Köprülü Canyon Rafting from Antalya: Distance, Season and Age Limits

Köprülü Canyon is about 86 km by road from Antalya's old town, which GoTürkiye puts at roughly an hour and a half by car, and the rafting stretch of the Köprüçay River is run for most of the year, with July to September the best months for rafting, according to the Antalya Tourist Information website. Our rafting, zipline and jeep safari combo from Antalya starts from $67 per person with hotel pickup and lunch. This page covers the practical questions people ask before they book: how long the transfer really is from each resort, how cold the water is, who can join, what to wear and how the combo day works.

How far is Köprülü Canyon from your hotel

The rafting base sits around the village of Beşkonak, inside Köprülü Canyon National Park in the Manavgat district. The park was declared in 1973. All the main resorts from Kemer to Alanya can reach it in a day, but not equally fast.

The road distances below are from OpenStreetMap route data to Beşkonak. The driving times are what the routing engine calculates for an empty road. Real transfers take longer, because a shared vehicle collects guests from several hotels first.

Belek and Side guests are closest. From Kemer or Alanya the canyon is still a day trip, but on routing times alone you spend three and a half to four hours in a vehicle in total, before pickups. Our combo includes pickup and drop-off from central Antalya hotels. If you are staying in Lara, Konyaaltı, Belek, Side, Kemer or Alanya, send us your hotel name before you book and we will tell you in writing whether it is covered. For the first leg from the airport, see our Antalya airport transfer guide.

What rafting in Köprülü Canyon is actually like

Rafting here is a beginner-friendly river trip rather than an expedition. One operator describes the rapids as generally Class II and Class III, which means waves, splashes and some fast water rather than serious whitewater. You paddle in an inflatable raft, and on our combo qualified instructors lead the rafting.

The length of the run depends on where each company puts in and takes out. Published figures we checked range from about 9 km to 14 km: one operator gives 9 to 11 km, the Antalya Tourist Information website gives 12 km, and GoTürkiye mentions a 14 km rafting course in its paragraph on Tazı Canyon, in the same national park. Ask us for the exact section and time on the water for your date, as it is set by the rafting team.

The canyon walls rise up to about 100 m in places, according to GoTürkiye. The national park is a landscape of river cliffs and pine woods, and at the canyon entrance stands the Roman Oluk Bridge, which the Antalya Tourist Information website says is thought to date from the 2nd century, when the city of Selge was at its height.

Expect cold water. The Antalya Tourist Information website puts the water at around 9°C near the source and around 15°C further downstream in summer. On a hot July day that is welcome. In April or November it is a shock, and that is where a wetsuit makes sense.

Season and weather: when to go

Rafting runs for much of the year here. The Antalya Tourist Information website says the Köprüçay hosts water sports eight months of the year and names July, August and September as the best months for rafting. One operator we checked sells its Köprülü rafting tour from 1 March to 30 November. Outside those months, ask us before planning around it.

The water stays cold all year, so the real choice is about air temperature and how much you want to get wet. The table uses long-term averages for Antalya city from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM). The canyon is inland and higher, so it can feel cooler, especially in the morning.

If you are travelling now, in early November, you are near the end of the season that operator lists, so confirm your date with us first. Wet clothes cool you down quickly once the sun drops behind the canyon walls. Pack a full change of warm clothes. On TUI's Köprülü listing, rafting shoes and a wetsuit are hired for an extra charge rather than included, so ask before you go if you want one.

Age limits and who should skip it

There is no single legal minimum age for rafting in Köprülü Canyon that we could find. Each operator sets its own rules. TUI's listing for a Köprülü rafting trip sets a minimum age of 7 and a maximum of 65, and says the trip is not suitable for expectant mothers or guests with back problems. Another operator prices children from 7 to 12 separately and requires them to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Our combo page does not state a minimum age, a weight limit for the zipline, or whether non-swimmers can raft. These details matter, so give us everyone's age when you enquire and we will confirm in writing whether each person can take part in each of the three activities. If one person in the group wants to skip the zipline or the river, ask us how that works on the day.

On swimming: one operator states that swimming skills are not mandatory, since life jackets are provided, but adds that participants should feel reasonably comfortable around water. If someone in your group panics in water, a different day out may suit them better.

People who should think twice:

• Pregnant travellers, as stated on TUI's Köprülü listing.
• Anyone with back problems, as stated by TUI.
• Small children under the operator's age limit.
• Guests who feel the cold badly, in spring and late autumn.

What to wear and bring

You will get wet, so dress for water, not for sightseeing.

• Swimwear under quick-drying shorts and a T-shirt.
• Shoes that stay on your feet: old trainers or water shoes. Flip-flops come off in the raft.
• A full change of clothes, a towel and a plastic bag for wet things.
• Sun cream and a hat for the jeep ride and lunch.
• A waterproof pouch if you insist on bringing a phone, or leave it with your bags.
• Cash for drinks at lunch and for photos, which are both extra.

Leave jewellery and valuables at the hotel, and tie back long hair. Glasses should have a strap. Rafting equipment and safety gear are included in our combo; the tour page does not list them item by item, so ask us if you have a question about helmets or life jackets, for example for children.

How the rafting, zipline and jeep combo works

Many people book rafting as part of a combo, because the transfer takes a large part of the day anyway. Our combo puts three activities into one day out of Antalya:

1. Hotel pickup from central Antalya hotels. The tour page FAQ gives a start at 08:00 and a finish around 18:00.
2. Jeep safari up into the Taurus Mountains on off-road tracks.
3. Rafting on the Köprüçay River in Köprülü Canyon, led by qualified instructors.
4. Lunch beside the water. Lunch is included; drinks are not.
5. Zipline over the trees.
6. Drop-off at your hotel.

The order on the day is set by the activity team and can change. The guide speaks English. Photo and video services are sold separately, and local taxes and parking fees are included.

The booking form on our site lets you pick a start time, but that is only a request. We confirm the real pickup time in writing before you pay. If you want a shorter outing without the river, our Antalya ATV quad safari takes 3 to 4 hours including transfers.

Adding Selge and the Roman bridge

The canyon is also an archaeological area. The ruins of Selge, a Greco-Roman city, stand in the upper part of the national park, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists the park's Roman bridges and roads among its features. Selge is about 19 km by road from Beşkonak on OpenStreetMap routing, and the route crosses the Oluk Bridge.

Group combo days do not include Selge. If you would rather raft and then see the ruins, a private car with a driver and a licensed guide is the practical way to do it, and we can quote that on request. Families who want history without the river can look at the Perge, Aspendos and Side tour or read our page on the Side ancient city.

Fitting rafting into an Antalya holiday

Rafting is a full day, so treat it like one. A sensible pattern is a beach or pool day before it and an easy day after, such as the Antalya old city and Düden waterfalls tour. Our 3-day Antalya itinerary shows how one active day fits next to history and the old town, and Antalya day trips compares all the main excursions by resort. For broader ideas, see things to do in Antalya and the Antalya destination guide.

Travelling with children? Our Turkey family tour packages page covers longer trips that can include an Antalya stay.

Tours that cover this

• Rafting, zipline and jeep safari combo tour from Antalya: Köprülü Canyon rafting, jeep safari in the Taurus Mountains, zipline and lunch, with pickup from central Antalya hotels. From $67 per person.
• Antalya ATV quad safari with hotel transfer: instructor-led quad ride on forest tracks, 3 to 4 hours with transfers. From $50 per person.
• Perge, Aspendos and Side day tour: the Roman sites east of Antalya, with entrance fees and lunch included. From $81 per person.
• Antalya old city and Düden waterfalls boat trip tour: an easier full day in town. From $90 per person.

All Antalya options are on our Antalya tours page, and other activity days are under experiences.

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