F_A_B_U_L_O_U_S Day! Well organised, lovely tour personnel and lots of fun. Comfortable jeep, safe driver and lovely lunch. It was also lovely to be in the mountains and visit some of Turkey's countryside. 23 years ago I was on a week's jeep safari tour around Turkey and walked through the canyan in the river (albeit the river wasn't so full of water then!) Very hard to believe now we were allowed to do that : )
This is an excellent tour, professionally ran, organised, friendly and extremely good value for money. The tour organiser picked us up from outside the hotel and were on time. The driver was friendly and spoke very good English. There were about 14 people on our Cabrio bus (a van without a roof!)
We took the motorway partially and then started to head inland along the country roads through small villages and agricultural land. A quick call at the side of a Banana plantation with excellent photo opportunities over the coastal strip and mountain views.
We were treated to a fun packed journey and yes, you will get wet, as there is a water fight between the 3 or 4 buses as they travel through the country roads and villages. Even the locals and children stand by the road and join in the fun with their hose pipes. You get saturated, but with the heat of the day, you dry very quickly and it does make the journey very enjoyable and the kids just adore it!
There is a stop at a cave, which is not expensive but to be honest, it was very small and coming from an area where there are many caverns and caves, I guess I found this a little bit hyped up for what it was. There's a quick chance for toilets and ice cream also.
The next stop was for a quick coffee stop, Turkish Coffee if preferred. Refreshments at a small village store then off to the Canyon.
The Canyon is very busy and we visited in off-season. I dread to think what it must be like in peak season and the heat really makes it difficult to walk. As always some people are more pushy than others and you do get a few pushes and shoves by those that are impatient, however, the walk along the canyon is very nice and the pools look very welcoming but 8C temperature is way too cold for me. They say it's refreshing!!! So is a nice ice cream!
The tour is very touristy and don't expect to see tucked away pockets of tranquility - the area is developed for tourism and bear this in mind. There are lots of people at the Canyon.
Despite the amount of tourists, the trip was very enjoyable and the scenery is really nice. Be prepared to be offered photos and videos, for Sale, about £20 give or take at the end of the trip.
The final trip stop after a 40 minute ride, is at the River Cafe. This isn't what I expected. There are small carpeted enclosures hanging over the river, where you sit on cushions and eat around a central table. This is a traditional way of dining in the area. Food is included but be aware that the drinks are very expensive, for Turkey and also the desserts are heavily marked up. I had the Vegetarian option and my meal was delicious, a blend of Turkish dips, salads, beans and lentils. I actually faired better than the 'meat eaters' with a choice of fish (trout) or Chicken with salad, Bulgar Wheat, Rice or potatoes. My partner enjoyed the trout!
A quick 20 minute ride to the resort and back to the hotel. Our photos and video was sent that evening via Whatsapp message linking to a cloud file where you can download.
All in all, an excellent trip, funny, organised well and the staff are great hosts.
Recommended ***** - superb value for money! (You may give a tip to the host driver and/or photographer if you want to. We gave 200 tl each - just about £5 each but this is your choice, ofcourse! They really do work hard - the trip lasted 9am to 4pm - 7 hours approx)
Remember to take a towel to dry off!!