What to Wear on a Jeep Tour in Side, and What to Bring
An open jeep, a dusty track, a swim stop and, in summer, water thrown from the next vehicle: those four things decide what you put on in the morning. Everything else is optional.
Short answer
Put on clothes that can take a soaking and a coat of dust and closed shoes. Pack a swimsuit and a towel for the village swim, sun protection for the open-top jeep, and a few euros for drinks and for the boat or the waterfall if you take them. Put your phone in something waterproof.
Why the day is hard on clothes
In summer the jeeps have no roof, so you sit in the sun and the wind for most of the day, and the tracks throw up dust. The convoy crosses streams and dry riverbeds, and on summer runs the jeeps have water fights between them. Somewhere in the middle there is a swim in Oymapınar village. Dress for all of that at once, and nothing that happens will spoil your clothes or your mood.
In winter the same route runs in covered jeeps and nobody throws water, so you can dress for a normal day out — but the tracks are still bumpy and still dusty in places.
The packing list
- Clothes that can get soaked and dirty. Light, quick to dry, and nothing you would mind seeing brown at the hem by lunchtime.
- Closed shoes. You climb in and out of the jeep at every stop, and some stops are on uneven ground.
- Swimsuit and towel. For the swim at Oymapınar. Wearing the swimsuit under your clothes saves a change.
- Sun protection. Sun cream, a hat that will not blow off, and sunglasses, because the summer jeeps are open-top.
- A few euros. Drinks are not in the fare, the Green Lake boat is €5 per person if you take it, and on days the programme includes Manavgat Waterfall, its entrance is settled at the gate.
- A dry layer. Something to change into once the water fights are over, for the drive back.
Keeping your phone safe
Water is the bigger risk to a phone than the bumps. In summer, assume that anything not sealed will get wet at some point between the riverbeds and the water fights. A waterproof pouch or a sealable plastic bag does the job; keep the phone in it between photo stops and take it out at the viewpoints, where nobody is splashing.
Leave valuables you do not need at the hotel. The tour team's photo and video service is not in the fare, so if you want pictures of the day, your own phone is the camera.
If you are booked on the night safari
The evening asks for less. Bring swimwear and a towel for the Green Lake swim, something warmer for later on the water, and euros for what you drink with dinner. The night safari takes guests aged 12 and over; see the night safari page for the rest.
Health and comfort
The tracks shake you about in places. Pregnancy, limited mobility, a bad back or a stiff neck: mention it before boarding — the operator decides whether the day suits you. There is more on that in is it safe?, and on the summer splashing in the water fights.
Packed and ready? See the classic day and pick a date.
