8 Turkey Dolphin Watching Tours Worth Flying For

1.Side: Dolphin Island Boat Trip with Lunch & Unlimited Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 896 reviews · 7 hours · from $24Our pick

Set out from Kumköy Beach on a spacious pirate-themed boat for a seven-hour day near Side. Swim where the Manavgat River meets the sea, stop near Dolphin Island, enjoy grilled chicken or fish with rice and salad, and join the foam party. Hotel transfers, a guide, insurance, lunch, and unlimited soft drinks are included. Dolphin sightings are possible, not promised.

“The day was lovely and the guys that ran it worked so hard to please everyone. Thank you for an enjoyable day!”

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2.Side: Dolphin Island Boat Tour w/ Lunch & Foam Party

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 623 reviews · 9 hours · from $30

Join Seven Tours for a full-day boat trip from Side to the Manavgat River, Bosphorus, Dolphin Island, and Karaburun Bay. Swim three times, choose chicken or fish for lunch, enjoy a foam party, and watch for dolphins and sea turtles. Hotel pickup, a multilingual guide, life vests, and insurance are included.

“We really enjoyed the boat trip and had several beautiful stops for swimming. The foam party at the end of the cruise was great, too. While we didn’t get to see any dolphins, we did have the chance to spot a sea turtle, which was a lovely surprise. A couple of minor downsides: smoking was allowed anywhere on the boat, which we found quite unpleasant as non-smokers. Also, we paid extra for unlimited soft drinks on board, but when crew members offered us canned Coke or other soft drinks, we still had to pay for them. The “free” soft drinks were only available at the lower bar, served in small…”

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3.Side: Dolphins Island Cruise with Swimming Stops and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 617 reviews · 7 hours · from $26

Spend seven hours cruising from Side’s Manavgat River to the Mediterranean, with hotel pickup available, lunch, swim stops, and a foam party. Your English- or German-speaking guide points out river turtles, dolphins, loggerhead turtles, shipyards, and coastal views. Wildlife sightings are possible but never guaranteed.

“Amazing trip, very friendly personel, nice food and we se dolphins!!!”

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4.Dolphin Island Boat Trip – Swim, Sun & Lunch Included

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 206 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $30

Spend about seven hours on a traditional gulet from Manavgat River, with several sea stops, lunch, snorkeling, paid drinks, and a lively foam party. You may see dolphins or turtles, but neither is guaranteed. Hotel pickup is available, and the tour returns to its starting point.

“Leuke goed verzorgde boottrip, zeer zeker aan te raden als je met kinderen gaat. Bemanning vriendelijk, faciliteiten verzorgd.”

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5.Alanya: Dolphin and Seal Show Ticket with Hotel Transfers

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 34 reviews · from $40

Travel from your Alanya hotel to Sealanya Dolphinpark for a 1 to 2-hour dolphin and seal show. Expect graceful jumps, comic seal tricks, trainer-led facts about marine life, and a smooth return transfer. Pickup is available in English, German, Russian, or Turkish, and wheelchair access is provided.

“was a really good show, we really enjoyed it, quite expensive for an hour show but was worth it”

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6.Alanya Relax Boat Tour with Caretta and Dolphin View

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 32 reviews · 5 hours Top rated

Spend about five hours on a peaceful pirate-themed boat from Alanya, with three swimming breaks, sea views of Cleopatra Beach, Alanya Castle, the Red Tower, and coastal caves. Lunch, water, soft drinks, Wi-Fi, and optional hotel transfers are included. The boat has no music or foam party, though nearby boats may be noisy.

“Just come off this boat…we chosen this one because it was a relaxing boat trip with no loud music….turns out there were bits of entertainment from the group of boats to keep us happy…the staff were laid back and no pressure to buy anything so a really nice comfortable day we got”

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7.Alanya: Sealanya Dolphinpark Dolphin Show Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 14 reviews · 1 day · from $53

Spend a short family-friendly outing at Sealanya Dolphinpark near Alanya. Watch otaria seals and bottlenose dolphins perform dances, games, water polo, and hoop tricks during an hour-long show. Hotel pickup and return are included. Dolphin or seal swimming, food, drinks, and animal photos cost extra.

“Minden nagyon jó volt. Azt az egyet sajnálom hogy ezen a programon nem lehetett úszni a delfinekkel.”

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8.Ancient City or Dolphin observatıon cruise in Side w/Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 7 reviews · 8 hours · from $20Best value

From Side, you spend about four hours on a double-deck boat with swimming stops, lunch, music and a chance to spot dolphins near Dolphin Island. The advertised details also mention Ormana, Sarıhacılar and Altınbeşik Cave, but the schedule is not fully consistent. Pickup and return are included, while drinks and personal costs are extra.

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