Page update - Apr 7, 2023
There used to be no large public water park in the resort of Side. But it opened on July 1, 2019. Welcome to AquaJoy, the newest water park in the Mediterranean resorts of Turkey.
The prices, tips and other information on this page were updated in April 2023.
While AquaJoy is still new, not everyone knows about it. That's why there aren't many people there, even in the high season. There is no shortage of tubings, including double tubings, most of the time.
However, we do not recommend coming on weekends in the high season, and even less so on public holidays. For a schedule of public holidays, see our review "Holidays in Turkey". Better come on a weekday.
The second advantage is the wide range of slides. There are 11 adult slides with different heights and levels of extreme. There are no really scary slides, and no any record-breaking ones. You can give the assortment a B+.
A third advantage is the excellent range of kids attractions. We will talk about all the slides and attractions in detail later on this page.
High price (by standards of Turkey).
For an adult (13 years old and over) - 270 Turkish liras.
For a child (6-12 years old) - 170 Turkish liras.
Free of charge for children under 6 years old.
For the current exchange rates, see our review "Turkish Lira".
But these are the official prices for locals. The prices for tourists are in Euros and the prices are clearly higher - 18 and 14 euros!
Use of lockers is included in the ticket price.
Use of sun loungers, umbrellas, cloakroom and changing rooms at the water park is free of charge.
Parking is free of charge.
AquaJoy is located in Titrayengöl, about 7 km east of Side. Titreyengöl is a touristic area. You can walk from the local hotels.
But you will have to take a taxi or dolmus (shuttle bus) from most of the hotels in Side.
Taxi drivers usually refuse to drive by the meter, though they are legally obliged to use the meter and the official fares which you can find in our in-depth review "Taxis in Turkey". You'll have to bargain with taxi drivers. See the table below for approximate fares from the different resort areas in Side.
Colakli | 15-20 USD |
West Beach | 7-14 USD |
East Beach | 5-7 USD |
Kizilagac | 16-20 USD |
Kizilot | 18-22 USD |
Changer | 22-26 USD |
Try to bargain for these prices, but remember that they are not always successful.
There are dolmuses (shuttle buses) to Titrayengöl from Side and Manavgat Bus Stations and the fare is 10-15 Turkish Liras or 1 US dollar (1 Euro, 1 UK pound). If your hotel is far away from the bus station then you can take a local minibus (dolmush) to the bus station and there change to a minibus to Titreyengöl.
Daily. From 10 am to 5:30 pm (10-00 to 17-30).
There are no clear restrictions on access to slides. The park rules say: "Children may only use the children's slides", meaning children under 6 years of age. There are explainer signs on the slides, but they all say: "Slides are allowed from a height of 1.2 meters (3ft 11in)".
As a result, admission control is carried out by the lifeguard "by eye". In other words, they may or may not let a child onto the slide. Usually, they are allowed, but you have to be accompanied by an adult on a double tubing.
To increase your chances of getting on a slide, we recommend putting a lifejacket on a small child 1.2-1.4 meters (3ft 11in - 4ft 7in) tall. As practice shows, a lifejacket on a child always calms down the linemen. Or at least wear armbands.
This is the highlight of the AquaJoy theme park. At the beginning, you ride for about 50 meters (165 feet) down the usual open slide. At the end, you come to a big canyon which is decorated on the opposite side with a cobra's head. See it in the photo nearby, click on the photo to enlarge.
An interesting thing is this attraction is paired - there are two tubes and the canyon is divided into two parts by a partition. You can race against each other. If you want to win, then take the left hand side, the way on it is a little bit shorter due to the bend. If there are not many visitors, only one of the two slides works. If there are more people, they open the second slide.
Riding on this slide is tubing only. The ride time is 25 seconds. We'll give it an A for styling, as the whole slide is painted to look like a snake's scales.
The second pride of AquaJoy is the park's longest waterslide, at 190 meters (623 feet) long. See the photo near, it is green in color, click on the photo to enlarge it.
Most of this slide is enclosed, but it is illuminated through fiberglass slots in the tube. All new waterparks now have such tubes, for self-respecting waterparks this has become a compulsory "feature".
There are three open sections along the way, where the visitor slides down and then up. On the way up, there are pumps installed which push the tubing upwards. This system is another source of pride for the park's creators.
Riding on this slide is tubing only. The ride time is 40 seconds.
Some tourists are used to calling such slides as "a toilet". You start at a closed channel of about 25 meters (82 feet), then you end up in a big "saucer" from which you fall down to another channel and than into a small pool.
You can ride this slide only without a tubing. The ride time is about 25 seconds.
Also very common in water parks - straight and steep downhill slides. Landing in the pool. If you've never tried a Kamikadze ride, you should do so at AquaJoy as these slides are relatively low. Kamikadze is uncovered and Tunnel Freefall is enclosed.
Riding on this slide is possible only without a tubing. The ride time is about 10 seconds.
Long enclosed winding slides. Nothing extraordinary. The ride times are 25 and 30 seconds.
Long open winding slides. Nothing extraordinary. The Body Slide is higher and longer with a large part of the channel in the shape of a spiral. The ride times are 25 and 30 seconds.
This is a closed slide where you get into the canyon at the end. This slide is accessible with tubing only. The ride time is around 20 seconds.
Partly covered, partly open waterslide. It is rather slow and ideal for children. The ride time is about 30 seconds.
A kids' zone with a dozen small slides, a play castle and a bucket on top. The kids zone at AquaJoy is definitely bigger and more fun than most waterparks.
This is a small splash park. There are dozens of splashing machines to keep the kids entertained. AquaJoy is definitely one of the best waterparks for kids in Turkey.
- You should come to AquaJoy well-fed. Food and drinks are not allowed from outside and are expensive inside. Tea and other drinks start at 15 liras, a sandwich or burger at 80 liras and a bottle of water at 5 liras;
- You can get an electronic wristband at the entrance, which you have to top up and pay for food and drinks. Theoretically, the wristband could be used to leave the park, have a meal and come back. But in fact, it doesn't make much sense, as there are no restaurants or cafes around. You can go out for a meal at a restaurant in a nearby hotel;
- During the summer months, don't forget to protect yourself from the sun. You can get sunburnt by the water activities and not immediately notice it. We talked about protection in our detailed review "What not to do in Turkey".
Have fun at the AquaJoy Waterpark, and read our interesting pages about Turkey (find the pages list below).
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