Side days compared
Pirate Boat Kids' Programme or Rafting in Side: Two River Days
Both days involve a river, and that is about where the likeness ends. One drifts gently downstream on the pirate ship to a swim at the sea; the other puts you in a raft and asks you to paddle.
Short answer
Choose the kids' pirate programme for young children: the ship sails at 10:00, goes gently down the river to the river mouth for a swim, and fills the day with painted faces, a map to follow for treasure, a tug-of-war, a children's lunch and a foam party. Choose rafting for a more active river day in a raft. Families with small children suit the pirates; older children and adults wanting a splashy challenge, the raft.
Two very different river days
The kids' pirate programme leaves from the Side departure dock and takes the river slowly. Children have their faces painted, follow a treasure map, pull in a tug-of-war and try to catch the pirate Ferhat. Lunch is a children's menu — spaghetti, chicken fingers, fish fingers — and the day ends in a foam party with music, Halay and children's dances on deck.
Rafting is a raft on a river, with paddles and spray. It is an active day where everyone in the boat works, and whether it suits a child depends on that trip's own rules.
Side by side
Parents are welcome to join in, and many of the games are more fun with a grown-up pulling on the other end of the rope. It is a day planned for children from start to finish, though, so adults looking for their own thrill will want something livelier.
| Kids' pirate programme | Rafting | |
|---|---|---|
| On the water | Aboard the pirate ship, gently downstream | In a raft, paddling |
| For | Young children and their families | Those who want an active day |
| Swim | At the river mouth, fresh water meeting the sea | A different sort of river day |
| Fare | One fare, €23, for everyone from 2 | On our sister site |
The swim where river meets sea
A moment parents remember is the stop at the Manavgat river mouth, where cold fresh river water runs into the warm salty sea, so the two temperatures meet around you. Our river-mouth swim guide explains what the stop is like and what to bring.
It is a swim break in a gentle programme, not a test of anyone's nerve, which is exactly why it suits small children.
The fare, and keeping children safe
There is one fare on this day: every guest from 2 pays €23, adults included, and only children under 2 come free. Travel insurance for every guest is part of it, along with the hotel transfer both ways. Drinks from the bar, extra snacks and professional photos or video are paid for separately.
The boat is run by licensed maritime crew, and parents are welcome — and expected — to stay close to their children in the games and in the water. If there is a health question, raise it before booking; the crew decide on the day. Our safety guide has the rest.
Doing both
With children of different ages, the two can work in one holiday: the pirate programme for the little ones' day, rafting for older children and adults who want something livelier. Our sister site covers rafting from Side, with that trip's current fares and age limits.
The kids' programme fills quickly in high season, so book ahead once you know your date. Booking takes no payment: the fare is paid in euros on the day, and cancelling costs nothing up to 48 hours ahead.
