needed, it works as well for first-timers as for petrolheads.

The appeal is partly the driving and partly the setting. Within minutes of leaving the coast you are climbing into pine forest, the air cooling and sharpening with resin. The same hills that make the Antalya coast a year-round resort also give it a wild green hinterland, and a buggy is one of the few ways to actually get into it. You finish soaked, mud-flecked and pleasantly rattled, which is exactly the point.

The landscape you are riding through

Most safaris run in the hills around Çamyuva and Göynük, on the fringes of the Olympos-Beydağları Coastal National Park. The park was declared on 16 March 1972 and covers 34,425 hectares, stretching along the Kemer-Kumluca shoreline and rising from sea level to high ridgelines. Its forests are textbook Mediterranean: Calabrian red pines hug the lower slopes where you ride, giving way to black pine higher up and ground cedar above 1,000 metres. The biodiversity here is genuinely rich, and even on a dusty trail you are moving through a protected, living landscape rather than a stunt park.

Looming over the whole scene is Tahtalı Dağı, the ancient Mount Olympos, at 2,366 metres. In classical antiquity its summit was crowned with a temple of Hephaestus, the god of fire and the forge, and the ruins of the Lycian-Roman port city of Phaselis lie at its base near Tekirova. Today a Turkish-Swiss cable car, the Olympos Teleferik, has run to the top since 2007, climbing more than 1,600 metres in about ten minutes. You won't ride a buggy up Tahtalı, but it is the giant on the horizon, snow-capped from roughly November into June.

What you actually do, in order

After a private pickup from your hotel, you transfer to the safari base in the hills. There a guide-instructor runs a short briefing, fits helmets and walks you through the controls, the brake, the throttle and how to hold a line through mud. Then the convoy sets off, instructors front and back, so you are never riding alone or unsupervised. The actual route varies with conditions, but the rhythm is consistent.

• Hotel pickup and transfer to the off-road base in the Taurus foothills
• Safety briefing, helmet fitting and a short practice loop to get used to the controls
• Forest tracks through Calabrian pine, with hills, ruts and dust
• Shallow stream and mud-pit crossings, the messiest and most fun part
• A river or foam water fight to cool down and rinse off the worst of the mud
• A photo stop at a viewpoint over the pine-clad hills
• Return to base, then a private transfer back to your hotel

Total riding time is usually around 1.5 to 2 hours, with the whole experience taking roughly three hours door to door. Single quads suit solo riders who want full control; double buggies let two share, with one driving; and four-seat family buggies mean kids and non-drivers can come along as passengers.

Best season and time of day

Antalya's long, hot summer runs roughly May to October, and the safari operates right through it. High summer means dust and heat, so the water crossings feel like a reward; spring and autumn give firmer, greener trails and gentler temperatures. After rain the tracks turn genuinely muddy, which most riders consider a bonus. For time of day, the mid-morning departure is cooler and gives softer light for the viewpoint photos, while early-afternoon runs are warmer and often dustier. Whichever slot you choose, you will be back at your hotel with most of the day still ahead or a sunset to enjoy.

What to wear and bring

Dress to get destroyed. You will be muddy, dusty and wet by the end, so old, comfortable clothes and closed, sturdy shoes are essential; flip-flops and good sneakers are both bad ideas. Bring a complete change of clothes and a towel for the journey home, and a bandana, buff or cloth to pull over your mouth and nose against the dust. Sun protection matters on the open trails and at the viewpoint.

• Old clothes and closed, sturdy shoes you do not mind ruining
• A full change of clothes plus a towel for the ride back
• A bandana or buff to cover your mouth and nose from dust
• Sunglasses, sun cream and a hat or cap
• A waterproof pouch for your phone, or simply leave valuables behind
• Optional swimwear under your clothes for the water fight

Who it suits

This is an active, hands-on outing rather than a sightseeing cruise. You generally need to be 17 or older to drive, while younger children and non-drivers ride as passengers in a buggy, so families with older kids, couples and groups of friends all fit well. You do not need any experience or a driving licence, just the ability to grip a steering wheel or handlebars and hold on. It is less suitable for anyone with serious back, neck or mobility issues, as the ride is bumpy and jarring by design, or for those who would rather stay clean and dry. If a bit of dirt and adrenaline sounds like a good afternoon, it delivers exactly that.