Dubai is famous for it’s year round sun with day time temperatures in the cold season of 24 Celcius! So what better to do than make the most of Dubai’s many fantastic water parks. Here we take a look at two of the most popular ones in the UAE to see which is better, Wild Wadi or Aquaventure.
Below we face the two famous water parks against each other in relation to Location, Price, Amount of Slides, Other Attractions, Suitability for Kids & Adults.
Which has the Better Location?
First of all, let us look at the location of the two water parks.
Wild Wadi Water Park is located in between Souk Madinat and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, with awesome views of the Burj Al Arab too.
Getting to Wild Wadi is also easy from most parts of Dubai too due to its central location. Buses 8, 81, 88, N55 & X28 all run to the water park. From JBR to the water park will take around 25 minutes by bus and cost only around 6 AED. A taxi ride would be just over ten minutes and would cost around 25 AED.
Coming in from the other side of Dubai (Downtown Dubai) will take you 35 minutes by bus and cost just 8 AED. By taxi around 15 minutes with a cost of around 35 AED.
With regards to setting, Wild Wadi has many other attractions nearby, that should you finish you time there, you can just take a stroll and really enjoy the rest of the day. Somersault Beach Club is a short walk, as is Souk Madinat amongst other must visit places in Dubai. This makes Wild Wadi a great location.
Aquaventure is located at The Atlantis Hotel at the top of Palm Jumeirah.
Getting to Aquaventure will take a little longer than getting to Wild Wadi but transport links are simple and cost effective. From Jumeirah Beach Residence take the Line 8 bus to the foot of the palm for just 20 AED, then change to the monorail up to Atlantis which will cost around 20 AED too. Allow around 45 minutes in total travel time.
By taxi this would take you just 20 minutes at a cost of around 30 AED.
When coming from Downtown Dubai there are a few different ways of getting to Aquaventure. Allow yourself an hour in travel time and a cost of 30 AED by tram / monorail.
The upside to the setting of Aquaventure is the incredible views back to the city of Dubai from the top of Palm Jumeirah. However, the down side is that there isn’t anything but hotels outside of the park. You are free to roam the many other attractions inside the Atlantis Hotel such as The Lost Chambers Aquarium, the shops and the many restaurants, but outside the premises there isn’t a lot else to do.
For this one, Wild Wadi Water Park has the better location over Aquaventure as it’s easier and cheaper to reach, plus there are many more other things to see and do in the area.
Which is Cheaper?
First of all, if you are staying at Atlantis (Aquaventure) or Jumeirah Beach Hotel (Wild Wadi) then the respective water parks which belong to each hotel are free to enter.
If you aren’t staying at any of these hotels then the entry fee’s are below:
Aquaventure Ticket (Online) | Cost |
1 Day Super Pass – Adult | 320 AED |
1 Day Super Pass – Kids | 260 AED |
2 Day Mega Pass – Adults | 350 AED |
2 Day Mega Pass – Kids | 290 AED |
0-2 Years | FREE |
Residents of Atlantis Hotel | FREE |
There are other activities and facilities inside the park such as cabanas, shark safari, zip line which come at an extra cost.
Wild Wadi Ticket | Online | Main Gate |
1.1m Height and Over | 199 AED | 209 AED |
Under 1.1m Height | 149 AED | 159 AED |
Similar to Aquaventure, cabanas can be rented at an extra cost. The cabanas at Wild Wadi hold up to 8 people and are located next to the lazy river and wave pool.
Wild Wadi Water Park is considerably cheaper than Aquaventure. When you also factor in the extra travel time and cost too, you can save more by choosing Wild Wadi.
Which Has Better Rides?
Aquaventure has 7 main slides and 8 more in splashers (childrens area). Amongst the 8 main slides, Aquaconda is the world’s largest waterslide tube. The Aquaconda is designed to hold up to 6 people and reaches speeds of up to 35km per hour.
Probably the most memorable and heart dropping slide there is at Aquaventure is Poseidons Revenge. This slide starts with you stood on a trapdoor, and you know the rest! Off you go when the trap door opens at speeds of over 60km per hour!
Aside from slides, the rapids are an incredible 1.6km long and push you through multiple levels, waterfalls and wave surges!
Wild Wadi has four main slides which are Jumeirah Sceirah, Burj Surj, Tantrum Alley and Master Blasters. There are also many of other rides such as surf machines, flow riders and lazy river. The Jumeirah Sceirah is the fastest free fall water slide outside of North America, reaching speeds of 80km per hour, hence the name!
On top of the main attractions there is also a children’s splash park with many more smaller slides and rides.
When it comes to rides and slides it’s a close call, but for us, Aquaventure just about wins this one!
Food & Drink
Next we take a look at food & drink, choice and prices. As you know, most theme or water parks are expensive when it comes to dining.
Aquaventure has several different options for food and drink:
- Snappers
- Barracudas
- Shark Bites
- Splashers
- Waves
- Lagoons
Most of the above restaurants serve the typical burgers, Arabian grilled meat dishes, coffee and cold drinks, slushies etc. The best spot for food would definitely be Barracudas.
For your standard burger and chips you will be looking at around 60 AED, and for a small can of coke 20AED. One tip would be to purchase the meal deal at the entrance which will save you 10%.
Wild Wadi has two restaurant options and although you aren’t allowed to bring food into the park, they will allow you to bring a 1ltr water bottle per person. This is a good idea considering the cost of drinks when inside the park.
The two places for food and drink at Wild Wadi are Julshan’s Burgers and Dogs and Riptide Pizza; both which provide what they say on the tin! An example of food prices at Wild Wadi; chicken and chips with two small drinks, 100AED! So again, not cheap when your inside the park. Try and have a big breakfast before you go in, and take water with you to save on buying drinks.
Although neither provide excellent food choices when it comes to comparing other food outlets in Dubai, there is enough to keep hunger away from you and your little ones. Both are expensive though, so try and plan ahead with our tips above as much as you can.
Aquaventure wins this round due to the variety of choice of food in comparison to Wild Wadi.
Where is Better for Adults?
Both waterparks have fantastic facilities, rides and slides for children and adults of all ages. Whats more, both water parks have a beach, although the one at Wild Wadi isn’t as easy to access as the one at Aquaventure. Aquaventure also has a few more attractions for the older kids and adults such as zip lining, dolphin swimming and the shark safari.
Overall, Aquaventure is the better park for adults and is also much larger.
So on the other hand if you have toddlers then it’s maybe best to head to wild wadi where everything is condensed into a smaller area.
Wild Wadi or Aquaventure – The Winner
Aquaventure wins by 3 points to 2. It was a close contest and both are still worth a day out if you get time. Wild Wadi is cheaper and more accessible, but overall Aquaventure is the better all round water park; but only just!
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