Water Parks in Thailand

For some water parks are one of the irritating symptoms of mass travel. They are large, ersatz, resource-consuming and represent mass tourism in its most mono-cultural aspects. However, children love water theme parks. Some of my fondest memories of early holidays is of a 'kamikaze' ride in Spain that I did. Water parks are for kids, and for families. They might have an added 'cultural gloss' but they are about unashamed fun in the water. So for those parents struggling to get their kids enthused about visiting temples in Bangkok or trekking around Chiang Mai or studying yoga in Koh Phangan why not take them to a water fun park?

Here is a list of some of the best water parks in Thailand in no particular order. This is not a comprehensive list. I have chosen the biggest water parks and also given a flavour of what is available in terms of aquatic rides.

1) Ramayana Water Park

This water park is located near Pattaya, just off the Sukhumvit Road. The park covers a massive 184,000 square metres. It has 50 rides and attractions that include Thailand's biggest wave pool. There are 2 dedicated kids zones, 1 adolescent zone, a long river for an inflatable course and of course plenty of exciting water slides.

Ramayana Water Park opened in May 2016. It is yet to establish a reputation; but soon it will feature on many lists about Thailand just because of its status as the biggest water park in South East Asia.

What is cool about this park is the extra facilities. They have cabanas for rent. This is a place for the kids to get out of the sun and get changed as well as providing a base for a family. They also use clean and unchlorinated water from on-site wells that is filtered. The water is clean enough to drink!

Other great features is money-less payment for food, drink and other services. This means no worries about your cash getting wet. They also deliver drink and food anywhere in the park.

2) Black Mountain Water Park is a no-brainer to add to this list of best water parks in Thailand. This park in Hua Hin has great reviews and plenty of fun on offer. The site combines all the slides, wave machines etc in one area next to a large lake. This adds to the convenience of the park as well adding to the list of fun aquatic things to do.

Black Mountain Water Park boasts an 800 metre wakeboard cable, 9 slides, 8 pools including a 'beach pool' and a 'spa pool', kids pool and wave pool. There is also a lazy river.

The kite boarding looks great fun for adults and older kids. You go flying out of the blocks and have plenty of chance to attempt some aerial tricks while zooming up ramps on the lake. Check out the promo video below.

The site has a restaurant with a wide range of food and beverages on offer. There are also snack and ice cream stalls around the park. There is a swim up bar for adults. Lockers are free but require a deposit.

Nearby is Black Mountain golf and resort for those looking to make a weekend of it.

3) Surf House Phuket is an interesting aquatic experience. It is not so much a water park as a water attraction. Located on one of Thailand's most coveted beaches, this is a double flow rider.

In laymen's terms that means there is a sheet of water running up an incline under a trampoline style surface. This creates a perfect body of moving water for surfing or bodysurfing. It is easy to get on and hold a position like on a real wave. It is easy to pick up a few tricks such as going up and down the 'wave' as well as side to side. It is a bit hypnotic and totally addictive. It might also be good training for those looking to improve on beginner surfer techniques since where else can you get such a perfect and endless wave to practice on?

Here is the price list: http://www.surfhousephuket.com/ride

And here is video that shows clearly what is hard to describe. The same equipment is also available at Flow House in Bangkok.

4) Splash Jungle in Phuket is a fairly small water park compared to Ramayana and Black Mountain, nevertheless it is still a great day out.

It is a water park with long slides, lazy river, wave machine and great kids area that looks like a playground rising from a swimming pool. This is a brilliant place for toddlers and children. There are life jackets available so even the youngest can experience bobbing up and down in the water.

The park also has food and drink on site as well as lockers. Next to the park are condos for rent.

Entrance for adults costs 1,295 THB, for children 5 to 12 years old 650 THB and free for under 5's. That is quite good value for Thailand.

Here is a video.

5) The Cartoon Network Amazone Water Park is in Pattaya and only 2 hours' drive from Bangkok. Being Thailand, you aren't sure if this is an official Cartoon Network venture and what 'Amazone' might mean. Title aside, this park is serious fun for adults and children.

It is worth checking out their website particularly the page detailing the different rides (http://www.cartoonnetworkamazone.com/attractions/). This park does its best to appeal to children. Not only is there the cartoon network tie-in and the use of cartoon figures but the rides show variety. There is the raft jump called Jake Jump. There is intergalactic racers which are slides for racing. Humungaslide is a 2 raft race down tubes that ends in a big slide. The Goop Loop sees people drop 12 meters and experience 2.5 Gs as they are propelled around a 360 degree loop before being shot out into the ride. For young children there is Cartoonville. It is the largest aquatic playground in Thailand. It has 50 features and kids get to hang out with their favourite cartoon network characters.

The fun continues. There is Banana Spin where you whirl around a giant plug hole before dropping through a curtain of water. The showpiece of the park is Alien Attack. This is a 110 metre slide that uses water to shoot people uphill before they plummet down and around. Plenty of speed and unexpected twists and turns make this similar to an aquatic rollercoaster. And that is not all. There is the Omnitrix, Surf Arena and Riptide Rapids to also to try.

Facilities at Cartoon Network Amazone Water Park include air-con VIP cabanas for rent. Toonalicious is a roof top cartoon theme restaurant. Foodville is a food court with theme based outlets for burgers, fish and chips, Chinese takeout, BBQ, pizza and spicy Asian food.

For a first person perspective of the rides check out this video.

There are a growing number of water theme parks in Thailand. This is part of a wider travel trend in Thailand which is seeing a reduction in backpacker numbers to Thailand as visa restrictions and escalating prices push the cost conscious to Cambodia, Indonesia and elsewhere in the world. More and more families from Europe, Australia and even the US are visiting Thailand. Water theme parks are a perfect day out for kids; and parents are prepared to pay for these experiences.

Moreover, there seems to be a paradigm shift in holiday expectations. Many tourists no longer seem contented with a bungalow on the beach. They want a range of things to do. A million Thai entrepreneurs are happy to set up 'activity' based businesses to cater for this new tourist landscape. Land on the edge of cities such as Pattaya and Hua Hin is relatively cheap and banks are keener than ever to lend money for such ventures. Expect more, bigger and bolder water parks in Thailand in the not-so-distant future.