Manavgat River Cruise, Waterfalls and Market Tour from Side

Not the excursion we booked...

This tour was booked with an expectation that did not match the experience. Review of Manavgat River Cruise, Waterfalls and Market Tour from Side. Having now read back reviews, the reviews for this excursion were mixed with other tours. Our journey began on a run down mini bus picking us up from our hotel. No seatbelts, not enough seating for everyone and seats stuck in recline making an already cramped experience worse. While the day was not a hot one outside, the van quickly became stuffy; only extenuated by the lack of air conditioning. Before boarding the ship, in a random field along side the river, two gentleman stood next to a podium collecting money for the waterfall trip. We knew that we would have to pay the entrance fee to the waterfall, but assumed that would be paid on entrance to the waterfall not before boarding the boat. It was at an inflated price (5€) compared to the fee we could have paid at the waterfall directly (1€). While this may not be a huge amount, it set the tone for what felt like a money extracting exercise. Arguably, they may say the fee covered the transportation cost to the waterfall, however this experience is advertised to include the waterfall and thus should already have included this transfer. We board the boat where we asked to surrender any drinks we may have on our persons. While I understand selling additional drinks and snacks is an additional way for them to make money, feeling guilted into throwing away a small bottle of water we were holding felt unnecessary. Making our way to the top deck, we had to fight our way through abandoned furniture to our wet seats. While the weather in the area had been rough the last couple of days, it had not yet rained that day. Would a quick wipe down have been too much hassle? No one looked particularly comfortable and again I believe it would have just set a slightly more caring tone to have dried the seats. One thing that did catch us by surprise was the fact we had booked onto a pirate ship, however this may have been an oversight on our part having looked back at photos on the booking. The mix of river boat and pirate ship photos was slightly misleading especially when the details and wording of the booking failed to reference the fact it was a pirate ship. Maybe we were naïve to believe a 'river cruise' would be on a river boat. In keeping with the pirate theme; a gentleman circled the top deck carrying a parrot encouraging people to hold, touch and carry the bird. Fine, many people enjoyed this. However, when it was our turn, our polite attempts to say no were ignored and the pirate and parrot did not move on until we'd both touched the bird, something neither of us were overly comfortable doing. We then watched as he approached a family with young children who were clearly frightened as they hid behind their parents while they profusely and politely asked for the pirate to move away. Again, their requests were not listened to and the children looked distressed until the gentleman saw he was not going to able to pressure them as they had us and moved on. Next to circle was a photographer, again some people appeared to enjoy this, however it was not really our cup of tea. As before, a polite decline was given and ignored with the gentleman trying to move my partner to pose for a photo. While we laughed our way through and had a giggle about the peculiar poses we were made to do; it was uncomfortable and not something we would do voluntarily without feeling pressured. The photos were later presented to printed and framed which were placed in front of us to purchase. Declining the purchase felt awkward and the gentleman seemed dismissive of us the moment we handed the frames back. Had the photos not been taken under duress and instead in a way we felt more comfortable to participate in; perhaps we may have been more inclined to make the purchase. Having now left the mooring, we travelled down river towards the sea, the journey was nice and watching the mountain range change in the distance was a highlight. We arrive at the beach. With a strict time limit of under an hour given, we disembark the boat. On a glorious day an hour to spend on the beach and in the sea may feel a little limiting. However on the day we travelled the sun was not out and it was a mild day, an hour felt like enough time. The beach... was a disappointment. 1€ to hire a sunbed that was falling apart and a beach littered with rubbish - we walked along the beach and used the time to take photos and skim stones. We board the boat to take our journey back where we are greeted with a lovely lunch before beginning to head up river. Now, again this may have been our error. However I believe the advert is mildly misleading. Being on a 'river cruise' with the promise of visiting a waterfall it was our belief that the boat would travel upstream towards the waterfalls. Instead, we moored at the same place we started and were put back on the run-down mini bus, packed in like sardines. Before leaving the boat however, a parrot-less pirate came around and shook his tip jar in our face, lingering long enough for it to be awkward and uncomfortable when we declined to tip. Having felt pressured and uncomfortable at numerous moments on the boat, this was a decision we stood strong on. Arriving at the waterfall, we are given a strict time limit which came with the warning that if we aren't back at the right time they will 'leave without you'. It is my belief this did happen as a couple who were sat in front of us on the way to the waterfall were not on the mini bus as we left for the market. We chose to make our own way back to the hotel. To conclude, it wasn't what we expected or as advertised. While we left disappointed with the overall experience we still had an enjoyable time making light of the whole situation we found ourselves in. This is written in order to advise those looking to book this experience that it may not be what they expected and to be wary of certain things. However, it does not mean that this was not a good experience just one that was slightly different than we expected.

via Tripadvisor

Lovely trip, good value...

Lovely trip, good value for money. The first part organised very well, getting back from the bazaar to the hotel was a bit chaotic, lots of people trying to get on a number of different buses and the organisers trying to find out where people were going back to, the buses didn’t have air conditioning on so was very hot, overall didn’t spoil the experience of the day

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for your detailed feedback! 😊 We’re delighted you enjoyed the trip and found it good value for money. We appreciate your comments regarding the return transfer organization and air conditioning and will share them with the relevant team. It’s great to hear this didn’t spoil your overall experience! Kind regards 🧿

via Viator

Amazing experience just a shame about the lunch

Definitely worth the day out , pick up and drop off was hassle free and on time and very helpful The trip itself was brilliant and the scenery is out of this world and something I’ve never seen before The fishing was not so good and some of the rods was not setup correctly and I didn’t see any fish but it’s not a fishing trip so not the end of the world The swimming was great and a lot colder than I expected! But one of those bucket list things to do so jump in ! The only downside from the whole trip was the restaurant for lunch , you have to walk up a really step hill to get there which is fine but we was refused drinks and asked to pay for them when it was advertised as all in for the day - we only wanted water or a soft drink for the kids but was refused and they wanted cash and we only had cards on us - if we was told before we went there we would have brought some cash - the guy serving up there aswell was really rude but we didn’t let it spoil the day and went back down to the boat and got some drinks after out lunch Overall though an amazing trip and well worth going

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for the detailed review! We’re glad you enjoyed the scenery, swimming, and smooth transfers. We’re sorry the fishing and lunch experience, especially the drinks situation, caused frustration. We’re happy it didn’t spoil an otherwise amazing day 😊 Kind regards 🧿 Tourmania Team

via Tripadvisor

Don’t do it

Well over price for what it is 1 hour and 15 mins on a boat with food 45 mins on the beach £80 for 6 milkshakes and 6 cokes not happy at all been rip off

via Viator

Lovely experience

Had a lovely experience. Staff on board were so lovely even assisted with our prams on and off the boat. Really enjoyed our day out and the pictures we were able to buy were brilliant

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with us! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Manavgat River Cruise, Waterfalls, and Market Tour from Side. It’s great to know that our staff made your day comfortable and enjoyable, especially by assisting with prams. We’re also glad that the photos captured your memories beautifully. Your kind words mean a lot, and we hope to welcome you on another Tourmania adventure soon! Warm regards, The Tourmania Team

via Viator