If you've booked a rafting trip and you're wondering what actually happens on the day, you're in good company - most first-timers ask the same thing.
The good news is that a day on the Koprucay river through Koprulu Canyon is far more relaxed and welcoming than the word "rafting" might suggest. Here is the whole experience, step by step, so nothing catches you by surprise.
Step 1: Morning hotel pickup
Your day starts with a free pickup from your hotel, usually in the morning. A driver collects you and other guests, so there's nothing to arrange yourself - just be ready in the lobby and bring your swimwear, a towel and a change of dry clothes.
From the Side and Manavgat coast the drive inland to Beskonak takes around an hour, climbing gently away from the resorts into greener, hillier country as you approach the national park.
Step 2: Arriving at the riverside base camp
The base camp near Beskonak sits right beside the river. It has changing rooms, toilets and a shaded riverside restaurant, so you can get changed, leave your dry bags and valuables safely, and take in the setting before you start.
This is a good moment for a coffee and a look at the water - the Koprucay runs clear and genuinely cold, because it's fed by mountain snowmelt even in high summer.
Step 3: Kit and safety briefing
Before anyone touches a raft, you're fitted with the compulsory safety gear: a helmet and a buoyancy life jacket, both provided. The jacket is designed to float you, which is why you don't need to be a strong swimmer for the family route.
Your guide then gives a short, clear briefing - how to hold the paddle, how to sit, the handful of simple commands they'll call (paddle forward, back, stop) and what to do in the unlikely event you go for an unplanned swim. It's straightforward and takes only a few minutes.
Step 4: On the water - the paddle downstream
Now the fun begins. Each raft seats around six to eight guests plus a trained guide who sits at the back, steers and calls the paddling, so you're never left to work it out alone.
The classic run is roughly 14 km, with a shorter family-friendly option of around 12 km. The rapids are grade II-III - lively enough to be exciting, gentle enough for beginners and children - with calm, glassy pools in between where you can catch your breath and admire the canyon walls rising above you. In spring the snowmelt makes the water livelier; later in the season it's a little tamer.
Step 5: The mid-river swim and float stop
Somewhere along the run, your guide usually pauses at a calm stretch where you can hop out for a swim or simply float in your life jacket and let the current carry you. The water is bracingly cold and wonderfully refreshing - this is the moment most people remember most.
Step 6: Lunch at the base
After the paddle you head back to the riverside restaurant for lunch. It's a welcome chance to dry off, warm up, swap stories with your raft-mates and refuel before the journey home. You'll spend around three to four hours in total around the base and on the water.
Step 7: The drive back
Once you've changed into dry clothes, the same transfer takes you back down to the coast, typically arriving at your hotel in the late afternoon or early evening. You'll be pleasantly tired, a little sun-kissed and full of stories.
Do you need any experience?
None at all. No swimming ability is required for the family route, no equipment to buy, and no prior rafting knowledge. Everything is provided and your guide handles the technical work. All you do is paddle when you're told, hold on through the rapids and enjoy the ride.
That step-by-step is exactly how a trip from the coast unfolds - you can see the full details and what's included on our rafting from Side page, or browse everything on offer across our tours.
Ready to see it for yourself? Book your Koprulu Canyon rafting day from Side and find out exactly what all the fuss is about.
