Wonderla Bangalore – we had been hearing about this amusement park for quite some time and plans were finally made to check it out one bright Sunday morning. It is open to the public from 11am onwards. Located around 25-30kms away from the city on the Bangalore – Mysore Road, the condition of the road was quite good and as we drove via the NICE road, the commute was a breeze.
As we approached, the first thing that caught my eye was the sprawling space – it just seemed to go on and on, all 82 acres of it. There was ample car parking and we alighted with the sun beating down on our backs. It was pleasantly warm though, not hot.
It was nice to see amenities like a rest room for drivers, a canteen and a couple of ATM machines, which are often missing at such places. The ticket counters were a bit chaotic and noisy as was to be expected, but we finally procured our tickets and entered the amusement park.
Wonderla Bangalore has quite a well designed layout, with small eateries and restaurants at strategic places and we spent most of the morning and early afternoon exploring the place.
They have a total of 54 rides on offer and the variety of rides was quite thrilling. I was glad to see that the machinery was well-manned and well maintained (no rusty bolts and creaking hinges). We liked the fact that there were kid-specific rides too, which was quite thoughtful. My little nephew of course had a blast, trying out all the kid rides possible, holding on to the guard rail with concentration and a fierce grip 🙂
It was getting quite late in the afternoon so we decided to grab some pizza at the Pizza Corner outlet. Again, the place was clean and I’m sure there must be at least 300-500 people overall, in the Wonderla housekeeping department to keep things ticking like clockwork. This was also quite visible in the changing rooms and lockers.
Considering that people were coming here after water-sports and the like, I was mentally prepared to find it quite dirty and unhygienic but it was the opposite. All excess water on the floor was being mopped up regularly, the facility was clean, the lockers were good and so was the seating area.
There is also a counter close by, where one can purchase Wonderla merchandise, like swimsuits, track pants, tees, caps etc, across all sizes. It seems a pretty nice strategy – come here wearing just a tee, jeans/shorts, and slippers, purchase these clothes (decently priced), deposit your own clothes in the locker and enjoy *all* the rides without fear of spoiling your own clothes / shoes. Of course, as we came here for the first time, we weren’t aware of / prepared for this, so didn’t try out all the water rides.
There is a dedicated water sports section and what I liked about it was the separate enclosures for women and children. There are always some douchebags around at such places who don’t think twice before ogling / groping, and the last thing women want is to be in a pool / water ride with people like these. Of course, as I mentioned, we weren’t prepared for water rides so didn’t try them – something to look forward to on our next visit.
The most colossal ride is of course the ferris wheel, at a height of 50 metres and a wheel diameter of 30 metres. Breathtaking view too.
Just as we were about to leave, there was a cloudburst and the skies unexpectedly opened up for a good 15-20 minutes. We were in one of the enclosures and decided to have some boiled spiced sweet corn to while away the time.
Incidentally, my nephew had fractured his forearm some weeks ago, and it was just a day since the plaster was removed, so he was really enjoying being able to use both his arms during the rides. Also, like all kids, he loves to play in water and being kept away from all this to avoid any infection, he was thrilled to step outside the enclosure & go stamping around the puddles, enjoying his first rain in almost three weeks 😀
Soon the skies cleared up, and the setting sun made a final appearance as we headed home, tired and weary but delighted and totally content after such a wonderful experience. We’re definitely coming again, that’s for sure! Water Rides Ahoy next time! 😀
Wonderla Holidays Limited
28th km, Mysore Road
Bangalore – 562109
Tel: 080 22010333
