Green Canyon vs Side Boat Trip: Two Very Different Days on the Water
If you are spending a week around Side, Manavgat or Alanya, two boat trips will keep appearing everywhere you look: the classic Side boat trip out on the Mediterranean and the Green Canyon tour on the emerald reservoir behind the Oymapinar Dam. At first glance they sound similar — a boat, sunshine, time to swim. In reality they are completely different days out, and choosing between them (or deciding to do both) becomes easy once you know what each one actually involves.
What Each Trip Actually Looks Like
The Side boat trip: open sea, bays and coastline
A typical Side boat trip is a sea day. Boats head out onto the open Mediterranean, cruise along the coastline and drop anchor in bays for swimming in warm salt water. You get sea air, wide horizons and the familiar rhythm of a coastal cruise — including the gentle rise and fall that comes with open water. It is a much-loved holiday classic, and if that is the experience you are after, you can browse group sea departures at sideboattrips.com.
The Green Canyon tour: a calm lake between pine-covered cliffs
Green Canyon could hardly be more different. The tour runs on the still, sheltered reservoir of the Oymapinar Dam near Manavgat, where emerald mountain water sits between steep, pine-covered canyon walls. This is not the sea: there are no waves, no swell and no chance of seasickness — just glass-calm water and dramatic scenery in every direction. If the area is new to you, our guide to what Green Canyon is explains the setting in detail.
Key Differences at a Glance
- The water: warm salt water and open sea on the Side trip; cool, crystal-clear mountain water on a calm, protected reservoir at Green Canyon.
- The scenery: beaches, coastline and an endless horizon at sea; steep canyon walls, pine forest and an emerald lake in the Taurus foothills.
- Motion: a sea cruise naturally moves with the waves, while the canyon boats glide over flat water — a real advantage for anyone prone to motion sickness.
- Swimming: sea swim stops versus refreshing dips in cool, still water; at Green Canyon swimming is entirely optional and many guests simply enjoy the view from the deck. Our swimming guide covers this in depth.
- Format: at Green Canyon you choose between the 2.5-hour Catamaran Tour and the 4.5-hour Boat Tour, which includes lunch on board.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose the Side boat trip if your idea of a perfect day is salt water, sea breeze and the lively buzz of a coastal cruise. It pairs naturally with a beach-focused holiday and delivers exactly what the postcards promise.
Choose Green Canyon if you want something you cannot get on the coast: a boat trip through mountain scenery on water so calm it mirrors the cliffs. It is the better pick for travellers who dislike waves, for photographers chasing emerald-and-pine landscapes, and for families with young children who appreciate a gentle, sheltered swim environment — our Green Canyon with kids guide has the details. And if you are torn between our two formats, the catamaran vs boat tour comparison breaks down which one suits which traveller.
The Smart Move: Do Both on Different Days
This is not really an either-or decision. Most guests have several free days in their holiday, and the two trips complement each other perfectly: one day on the open sea, another day in the mountains. Green Canyon pickups run every day throughout the season from Side, Kumkoy, Evrenseki, Sorgun, Titreyengol, Colakli, Manavgat and along the Alanya coast — including Okurcalar, Avsallar, Turkler and Konakli, with Alanya itself served in the summer season — while guests staying in Belek or Antalya can join on Mondays and Thursdays. See the full list in our pickup areas guide, or go straight to tours from Side if that is your base.
Green Canyon Prices and How to Book
Both Green Canyon tours are priced the same: €33 per adult and €18 per child aged 3–11. A family of two adults and two children pays €102 in total, with no hidden fees added later. Lunch is included only on the 4.5-hour Boat Tour, so keep that in mind when comparing the two formats.
Booking is deliberately low-risk: you reserve online with instant confirmation, pay on the day of the tour rather than in advance, and can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before. Questions get quick answers on WhatsApp. Tours run every day from spring through autumn — our best time to visit guide helps you pick the ideal week — and you can compare both options on the tours page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Green Canyon better than a Side boat trip?
Neither trip is objectively better — they offer completely different experiences, with the Side boat trip built around open-sea swimming stops along the Mediterranean coast and the Green Canyon tour built around calm, sheltered cruising through a pine-covered canyon on the emerald Oymapinar reservoir near Manavgat. Sea lovers will lean one way, scenery and calm-water fans the other, and many visitors happily do both.
Can you get seasick on the Green Canyon tour?
Seasickness is not a realistic concern on the Green Canyon tour, because the boats cruise on the still, sheltered water of the Oymapinar dam reservoir rather than the open sea, so there are no waves, no swell and no rocking motion to trigger motion sickness. That makes it a popular choice for guests who normally avoid boat trips altogether.
Can I do both trips in one holiday?
Yes, and many visitors staying in Side, Kumkoy or Alanya do exactly that: they spend one day on a classic sea boat trip along the coast and book the Green Canyon tour for another day, since canyon pickups run every day throughout the season. Simply leave a beach day or two between them and you have two very different highlights in a single week.
Is lunch included on the Green Canyon tours?
Lunch is included only on the 4.5-hour Green Canyon Boat Tour, which serves a meal as part of its longer itinerary, while the 2.5-hour Catamaran Tour is a shorter scenic cruise with swim stops and does not include food, so plan to eat before or after. Both tours cost the same €33 per adult, which makes the Boat Tour the natural pick for guests who want a longer, fuller outing.
Is the water cold in Green Canyon?
The water in Green Canyon stays refreshingly cool even in high summer, because the reservoir is fed by mountain water, and while it is crystal clear and beautifully calm, swimming is completely optional — plenty of guests simply enjoy the scenery from the deck instead. On a hot day, most swimmers find the cool water is exactly what they came for.