Aqualand Algarve: the complete guide
Aqualand is a popular water park in the Algarve that has been around for more than 20 years. It satisfies both adrenaline junkies as well as parents with small children. In this water park you can find the highest water slide of Portugal. The water park of Aqualand has slides that come in many different shapes and sizes, from scary to relaxing. It is only open during summer though. A visit to Aqualand Algarve is sure to give you an entertaining day out with your family and friends. Aqualand is situated in Alcantarilha, which is in between the cities of Albufeira and Portimão.
Watch the highlights of Aqualand Algarve in HD
Are you looking for some adrenaline? Then watch the short video below and come to Aqualand.
Slides and attractions
There are many different slides and atractions in the water park. Aqualand categorizes its slides into adrenaline fun, family fun, kidzworld and chill out & play. Below you can find more information about each.
Adrenaline fun
The highest slide is called the Kamikaze. This fun slide is 36 metres in height, which is actually the highest water slide in Portugal. The attraction takes you in only 4 seconds down to the swimming pool. This is a great experience for all the daredevils.
You can prepare yourself for the Kamikaze by going on the Banzai Boggan slide first. This slide is 23 metres in height and takes you on a thrilling ride on a fibre glass bodyboard. It almost feels like a vertical drop and is thus quite scary when you do it for the first time. If this ride doesn’t give you adrenaline, nothing will. However, after doing the Banzai Boggan once, you will want to do it again. See if you can reach the end of the swimming pool with your bodyboard.
Another fun ride is the Crazy Race. In this slide you can slide together with 3 people at the same time. Find out who is the fastest and race with your with friends down to the bottom of the pool.
Another exciting attraction is the Racing Rapids. You are on a rubber ring and go rafting on a series of pools. Lot of fun!
The Crazy Leap is a short but sweet water slide. You will plunge into a swimming pool.
The Hydra slides are a series of colourful tubes. You sit on a rubber ring, which takes you all the way down in a corkscrew. It is a relatively new attraction in Aqualand (since 2013).
Family fun
In Aqualand you can also go down a slide with a mat. This attraction is called the Flying Carpet.
In the water park you will also find a pool called Surf Beach. It has an awesome wave machine so you can play and jump around with the waves. It is like you are swimming in the sea on a day with many waves.
There is also a semi-olympic swimming pool, which is for traditional swimming. You can see parents swimming and cooling off here, while their teenage kids are playing around in the more adventurous rides of the park.
Kidzworld
For the little ones there is the Children’s Paradise. The attraction offers two children’s pools with small slides. Kids can play here in a castle, in fountains and with various animal figures.
The Rainbow Park is a colourful attraction with mini slides and shower buckets that tip water out. The water is shallow and especially safe for little kids.
Chill Out & Play
After all the adrealine you might want to chill out a bit. Instead of lying down on a sunbed, you can also relax on an inflatable rubber ring and float in the lazy Congo River. This attraction is 270 metres in length and is fun place to relax and chill with your friends.
Aqualand – general information
When you arrive in the park, you have to choose a spot to sit. You can lay down in the grass for free. Make sure to bring a towel though. The family park makes sure there is plenty of shelter. On the towel you can leave your non-valuable belongings. There are paid lockers where you can store your valuable belongings. Another option is to rent a sunbed with an umbrella. This costs € 4. In general, the water park is very safe. There are also many lifeguards, monitoring people and making sure the rules are followed.
Aqualand Algarve is actually part of a larger chain of amusement parks called Aqualand. For example, there are several Aqualand parks in Spain and France as well. In the past, Aqualand Algarve was called the Big One.
Restaurant
In Aqualand there is a restaurant offering the standard snacks, burgers, fries and ice cream. Don’t expect the best food though. Moreover, prices are quite expensive, but the restaurant does what it needs to do. If you prefer to save your money, you can also bring your own food and drinks.
Opening hours
Aqualand is only open during peak season. This means that the water park opens at June 10 and closes again on September 13. During those days, Aqualand is open every day from 10.00 in the morning until 18.00 in the afternoon (17.00 in June). If you want to get the most out of the day, make sure to go there early. At 10.00 you also don’t have to queue in line for attractions, which you will probably have to do later in the day.
Map
Below you can find the official map of Aqualand Algarve.
Costs
Entrance to the Aqualand water park is € 29 for adults and € 21 for children. Young kids up until 4 years old can enter the park for free. If you buy the tickets on the website of Aqualand you will get a € 5 discount on each ticket. So make sure to buy your ticket online, instead of buying it in the park itself. This is an easy way to save money.
You can pay € 10 extra for a fast pass. This means you don’t have to queue in many attractions, which saves you a lot of time. In general, queueing takes between 5-10 minutes for most attractions. The amount of queueing of course depends on how many people are in Aqualand that day. While it is perfectly fine to enjoy the family park the normal way, a fast pass will make sure you get the most out of your day.
Aqualand also offers economic packages that offer more savings. There is the family pack (for 2 adults and 2 kids, reducing the price to € 19 each) and the friends pack (for 4 adults ,reducing the price to € 23 each).
How to get there
The easiest way to move around in the Algarve is by car. If you don’t have one, make sure to rent a car. Aqualand is located in Alcantarilha, near the N125. It is easy to get there by car and parking is free. In addition, Aqualand offers transport services from all the large holiday destinations in the Algarve. If you don’t have a car, you can ask your hotel to book the transport service.