Heldags Salda + Pamukkale-tur från Antalya/Belek/Side

Had a great time on this tour . Drive was slightly long but getting to the beach was worth the long drive. Would be highly recommending this to all, Money well spent.

As the tour listing was NOT accurate we were forced to pay way more than expected. The listing stated the Pamukkale entrance fee is 700lira (approx. €20) but IT’S NOT. The trip operator that is responsible for the itinerary DID NOT update the fees on the listing nor did they provide us with adequate advance notice of the changes. Although the company isn’t responsible for the changes to the fees; they are responsible for at least updating the clients so we could decide whether or not to cancel. It’s clear that the tour company purposely did not update the listening to manipulate people into thinking this tour is the most affordable and convenient. This led to arguments with the guide and other issues that made the trip an awful experience. The guide named Victoria was yelling at my husband because we didn’t understand what she was saying in front of all the other guests in the bus; one reason being nothing she said matched what was listed in the booking page, which was extremely confusing… *This escalated because yesterday (May 21) I had reached out to the tour operator asking how much cash we needed to prepare for the tour. They said they didn’t know and the guide will help us. Upon joining the tour today, the guide was telling us we had to pay her €60 in CASH for the entrance fee. As the operator did not inform us of the the amount needed we were unprepared to provide cash advance for the tickets.* … Then after speaking with us she began talking about us with other clients calling us “idiots” because we’re from India. 1) That’s extremely racist; 2) she racially profiled us because of the color of our skin; 3) I’m Native American and my husband is Moroccan. Then at lunch the clients she was speaking with told us to “f*ck off back to India.” Gross. We feel awful for how the Indian people were being treated and spoken to. She also kept referring to every person of color as “India” or our hotel name, never even asking our names. I spoke to the tour operator and he provided no solution other than complementary dinner, which is not included in this tour package, around 4:40pm. Later, at 7:00pm during that dinner the guide ran up to us as my husband and I were serving our food, and stated that the tour operator changed his mind and was no longer offering complimentary dinner for what we experienced. In addition, when I requested a refund he threatened to have us “kicked off” the bus. This was a horrible experience that deeply upset and disappointed my husband and I. The tour Operator also sent 74 messages on our Tripadvisor messaging board. That is harassment, on top of threats, and racism. I have requested for Tripadvisor to take down this listing, but Until then DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR. The only thing I appreciated was the guide’s granddaughter who apologized and really tried to make things right for us. She was a doll.

only a full day tour because we had multiple stops where they tried to sell us things, so a 3-4 hour bus ride to pamukkale took approximately 6. only 3 hours at pamukkale, which is the only part of this trip we actually consented to. salda looks like every other lake i've ever seen.

The trip started on time. The first stop was breakfast, which was buffet style and included in the price. Then after an hour we arrived at Lake Salda. Unfortunately, the stop was not on the most beautiful side of the lake. We saw that the beach elsewhere was really white and very beautiful. It was a shame that I booked the tour to see Lake Salda. The next stop was at a jewelry store that was not described in the program. Then a stop for lunch. The next stop was in Pummakale. The city is next to the ancient Roman spa town of Hierapolis, Cleopatra's bath is in one place. We were given 3 hours there. The first hour was a guided tour. 2 hours at our own disposal. Which is very little. We spent an hour at the white travertine terraces and didn't even make it to the bottom. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Heropolis Theater either. You have to think in advance about what is important to you. There isn't enough time for all 3 activities. We actually only spent 40 minutes in Cleopatra's bath. Entrance to Pummakale costs 30 euros. In Kleopatra Bath we bought the tickets from the tour guide for 10 euros per person (although it can be bought there for 200 lira, it is 5.71 euros and when booking the trip it was announced to be about 8 euros). After that we made the next stop at a place selling wine and Turkish specialties (which was also not announced in the program). The last stop was for dinner.

The ticket showed the pickup time from our hotel in Belek to be 0600, but this was changed to 0330 a day before and a hour later to 0430. The coach was on time! The tour was supposed to be in English but due to a number of Russian guests the guide spoke in Russian first, then in English, unfortunately most of which we didn’t understand! We stopped for breakfast, Lake Salda, an onyx factory and lunch before arriving at the UNESCO site at Pamukkale at noon. The entrance fee was 700TL but more if you wanted to swim in the Antique/ Cleopatra Pool. We were given 3 hrs to explore the site. It was a shame we didn’t understand the historical background the guide tried to fill us in with, what a missed opportunity! We left the site and headed for an extra stop at a fruit wine factory before stopping for dinner at the same breakfast venue. Our package didn’t include any food so we had the choice to opt in or not, depending if we liked what was offered. We returned to our Belek hotel at 2045. The tour lasted 16 hrs of which only 3 were really meaningful but we were glad we took it as Pamukkale was amazing, especially the calcium terraces and theatre.

The tour started very very early in the morning, so it was absolutely freezing. The guide spoke more Russian than English and the things that should have been included actually cost. The guide didn’t really give us any indication of where anything was and he only told us about the things that we needed to spend more for, which is a shame because we only spotted the pammukale travertines at the end. The whole tour was so delayed and we waited a very long time in the bus for the people that had selected to go paragliding. It was very draining. I wouldn’t do it again with this company

My original tour via viator got cancelled so they got me re booked onto this instead and I cannot be grateful enough.. Our trip was phenomenal from start to finish. The journey altogether was 16 hours. We got picked up at 5am from our hotel in Side. We had a breakfast stopover at 7.30am. Then at salda lake. Breathtaking! It was pretty cold and crisp but the lake is so beautiful. I imagine in the summer the colours of the lake are mesmerising, turquoise and shades of blue. We stopped at onyx factory and also at a wine tasting facility where we bought some great organic fruit teas and pomegranate dressing.They had some really good bits. Our tour price doesn't include breakfast and lunch but if you'd like it they charge you extra. Bfast was 150 lira pp and lunch 300. We enjoyed our buffet lunch thoroughly. Pamukkale and the cleopatra pool both were amazing. Our tour guide was so friendly too and knowledgeable. Please note thatp many of the pools at Pamukkale have dried up so may not be what you see in photos. You cannot swim there as the pools are cold. A couple smaller ones are warm just about to dip your feet in. I'd recommend doing the cleopatra pool very last because you won't want to come out once you're in there. Do take some professional photos which are 150 lira per photo. All in all. We had a great time and we travelled with a 2 year old so if you have kids, I'd say go for it they will truly enjoy the experience. Just be prepared for the long coach journey to and fro.

Worth spending a little more and going with another company. This trip was good and tour company was trying to rip you off constantly. Breakfast and lunch was terrible and you have to pay. The dinner is horrible and that was the only thing included. The only positive was our tour guide who tried his best. It is worth going to Pamukkale though.

What a great experience, to find 36 degrees cleapatra water... myself and friends spent 2hrs in the pool..whilst it was cold and raining...it was still warm and relaxing... Highly recommended.

It was awful. We were not fetched for the tour and neither do they pick up the phone to when call... really disappointed