About us

Who we are

Kemandai Rafting is a small operator team of three, focused on a single river since 2014: the Köprüçay in Köprülü Canyon National Park, an hour northeast of Antalya, in the Manavgat district.

We don't run a mass operation. Nobody gets on the water without us first having a real conversation with them. Water level, experience, fitness, weather — all part of the briefing before anyone touches a paddle.

Experience

• Andreas Görtzen (Lead Guide) has been paddling whitewater since 2014, has been an IRF Trainer since 2016, and lives half the year in Beşkonak. He knows the river at every level between 5 m³/s in late autumn and 80 m³/s after spring rain.
• Mehmet Aydın (River Guide · Medic) grew up in Beşkonak, third generation on the Köprüçay. Wilderness EMT licence, Turkish Rafting Federation (TRF) since 2015.
• Selin Demir (Equipment Lead) is responsible for every helmet, every boat, every climbing strap. NRS Tech, TRF Outfitter.

Together that's over thirty seasons on the same river. The kind of experience you don't pick up in a course — only through repetition.

Equipment

We only run gear that meets EN 1385 (helmets) and ISO 12402-5 (Pro Rescue PFDs). Boats are NRS Hyside in two sizes (8-person standard, 6-person narrow for tighter sections). Paddles: NRS pro line. Drysuits in cold-water season (April, October). First-aid kits in every boat, throw bag in the stern, always.

Gear is fully checked before every season; questionable parts go out. No compromise on equipment.

What we never do

• More than two boats on the run at the same time.
• Tours during high water above grade III without a safety boat scouting first.
• Marketing that promises more than the river delivers at this water level.
• Outsourcing to subcontractors. Whoever stands on our boat is on our payroll.

Slow tourism

We are members of the Beşkonak cooperative — alongside a dozen other locally-owned outfitters. Boat slots, shuttle logistics and put-in spots are organised through the cooperative, not through competition. Local money stays local: that's our definition of "slow tourism".

— Kemandai Rafting Crew, Beşkonak / Kiel.