Siam Amazing Park

Khan Na Yao, Thailand

“Certainly not the busiest theme park I’ve ever seen…”

Siam Amazing Park is one of Bangkok’s two major theme parks. It’s slightly smaller than the nearby Dream World, but the offerings are still rather impressive. Siam Amazing Park consists of a large ride area, a water park and a retail area called Bangkok World. The latter can be considered as the resort’s alternative to Downtown Disney and Universal CityWalk. Bangkok World is also the place where our taxi driver dropped us after a 50-minute drive from the city centre.

ROLLER COASTERS

Dream World made an excellent first impression yesterday, and Siam Amazing Park doesn’t fail to impress either. Right behind the entrance lies a large square with fountains and beautiful flower beds. The eye-catcher of the square is a giant carousel, but the nearby Boomerang also looks great thanks to its recent paint job. In normal circumstances, Bram and I would skip every Vekoma Boomerang we encounter. However, this Thai credit just felt too special to be missed. But honestly… today’s experience made me realize that Boomerangs aren’t made for me. This isn’t due to the smoothness – which was surprisingly okay – but I just hate the backwards part. It’s simply too disorienting for me. So unfortunately, Siam Amazing Park wasn’t able to change my opinion on Boomerangs.

Nowadays, the Southeast Asian country of Brunei has only one roller coaster. This used to be different, though. Around the year 2006, three of the country’s roller coasters were shipped to Siam Amazing Park. One of these rides has already been dismantled, but the two other ones are still operating today. I’m talking about the previously mentioned Boomerang and Vortex, another popular Vekoma model. This is a Suspended Looping Coaster, but it differs from most other versions you know. Although the first drop and the five inversions are identical, Vortex’s layout is more spread-out and it ends with a helix. These adjustments don’t provide a drastically different experience: it remains a brutal ride and the last curves are downright painful. Nevertheless, it’s nice to complete our coaster bingo with a non-standardized SLC.

WATER RIDES

There are no lions in the jungles of Thailand. And chances are small that you’ll ever encounter a tiger in the wild. Yet, both of these animals feature prominently at Log Flume, perhaps the park’s most notable attraction. The most striking elements are the huge lion and tiger sculptures, but the accompanying rock formations also look impressive. You could consider these statues as incredibly kitschy, but I like the fact that they give a certain identity to the attraction. The ride itself is quite good, too. The park opted for a Mack log flume with three drops and a backwards section. It turns out to be a first-class family attraction that offers a nice way to cool down in the ever-hot Thai climate. Nice!

Searching for another way to cool down? Then head to Water World, a water park that is included in the regular admission fee. And despite the fact that you won’t find any extreme attractions or world-class theming in this part of the park, we were both surprised by the sheer size. The water park contains a good number of slides and the tropical environment creates a very nice atmosphere. By the way: Water World is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. With its 13,600 square metres, the wave pool is the largest on the planet. And although I’m not a water park expert, I should admit that the dimensions of Si-Am Wave Pool are enormous.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

Some people would pay a lot to have an amusement park for themselves. There’s a cheaper alternative, though: just visit Siam Amazing Park on a weekday while Thai schools are in session. During our visit, it seemed as if most rides were started exclusively for us. This is especially useful for flat ride enthusiasts, as Siam Amazing Park offers more swinging and twisting rides than most other theme parks. The southern corner of the park, for example, is home to a Break Dance, a Ranger and a Take Off, all of which were presumably built by Huss. In the central park area, we find a classic Condor, an Enterprise, a Top Spin, a Flying Carpet, a balloon carousel, a swinging ship, a relatively unique Mega Dance and a 75-metre tall free-fall tower. And as if that’s not enough, there’s even a third thrill zone. The eye-catchers here are a Polyp, a Tagada, an old-fashioned Hully Gully and an ancient spaceship simulator. So if it comes to thrills, Siam Amazing Park does a fantastic job. However, it seems nearly impossible to ride them all. A significant part of these flat rides looks like they’ve been SBNO for months.

Siam Amazing Park doesn’t deliver a consistent theming level. Some attractions look as if they belong on a cheap funfair, while other rides look surprisingly elaborate. Jurassic Adventure undoubtedly belongs to that second category. This tour takes place in a jungle setting full of dinosaurs, which is traversed with all-terrain vehicles. Despite its rather static animatronics, this family attraction turns out to be incredibly enjoyable. It feels like a combination of Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones Adventure, but with a budget that is (at least) a hundred times lower.

WORTH A VISIT?

I would’ve loved to ride Si-Am Tower, the park’s panorama tower. Unfortunately, this is one of eight (!) attractions that kept their doors closed during our visit. That’s why I can’t treat you to aerial photos of Siam Amazing Park, but we had a pleasant afternoon nevertheless. We actually only planned this visit to put the park’s two credits on our coaster counter, but we ended up spending quite a few hours at Siam Amazing Park. We discovered a diverse range of attractions and the water park seemed a lot bigger than expected. I don’t want to claim that Siam Amazing Park is a must-do, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

Have you been able to visit Siam Amazing Park yet? Are you a Vekoma Boomerang lover? Do you think that this park is as amazing as its name suggests? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.