Fort Fun Abenteuerland

Bestwig, Germany

“Great location, great for families”

Fort Fun Abenteuerland is an amusement park in Germany, approximately two hours east of Düsseldorf. The park is focused on a regional audience and there aren’t any huge roller coasters or dark rides. However, the park’s location is world class. Fort Fun can be found in a lush green valley and some attractions (e.g. the Ferris wheel) make clever use of this rather unusual terrain. Be prepared to climb, though. Pathways at Fort Fun can be quite steep and unlike Ocean Park or Janfusun Fancyworld, there aren’t any escalators to avoid the in-park exercising.

ROLLER COASTERS

B&M fan boys… please go home. And even if you’re just looking for an Intamin or Mack ride, you might leave disappointed. Fort Fun mainly offers standard rides like Marienkäferbahn (a Zierer Tivoli Large model) and SpeedSnake, a Vekoma Whirlwind with two corkscrews. Good for your credit counter, but these aren’t the most legendary coasters in Europe. Not at all.

On a brighter note, Fort Fun is also home to a well-themed family coaster called Devil’s Mine. This is a custom junior coaster designed by Vekoma and the park added some elaborate decoration. The ride starts with a small dark ride section, after which the train enters an outdoor coaster part. It may be meant for families with younger children, but coaster junkies will definitely appreciate the crazy airtime you get in the back seats.

The fourth and final credit is Trapper Slider, an Alpine Coaster manufactured by Wiegand. You may or may not consider this as a roller coaster, but you shouldn’t miss it during a visit to Fort Fun. Trapper Slider offers a very long ride (it’s over 1,200 metres long) and it’s possible to reach very high speeds during a ride. Unfortunately, everything depends on the other riders and they often seem to use their brakes too much. As a result, you’re often stuck behind extremely slow people.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Although Alpine Coasters are quite common in Germany, Trapper Slider should be considered as the main reason to pay a visit to Fort Fun. The most unique attractions, however, are probably Dark Raver (an indoor flat ride) and Wild Eagle, some kind of death ride/hang gliding experience. Access costs 2 euros, but it’s definitely worth the extra money. Also worth a ride: Fort Fun’s two water attractions. The log flume is surprisingly long and the rapid river has elaborate Mexican decoration.

WORTH A VISIT?

I wouldn’t recommend driving multiple hours to reach Fort Fun, but I had lots of fun in this park. Fort Fun boasts a one-of-a-kind location, there are a few good family attractions and four new coaster credits are always appreciated.

PHOTO GALLERY

Isn’t this one of the prettiest theme park locations in Europe? What’s your favourite ride at Fort Fun? And do you define an Alpine coaster as a true roller coaster? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.