The day with the lion cubs
Side Jeep Safari with the Zoo Stop
Everything the classic day has — the Roman bridge, the river crossings, the aqueducts, the swim at Oymapınar, lunch by Green Canyon — and one stop the classic day does not make: the zoo, with the lion cubs.
Short answer
The zoo route is the classic Side jeep safari with a zoo stop added. Same price, €20 per person aged 11 and over, €10 for children aged 2 to 10, under 2 free; same 8 hours; same lunch. At the zoo you can meet the lion cubs and have a photograph taken — the zoo ticket is not in the fare and is paid at the gate.
Murat Atalay Travel Agency TÜRSAB licensed travel agency No. 11294
At a glance
- What
- The full Taurus jeep day with lunch, plus the zoo stop with the lion cubs.
- Where
- Collected at your hotel in the Side belt — Gündoğdu to Kızılot, and Manavgat.
- Price
- Aged 11 and over: €20 · Aged 2 to 10: €10 · Under 2: free
Full price details → - How long
- About 8 hours, hotel to hotel.
- Included
- Jeep and driver, hotel transfer, lunch, guide. Boat, waterfall and the zoo ticket are extras.
- Pickup
- We confirm your pickup time the day before, by phone or WhatsApp. Wait at the main entrance gate of your hotel.
- When
- All year round — open-top and splashing in summer, covered jeeps and no water games in winter. Ask about tomorrow on WhatsApp.
- Terms
- Pay on the day in euros. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before.
- Who
- Families, couples, groups. Tell us about a back or neck problem before you board — the tracks shake.
- Page updated
The route
How the zoo route runs
The classic day, stop for stop, with the zoo added. The zoo ticket is paid on site; everything else is as on the classic route.
-
Pickup at your hotel gate
Morning, after breakfast time. Be at your hotel's main gate; we send the time the day before.
-
The old Roman bridge
First stop, where the asphalt ends and the convoy lines up for the tracks.
-
Off-road through the riverbeds
Dry riverbeds and stream crossings along the mountain tracks — this is where the splashing happens.
-
Orchards and fields
Orange, lemon and pomegranate trees, cotton and sesame — and, some days, Yörük nomad families camped in the foothills.
-
The Roman aqueducts
Ancient arches standing in open country, a photo stop every convoy makes.
-
Green Lake from above
A panoramic stop over the lake and the dam country.
-
Oymapınar village — swim and pancakes
A swim in the village, then Turkish pancakes made in front of you, with a drink.
-
Oymapınar Dam
A photo stop at the dam wall.
-
Above Green Canyon
The viewpoint over the canyon before lunch.
-
Lunch by the lake
Beside the lake near Green Canyon, in the price. Drinks are extra.
-
Optional: the Green Lake boat
Roughly an hour on the lake after eating, €5 per person, settled on the spot. Take it or skip it.
-
A village mosque
A short visit with the guide to a traditional village mosque.
-
The zoo stop — lion cubs
Meet the lion cubs and have your photograph taken. The zoo ticket is not in the fare and is paid on site.
-
Manavgat Waterfall (programme-dependent)
On the way back, when the day's programme stops there. Entrance paid on site.
-
Back at the hotel
Late afternoon, at the gate we collected you from.
The boat trip, the zoo ticket and the waterfall are paid on the spot. Whether a cub is in the enclosure on your day, and how long the stop lasts, is the zoo's to decide — we cannot promise either.
Price
The zoo route: price and contents
Every figure below is read live from the booking system — the same rows the form charges. Lunch and the hotel transfer are in the fare; the extras are listed, with what they cost.
Side Jeep Safari with Zoo Stop
Price per person
| Aged 11 and over | €20 |
|---|---|
| Aged 2 to 10 | €10 |
| Under 2 | free |
| Hotel pickup and return | included |
- Pay on the day, in euros — nothing online
- Free cancellation up to 48 hours before
- No booking fee, no transfer surcharge
Worked examples
- Two adults€40
- Two adults and a child of 9€50
- Two adults, a child of 7 and one of 2€60
In the price
- The whole day in an open-top jeep with its own professional driver — eight to ten guests share each vehicle
- Pickup at your hotel gate and the drive back, anywhere in the Side belt
- Lunch at a lakeside restaurant by Green Canyon
- A guide with you the whole day
Not in the price
- The optional Green Lake boat trip — about an hour, €5 per person, paid on the day
- The Manavgat Waterfall entrance, when the programme stops there — paid on site
- The zoo ticket at the cub stop — paid on site
- Drinks and personal spending
- The tour team's photo and video service
The zoo ticket is bought at the gate on the day. We do not publish its price here because the zoo sets it, not us.
What the zoo stop adds
The convoy pulls in at a zoo on the route and the guests who want to go in buy a ticket at the gate. Inside, the attraction is the lion cubs: on the days a cub is out, guests can sit with one for a photograph. There are other animals too — the ostrich enclosure is in the operator's own frames.
That is the whole difference. The rest of the day is the classic route, stop for stop, with the same lunch at the lakeside restaurant and the same optional boat trip afterwards.
What we cannot promise about it
The zoo decides which animals are in the enclosure on a given day, whether a cub can be handled, and how long a group stays. We do not control any of that, so we do not promise it. If meeting a cub is the one thing you are booking for, ask us on WhatsApp the day before and we will tell you what the operator knows.
- The ticket is bought at the gate — its price is the zoo's, and we do not quote it.
- Nobody has to go in. A guest who prefers to wait with the jeeps can.
- Children pay their own ticket at the gate like everyone else.
Who picks the zoo route
Families with children who will talk about the cubs for a year. Couples who want the one photograph nobody else at the hotel has. Anyone who has already done a jeep day somewhere on the coast and wants a reason to do it again.
If you would rather spend that time on the water, take the classic day and put the ticket money towards the boat trip instead — see classic or zoo route.
The practical side
- Pickup at your hotel gate in the Side belt, morning, after breakfast time; the exact time comes the day before.
- About 8 hours, back in the late afternoon.
- Open-top jeeps with water fights in summer; covered jeeps and no water games in winter.
- Lunch included; the boat trip (€5), the waterfall entrance and the zoo ticket are paid on the spot.
- Settle the fare in euros on the day; cancel without charge up to 48 hours before.
The route is bumpy in places and the river crossings are the fun of it. Tell us before boarding about a back or neck problem.
Three ways to do it
The classic day, the zoo route, or the evening
One operator, one price per seat, three days to choose from. Not sure which? Read <a class="link" href="/en/classic-or-zoo-route">classic or zoo route</a> and <a class="link" href="/en/day-or-night-jeep-tour-side">day or night</a>.
-
The classic day
Side Jeep Safari
The full Taurus day: Roman bridge, river crossings, aqueducts, the Green Lake viewpoint, a swim at Oymapınar and lunch by Green Canyon. No zoo stop.
€20 per person aged 11+ · About 8 hours
See the classic day -
The day with the lion cubs
Side Jeep Safari with Zoo Stop
The same Taurus day with one more stop: the zoo, where you can meet the lion cubs and take a photograph. Zoo ticket paid on site.
€20 per person aged 11+ · About 8 hours
Book your seats -
The evening version
Side Night Jeep Safari
Late in the afternoon the jeeps run out to the water, then dinner is served on board and the catamaran party begins. For guests from 12 up.
€35 per person aged 12+ · About 5 hours
See the night safari
Book
Reserve seats on the zoo route
Date, guests, hotel, phone number. No card, no prepayment — you pay on the day.
The jeeps
The route and the cubs
The operator's own jeeps on the route, photographed on ordinary tour days.
Questions