Written by Abdullah Efe Özseçgin, Nature & Adventure Guide at CertiGo Tour (Abdullah Profile)

I get asked about this one almost every week now, usually with a screenshot — someone found a tour with a lion cub photo and a dinosaur statue in the same gallery and they're not sure what they're actually booking. Fair question. It's a genuinely strange combination on paper. So let me walk you through what this day actually looks like, why there are several versions of it floating around, and which one I'd point you to depending on what you want.

Part 01 / 04

What's Actually Packed Into One Day

You start in a jeep, usually picked up right from your hotel. From there it's the same kind of route I've been running since my very first season as a driver — dirt roads, a stop or two for photos, and enough dust that you'll want to keep the windows half up until you're used to it.

Then comes the boat leg on Green Canyon — calm freshwater, green mountains on both sides, the whole thing I could talk about for an entire separate article. Somewhere along that stretch, the boat stops at a cove and out come the mud pits. Everybody gets covered, nobody stays dry, and it's usually the part people laugh about most afterward, even the ones who were skeptical getting in.

And then, the part that confuses people most: a visit to see baby lions. It's not something you'd expect to follow a mud bath, and that's exactly why the name "Dino Safari" stuck — the whole day feels like it belongs in three different brochures, but it's one ticket, one group, one day.

Part 02 / 04

"Dino Safari" or "Mix Safari"? Both, Really

Here's something worth clearing up before you start searching. A lot of people know this tour as "Dino Safari" — that's the name that spread on social media and it's the one most tourists type into Google. But if you ask anyone who's actually worked in this industry for a while, the tour has a different official name: Mix Safari. That's the term you'll find in the operator contracts, in the tourism literature, and among the guides themselves.

Same tour, two names. Nobody's trying to confuse you — it's just that the nickname and the industry name grew up separately. So if you see listings under either title, don't assume you're looking at something different. Check what's actually included before you book, not just the name on top.

Part 03 / 04

Why I'm Giving You Three Links Instead of One

This is where it gets genuinely interesting, and honestly a bit unusual for how we normally do things — on this one, we're showing you three different providers, not one recommended option. Each of them runs their own version of this new-generation mix tour, with small differences in what's included and how the day is paced. Rather than pick for you, I'd rather you see all three side by side and choose what fits.

The budget Dino Safari is the straightforward version — jeep, boat, mud bath, and the lion visit, priced for people who want the full day without paying for extras they won't use.

The Mix Safari with the baby lion photo session adds a proper photo stop with the cubs built into the itinerary, rather than a quick walk-past. If getting good photos with the lions actually matters to you, that difference is worth the upgrade.

And if you don't want the jeep, the boat, or the mud — if the lions are the only reason you're reading this — there's a separate private zoo-only tour from Belek, Lara, and Kundu. No mud, no boat, just the park, and it runs as a private tour rather than a group day.

Part 04 / 04

The Baby Lions Themselves

This is usually the part people remember most, and also the part I get the most questions about beforehand. The visit is short compared to the rest of the day — you're not spending hours there — but it's set up so you can get close, watch them for a while, and take photos.

If you're travelling with kids, this is usually the moment that makes the whole day worth it for them. Just know it's one stop within a longer itinerary, not the centerpiece of the whole tour — if the lions are genuinely your main interest, the zoo-only private tour I linked above will give you more time there.

Common Questions

Dino Safari & Baby Lion Tours: Frequently Asked Questions