Devina Divecha's Journals

The latest water park on the block in the UAE is the Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi.

I was extremely lucky to get to attend the grand opening on January 19, 2013. Getting there is quite easy, it’s about a one-hour-and-a-bit drive from the Dubai Media City end of town, and signs on the road will tell you how to get to Yas Island (Alternatively, I can tell you that Google Maps was spot on).

I was surprised at the size of the park; it was like a TARDIS … It looked small on the outside and was huge on the inside! It’s a lot to do with, I think, the way in which the rides sometimes intertwine around each other, making it look compact, but actually it has a lot of things for you to do.

I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat, so I was unknowingly pushed onto the insane rides – the Falcon Falaj and the Dawamma, the latter of which is MENTAL! You enter a 6-person raft in both, and basically get pushed off a cliff on a never-ending screamfest. In the Dawamma, there’s this huge barrel thing that you eventually end up in and it’s so big, you wonder how it’s possible to escape. Yet you emerge laughing out onto the pool. I LOVED IT. Top marks for those rides…I kept wanting to do them again despite being scared out of my wits every time.

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The other stuff is cool too – there’s the Liwa Loop, which I didn’t try but entails getting into a little capsule, and having a trapdoor released underneath your feet, with the momentum making you go feet-first into a loop and emerging gasping. Most people who came out from there ended up screaming, “I DID IT!” or “I SURVIVED!” or “WHAT WAS THAAAAAAT?” So. Pretty good then.

There’s a lazy river, and another lazy river filled with waves. There’s the snake slides, with the Rattler being the one that throws you into a mystical cavern with laser lights shooting all around you before releasing you from the creature’s mouth. Then there’s the slides where you clutch on to a sled-like thing and jump headfirst into the slides, almost as if you’re flying on a magic carpet. And then there are more slides, one called Halool’s Humps (Due to its shape) and another called Jebel Drop (it quite literally drops you down). And a roller coaster… and … a surfing area… and… a place for kids only…and…

My point is, there’s a lot to do at the water park. I was in a position where I didn’t have to deal with too many crowds at the event I went for, but with the awesomeness of the rides, I can see it being a wait for some of them. So be patient, you’ll have some fun regardless of queues.

I’d like to see some more food options at the waterpark though; maybe some pizza like my friend suggested?

If you’ve gone to Yas Waterworld, let me know what you thought…but till then, check out some of my pictures!

Check out the official website for all the information you need; the price of a general ticket for an adult is AED 225.