Modern Side is a small, calm resort where everything is subordinated to the convenience and comfort of tourists. Holidays in Side are especially appreciated by people who do not dream of crazy parties until dawn (lovers of nightlife choose Alanya for rest). Side is ideal for those who are looking for escape from the gray everyday life of noisy metropolitan areas.
The local microclimate is much more pleasant than in neighboring Alanya. The city is located far from the mountain range, which leads to a decrease in air humidity. People come to Side to bask on the beach for weeks, and when they get bored, find an energetic activity to their liking. Active rest in Side will appeal to both adults and children.
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Water entertainment
The sea is one of the main attractions of any resort on the Turkish Riviera. Of course, some tourists appreciate the opportunity to go on interesting excursions to ancient cities, now turned into ruins, to national parks with mountain rivers and waterfalls, to amusement parks.
However, most tourists are content with sea activities, for example:
- kateboarding. Even if you've never stood on a surfboard pulled by a kite, it's time to give it a try. The basics of this sport are learned quickly. Two days will be enough for young people to learn how to harness the power of the wind. Older tourists will need a few extra activities. There is a good kateboarding school in Side;
- cruises. Quite a calm type of recreation is a boat trip along the sea along the coast or along the Manavgat River to a waterfall. Pleasure boats can be found in the port, which go on longer cruises to nearby islands. There the ship is anchored, and tourists have the opportunity to dive and swim;
- rafting. Rafting on inflatable boats or rafts along a swift mountain river is an activity for strong-minded tourists;
- fishing. Side offers sea and river fishing. About 100 km from Side, in the Taurus Mountains, there is a mountain stream with trout. The fishermen are accompanied by an English-speaking guide who will help you get a big catch;
- trips to water parks. In Side itself, water parks can be found at some hotels. They are not as big as, for example, the water park in Alanya called "Waterplanet".
Extreme fun on land
Numerous travel agencies in Side offer a lot of options for how you can spend your free time from going to the beach in a fun and interesting way.
The most popular tour among tourists is the ATV safari in the Taurus Mountains. After the briefing, the travelers, accompanied by a guide, who leads the column of ATVs and shows the most interesting and picturesque places along the way, travel along dusty paths, mud streams, pine forest, that is, off-road. The trip takes about 2 hours and is a lot of fun. The price of such a tour is approximately $ 35 per person. If you do not want to drive an ATV, but dream of seeing the Taurus Mountains, then there is an alternative - to go for a ride in jeeps. An experienced driver will be behind the wheel. On this trip, tourists visit several villages, where they get acquainted with the life and customs of Turkish peasants, visit a mosque and taste food from local hostesses.
Another interesting and absolutely safe, therefore, child-friendly excursion is a Cabrio bus safari.
Not far from Side is the Köprülü canyon, where tourists are taken for hiking and rafting. While walking through the canyon, travelers can swim in the cool water and see several ancient monuments.
Diving
There are clubs in Side that organize trips to the sea for scuba diving or snorkeling. The diving tour costs 50-55 euros and takes a whole day.
There is no such variety of fish and other underwater inhabitants near Turkish resorts as in Egyptian waters, but local authorities are doing everything to attract divers to Side and other cities of the Turkish Riviera. So, near the coast of Side in 2015, the first underwater museum in Europe was founded, consisting of submerged statues. The sculptures were made from environmentally friendly material. Over time, all the exhibits will become overgrown with corals and become an artificial reef. All figures tell about the history and cultural traditions of Turkey. Under the water you can see statues depicting dancing dervishes, mythological heroes, etc. 110 statues are placed at a depth of 9-25 meters. Those exhibits of the underwater museum, which stand at a depth of 9 meters, are available for inspection by novice divers. Only experienced divers are allowed to dive to a depth of 25 meters.
By the way, the sea here is so clean and transparent that the sculptures can be seen even without scuba diving. For tourists to the flooded museum, they are developing walking tours on ships with a transparent bottom.
Other popular dive sites off the coast of Side are the San Didier smugglers' ship, which was sunk in the 1940s, and the wreckage of the Hadley's Harem aircraft.
