Drivers start at 16, teenagers included
The age to take the wheel is 16. That includes 16- and 17-year-olds, so an older teenager can drive a buggy of their own on exactly the same terms as the adults in the family. The same age applies on the quad, the second machine that runs on this course, so a group that splits between the two does not have to juggle different limits.
Because the rule is an age, it has to be shown. Bring ID that states your age and keep it on you during the day, as the age of each driver is checked before anyone sets off. That course lies inland, in the Aspendos countryside along the Köprüçay river.
No licence needed, because the course is not a public road
You do not need a car or motorbike licence for this ride, and there is a clear reason: the entire route is a private off-road course, not a public road. You never join traffic or drive on asphalt among other vehicles, so the ride is not treated like road driving.
Please read this as the operator's own rule for its own course. It is not a summary of Turkish traffic law, and it tells you nothing about what you would need to drive a buggy, quad or scooter on public roads elsewhere on holiday. For anything outside the course, ask whoever rents you the vehicle.
That does not mean nobody checks whether you can handle the machine. On this course, that is exactly what the test ride is for.
The compulsory test ride, for every driver
Every driver does a test ride before the safari starts. Holding a licence does not exempt you, and neither does having driven buggies before. It comes after the instructor's safety briefing, so you go into it knowing how the machine works and how the convoy will move.
Take it seriously, because it is a genuine assessment. The instructor watches whether you can control the buggy and follow instructions, and the outcome decides your seat: complete it and you drive your own machine for the whole route, short or long.
If you do not complete it, nothing is lost except the steering wheel. You stay with the group and ride as a passenger.
Riding along instead: the passenger seat and its price
Some people do not complete the test ride, some decide at the base that they would rather look around than steer, and some booked as passengers from the start. All of them pay half the driver's price:
That half price is the only reduction on offer. Children have no separate rate, and nobody rides or comes along free; everyone who joins the day pays, even someone who comes only to watch.
A buggy seats one driver and one passenger, side by side. That layout lets a younger passenger sit next to a parent or another adult who is driving.
- Short route, 18 km: driver €35, passenger €17.50
- Long route, 28 km: driver €43, passenger €21.50
Younger children: quad passengers 8+, under 4 not recommended
The quad is different because its passenger sits behind the driver and has to hold on. For that reason quad passengers need to be at least 8. If you have a child younger than that who wants to come, the buggy, with its seat beside the driver, is the machine to book.
Neither machine suits children under 4, in our view: at that age holding on safely is a real struggle, so we advise against it. Should a younger child come along regardless, they are charged the passenger fare like everyone else.
Teenagers under 16 who are itching to drive will have to wait their turn: for now their place is the passenger seat, beside an adult driver in the buggy or, from age 8, behind one on the quad.
Planning a group: who drives and who rides along
When you book, you enter drivers and passengers separately. Since a buggy takes a driver plus one passenger, a couple can share one machine: one of you steers, the other pays the passenger price.
Reserving costs nothing and needs no card or prepayment; the fare is settled in euros on the tour day. You can book from tomorrow onwards and cancel for free until 48 hours before; same-day plans go through WhatsApp rather than the booking form.
Unsure whether someone near the age line can drive, or whether a younger child should come? Ask us before booking, in Polish, Russian, German or English.