What the fare covers, and what it does not
Your fare pays for an instructor with the safety briefing and test ride, insurance, a helmet and the hotel transfer there and back. Photos and videos are not part of it, so pictures of your day are entirely up to you.
That leaves the choice with you: a phone, a small action camera of your own, or no camera at all and simply the ride. Whatever you bring, the tips below are about keeping it working and keeping everyone on board safe.
Dust, the main enemy of a lens
Much of the course in the Aspendos countryside, along the Köprüçay river, runs over dusty open ground and forest tracks, and fine dust gets everywhere. It settles on lenses, works its way into charging ports and leaves a haze on screens.
A clear plastic pouch that seals at the top costs little and protects a phone well, and the touchscreen can usually still be used through it. Charge the phone fully before pickup as well: the programme lasts about 4–4.5 hours from hotel to hotel, and you will want the battery for the ride rather than the transfer.
- Keep the phone in a zipped pocket or a sealable pouch between shots
- Bring a soft microfibre cloth to wipe the lens before each picture
- Do not change lenses or open camera covers out on the course
- Clean ports and speakers gently back at the hotel, without water
Water on the river sections
The route crosses shallow river sections, and water can splash up as the buggy goes through, although how much depends on conditions and is never guaranteed. Mud is possible too when conditions allow. Assume that anything held in an open hand or carried in an open pocket can get wet or dirty.
Even a phone sold as water-resistant is better sealed away while you cross water. A shot from the middle of the river is not a must; the memory stays with you anyway.
Safety first: the driver does not film
If you are driving, both hands stay on the wheel for the whole ride. Do not hold a phone, do not film, and do not take it out to check a picture while the buggy is moving. Off-road ground can change under the wheels in a second, and your full attention matters far more than any video.
Before anyone drives, the instructor gives a safety briefing and every driver takes the compulsory test ride; keep the phone put away through both. If you want pictures of yourself at the wheel, leave that to your passenger. Do not fix a phone or camera to the buggy or the helmet without asking first, and if you hope for a quick photo while the buggy is standing still, ask about it before the start.
Taking pictures from the passenger seat
The passenger seat sits beside the driver and gives a good view forward and to the side. That makes it the natural place for pictures, but the passenger needs to hold on as well, and on rough stretches holding on comes first.
Children riding as passengers are better off without a phone at all, so that both hands are there for holding on.
- Use a wrist strap or lanyard so a dropped phone stays attached to you
- Take pictures on calmer stretches and put the phone away before bumps and river sections
- Always keep one hand holding on
- Never lean out of the buggy to get a better angle
What to leave at the hotel
Leave anything you would hate to lose at the hotel; we cannot promise you a place to keep valuables during the ride. Your own sunglasses keep dust out of your eyes, which also helps when you glance at a screen. Goggles do not come with the ride either, though the base sells them.
Dress for the conditions as well: old clothes and proper closed shoes, because dust and, when conditions allow, mud will reach whatever you wear.
The easiest pictures are often the ones taken with both feet on the ground: a shot of the two of you beside the parked buggy before the briefing, or a group picture once the ride is over and everyone is covered in dust. Those moments ask nothing of the driver and put no phone at risk on the track.