Leave the Belek shoreline behind for a full day afloat on Green Canyon, where the boat threads between pine-covered cliffs, anchors in cool turquoise coves and serves lunch straight off the grill.
Quick answer
Leave the Belek shoreline behind for a full day afloat on Green Canyon, where the boat threads between pine-covered cliffs, anchors in cool turquoise coves and serves lunch straight off the grill.
Green Canyon is not the sea: it is a vast freshwater reservoir created by the Oymapınar Dam, folded into the Taurus mountains inland from Manavgat. The water is a deep glassy green, the cliffs above it carry pine forest, and the temperature drops pleasantly the moment you leave the coast road behind.
From Belek the trip is a proper full day — around eight hours door to door. An air-conditioned transfer brings you up from your hotel, you step onto the boat at the jetty, and the itinerary alternates slow cruising beneath the cliffs with anchor stops where you can slip straight into the water.
A grilled lunch is prepared and served on the boat itself, so the day never has to pause; sun-lovers keep their spot on the open deck while everyone else finds shade. Non-swimmers are welcome — plenty of guests come purely for the scenery and the cool mountain air.
There is no salt, no swell and no harbour: the reservoir is still, deep and fresh, which is exactly why the swims feel so invigorating on a hot day. Fishing is not part of the standard programme on this departure — it can only be arranged as an optional extra — and drinks on board are paid separately.
We collect from hotels in Boğazkent Mevkii, Üçkumtepesi Mevkii, İskele Mevkii, Acısu Mevkii, İleribaşı Mevkii, Taşlıburun Mevkii, Kadriye Mevkii, Denizyaka Mevkii. Staying somewhere else along the coast? Message us and we will tell you honestly whether we can reach you.
Questions
Most booked Not a sea trip at all — from your Side hotel you head inland to the emerald Oymapınar reservoir, where a music-free catamaran cruises the canyons with lunch and two cool-water swim stops.
Most booked A mountain lake within easy reach of your Side-area sunbed: cruise the emerald Oymapınar reservoir for seven hours with swim stops, a grilled lunch on deck and pickup right from Kumköy.
Most booked Swap the beach for a five-hour catamaran glide across the Oymapınar reservoir, where two swim stops, on-board fishing gear and a lakeside buffet fit neatly into half a day.