By Owen Quinn author
They say that every writer should wrote about their experiences but the problem with that is that if you don’t go anywhere or do anything then you can’t write about things. Now while I have never met an alien, zombie, time travelled or seen what lies at the bottom of our oceans, I can imagine and wrap it all up in a story. Like a good cake you add ingredients from your life time, experiences, human condition elements, to make it connect with the reader.
But when I say Marmaris Buggy Safari, anyone that has done it knows exactly what i am talking about. As well as the buggies, you can also hire a quad biker.
Now don’t make the assumption like I did that you are going to see any lions, tigers and bears…oh no! but the safari adventure lies in the terrain you will be driving through. A really exotic bird flew right out in front of us at one point which was the closest we got to any animal life bar the numerous cats.
So as an amputee I had to leave my leg behind as leg room as a passenger in one of the buggies meant taking my prosthetic off to be comfortable on the bumpy ride to come which the great staff took care off.
if you liaise with your hotel or one of the vendors to book your tickets or go online yourself but I can safely say you will have a ball. You will be picked up at your hotel and taken through the scenic landscape of Turkish mountains to the park. Once there you ill be debriefed, sign a couple of forms and be assigned a buggy.
Be aware that you should dress in old clothes and trainers as it will get very messy but that is all part of the fun. You will also need to purchase a bandana to cover your nose and mouth and a pair of goggles to protect your eyes. These cost extra but this wasn’t disclosed beforehand. so if you bring your own, you can save yourself some money. You can put your stuff in lockers and I would advise to bring nothing on the buggy ride not even a phone as you will be drenched to say the least.
Each buggy has a water tank and you can indulge in water fights along the way but we were too focused on staying in the buggy. Your moves are monitored and the staff take great care of you joining the buggies on the course to ensure participants safety.
Now while the beautiful 30 degree sunshine kept you sweltering it didn’t protect you from the ice cold water that you-drive through. Nor do you expect to drive through a massive mud puddle which covers you from head to toe. It is a virtual mud bath and the reason you need old clothes when taking part. You are literally drenched from head to toe in mud. I looked like walking diarrhoea and the goggles and bandana didn’t entirely protect me. I think I can still taste the Turkish mud to this day. But the craic was ninety.
You go for ages across the sun-baked terrain, stopping for a break where you can water fight if you wish. If like me, your leg was miles in the opposite direction then a water pistol would come in handy if you so wish. Each buggy holds two people so if you want to swop drivers you can do so during the trek.
The final part sees the convoy take off again with even more drenchings and mud baths before you are swallowed in a mass of foam before parking up, very wet and very muddy but with a big smile on your face.
This is a great excursion when you are in Marmaris. If you wish to shower and change clothes you can do so. We sat in the refreshment area and we bought the obligatory photos from the trek. The nice thing was you can download all the photos to your phone but we bought some too. I dried off in the sun in the refreshment area where you can enjoy drinks and food and meet the local cats.
This is a great trip out which is worth every penny. As I say you can bring your own goggles and bandanas and the drinks are reasonably priced. The staff do a lot for their guests and the interaction with the guests was great. As a disabled person I worried of I could do this even as a passenger but do not let that put you off. I wasn’t able to drive but if I go again i will certainly give it a go. I went go karting and it turned out I was able to do that and use my prosthetic to hit the brake.
Everything we did in Turkey was a therapy I never knew I needed and the buggy safari was just a part of it. It is fun for all the family and a laugh and a half.
On the way back to the hotel to get showered and changed the bus will usually stop off so you can get photos of the beautiful mountain high scenery of the land below. It is spectacular and a fitting end to a fun filled morning.
Book the Marmaris Buggy safari when you go; you will not be disappointed.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 