Manavgat waterfall and the river boats

Side is where you swim; Manavgat is where the people who run Side's hotels go shopping, see the dentist and drink tea by the water. It sits three or four kilometres inland of the old town, on both banks of the Manavgat River, and it is a real town rather than a resort: banks, pharmacies, a municipal park, apartment blocks, a busy bus station and shops selling school uniforms next to shops selling towels.

The river is the heart of it. Fed by snowmelt and springs in the Taurus Mountains, it runs clear and noticeably colder than the sea, even in August. A promenade with cafés, benches and the moorings of the excursion boats follows the bank through the centre, and the large mosque with its cluster of domes on the riverside is one of the town's landmarks. If you visit the mosque, go outside prayer times and dress modestly; women should bring something to cover their hair.

Every Monday, Manavgat holds its weekly market, one of the largest in the region. Locals come from the villages for fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives and spices; holidaymakers come for the stalls of clothes, bags, towels and souvenirs. The produce section is the more interesting half — stacks of pomegranates and peppers, sacks of dried mint and chilli flakes, white cheese cut from the block while you watch.

• Go early. By late morning the lanes are crowded and the canopies trap the heat.
• Carry Turkish lira in small notes; few stalls take cards.
• Haggling is normal on clothes and souvenirs, much less so on food.
• Keep bags zipped and phones in a front pocket, as in any crowded market.
• If you buy olive oil or honey to take home, check your airline's rules on liquids in hold and cabin luggage.

The boats moored along the promenade are wooden excursion vessels, many decorated in the style of pirate ships, with shaded decks and long tables. Their standard trip runs downstream to the river mouth, where the Manavgat meets the Mediterranean east of Side. The river slides past reed beds, fields and fishermen's huts, and the trip usually includes a stop of an hour or two on the sandbar beach between river and sea, where you can swim in the sea and, a few steps away, in the cooler fresh water.

Trips vary by operator: some include lunch on board, some stop at the market on Mondays, some combine with a short sea leg. Durations and prices change with the season, so compare two or three boats on the promenade or through your hotel, and ask exactly what is included before paying. Shade on deck goes quickly; board early if you want a seat out of the sun.

“The best moment is the last bend before the mouth, when the green river water meets the blue sea and you can see the line between them.

About four kilometres north of the centre, the river drops over a long, low ledge of rock. Manavgat waterfall is not tall — a few metres at most — but it is wide, and the noise, the spray and the chill coming off the water are very welcome on a hot afternoon. Walkways and viewing terraces run along the bank, some built out over the water, so you can stand close enough to feel the spray.

The falls lie inside a paid entry area; buy tickets at the gate and check the current price there. Inside are restaurants with tables set beside the river, tea gardens, fresh trout on the grill and a row of souvenir stalls. An hour is enough to see the falls and have a drink; add another if you stay for lunch. The volume of water is greatest in spring, when the mountain snow melts, and lower by late summer, but the falls run all year.

By car from the Side hotel strip, Manavgat town is roughly ten to twenty minutes away depending on where you stay, and the waterfall a few minutes beyond. That makes a comfortable half-day loop. Here is one way to run it in summer:

1. 1Leave the hotel around 9:00The air is still fresh and the roads clear. On a Monday, start at the market while it is cool and before the crowds arrive.
2. 2The waterfall by mid-morningArriving before the coach groups means a quieter walkway and a free table by the water for a glass of tea or an early lunch.
3. 3Back to the river promenadeWalk along the bank, visit the mosque or simply sit by the water. If you have booked a river boat, this is where you board.
4. 4Back to the hotel by early afternoonEither the car brings you straight back, or — if you are on a full boat trip — it collects you at the jetty when the boat returns.

If the boat trip is the main event, reverse the order: board in the morning, spend the hot hours on the sandbar beach, and visit the waterfall in the late afternoon on the way home, when the restaurants are serving and the light on the spray is softer. Between June and September try to avoid standing in the open between noon and four; the river valley holds the heat.

Follow the river upstream beyond the waterfall and the road climbs into the foothills to the Oymapınar dam. Behind it lies the reservoir known as Green Lake, a long, narrow body of strikingly green water winding between steep, wooded canyon walls. Boat trips on the lake are its main attraction; most run for a few hours and include a swim stop and lunch.

The drive up is short in distance but the last part bends through the hills, so passengers prone to car sickness should sit in front or look ahead. Combining Green Lake with the waterfall turns the half day into most of a day — worth it on a hot day, because the canyon is a different landscape entirely from the coast.

Manavgat is close enough that many visitors simply take a taxi there and another back. For a loop with several stops, it is easier to keep one car. When you book, tell us which stops you want and roughly how long you plan to stay at each; we confirm one price for the whole trip before you set off, per vehicle, not per person.

• Driver waits: for shorter stops like the waterfall or the promenade, the driver parks nearby and you walk back to the car when you are done.
• Drop and return: for a long boat trip, the driver drops you at the jetty and comes back at the boat's return time.
• Message to collect: if you are not sure how long you will stay, send a WhatsApp message and the car comes back from the nearest point.

Child seats are fitted free if you mention the children's ages, and bags you do not need can stay in the locked car. You pay the driver at the end of the day, in cash or by card.