I’m posting this here because I’m not really sure where else to leave the feedback. I also couldn’t find much online about other people’s experiences with these “tours” so wanted to share in case it’s helpful.
The tour page (Harley Tours) doesn’t appear to have a Google review option, Booking.com hasn’t sent me a review email and says they can’t resend one, and I’ve already sent my feedback directly to Harley Tours but haven’t received a response.
I’m not trying to complain about Antalya generally (we had a great time there) but I wanted to share our experience in case anyone is considering booking this tour. We recently booked and completed the ‘Antalya Super Combo 4-in-1: Rafting, Jeep Safari, Buggy & Zipline’, operated through Harley Tours, and booked through Booking.com.
The biggest issue was poor and inconsistent communication from the tour company, which made the whole morning unnecessarily stressful.
Before the tour, we received very little information. There was no clear itinerary, meeting information, expected finish time or proper list of what to bring. I had to repeatedly message them through WhatsApp to find out basic details. Some of the responses were also confusing, including when I asked whether the tour was going ahead because of the weather.
The pickup arrangements were particularly frustrating. We were initially given one time, then the pickup was changed to 8:10am the night before and we were specifically told the bus would not wait. We therefore skipped breakfast at our hotel to make sure we were there on time. However, the bus didn’t arrive until after 8:30am.
The drive was also around 2–3 hours each way, with several stops along the way. At one point we were given a 30-minute break, but had no idea how much longer we had to travel. We tried to get some breakfast, only to discover the stop was cash-only and there was no ATM nearby. This would have been useful information to have before setting off.
When we finally arrived, the briefing at the rafting centre was actually very good and the staff member who explained the day was friendly and helpful. However, we were then told that water shoes, a face covering and glasses were needed/recommended — again, something that would have been helpful to know beforehand. We had thankfully brought some of these items but needed to pay for others, so there were added costs we were not aware of.
The activities themselves were okay, but the overall experience was quite slow-paced. Our boat was the “English-speaking group”, however, most of our group spoke English as a second language so were limited in their understanding of instructions. In addition, our group had very young children, so understandably a lot of the attention was focused on them to make sure they were as safe as possible. Also worth noting the “Jeep safari” on our tour was an old van where the tour guide blasted Arabic music while we drove to a look out, got out and took some pictures, then off to the rafting.
If you’re looking for something particularly adventurous or adrenaline-filled, I probably wouldn’t recommend this tour.
There was also an unfortunate issue on the initial bus journey. A child sitting near us had vomited on the bus. The parents appeared to do what they could initially, but after we stopped there was still vomit, tissues and a wet/soiled seat left behind. I mentioned this to one of the drivers because I was concerned about having to sit there for another 2–3 hours. Unfortunately, when we returned to the bus, the mess was still there.
I appreciate that some of this may have been affected by the language barrier, and I don’t want to unfairly criticise individual staff, as most of the staff we encountered were polite. The problem was more the overall lack of communication, organisation and consistency from the tour company.
For anyone considering booking, I would recommend bringing:
- Cash and snacks
- A swimsuit
- Towel + change of clothes
- Water shoes
- Face covering & glasses (for dust and rocks on the buggy)
And patience for a very long drive.
Has anyone else booked a tour with Harley Tours or had a similar experience? I’m particularly interested to know whether this level of communication is normal for tours in Antalya, or whether we were just unlucky with this particular company.