Safari from Star Flyer: working back from departure in Kuşadası

Star Flyer keeps a steady beat in Kuşadası: Wednesday, then nine weeks later another Wednesday, then nine weeks after that a third. The port schedule as of early October 2026 lists her for Wednesday 12 May, Wednesday 14 July and Wednesday 15 September 2027. What none of those entries has yet is a time. The port times have not been announced yet for any of the three.

She is a Star Clippers ship, sailing since 1991, with space for 166 guests according to the line's own fleet page. Her dates sit on the Star Flyer ship page, and the hours will be added there when they are published.

Count back from the moment she sails

When the times come out, the easiest way to see whether a safari works is to start at the end of the day and walk backwards. Departure is the fixed point; everything else has to fit in front of it.

Step 1: take the departure time from the port schedule or your cruise documents.

Step 2: subtract an hour. We need you back at the port at least 60 minutes before the ship leaves. That gives you your "back by" time.

Step 3: compare it with our return times. The morning tour brings you back between 13:45 and 14:15. The afternoon tour brings you back between 18:45 and 19:15. Only a session whose latest return (14:15 or 19:15) falls no later than your "back by" time is on the table. In practice that means departure at 15:15 or later for the morning, and 20:15 or later for the afternoon.

Step 4: now look at the start of the day. Star Flyer has to be in port before you can meet us: by 10:10 for the 11:00 tour, by 15:10 for the 16:00 tour.

Step 5: check the all-aboard time. Your daily programme on board prints it, and it is usually earlier than the departure time. If it is, run steps 2 and 3 again using all-aboard instead.

If no session survives these steps, a safari does not fit that Wednesday, and we would rather you knew that in advance. If the times are unclear or the call looks like an overnight one, message us on WhatsApp and we will look at it with you.

The ride between those times

Say the morning tour fits. You walk from the cruise port exit to the Kervansaray meeting point (The Big Ottoman Palace), about 50 m away, and meet us at 10:10. Map link. A drive of about 15 minutes takes you to the trails behind Pamucak beach. The tour starts at 11:00: about two hours through pine forest, including a 30-minute stop at the beach. Then we drive you back to the port.

The afternoon version is the same ride shifted by five hours, with the meeting at 15:10 and the start at 16:00.

Quad, buggy or horse

For a quad safari or a buggy safari you do not need a driving licence, but you do need to be 16 or older to drive. Vehicles are single or double. You get a helmet, goggles and a safety briefing, and you ride in convoy behind the guide. Children under about 2 cannot come on these two.

The horse safari is for anyone from age 8, including complete beginners; younger children ride with an experienced adult companion. It is a small group with a riding guide, helmets provided; a swim during the beach stop depends on the season.

Putting it into the booking

You do not have to do the counting by hand. Once the hours are in, the cruise day planner runs the same checks: choose Star Flyer and your Wednesday, and it shows which tour fits and fills in the form. If you are staying overnight in Kuşadası before or after your cruise, you can book any date from April to November with pickup from your hotel.

For the newest version of the full list of Star Flyer calls, look again nearer May 2027. By then the winter pause is long over: the safaris shut on 1 December, stay shut through 31 March and resume on 1 April.