Waterparks are synonymous with good family fun, but when it comes to the big attraction waterslides, you gotta leave the kiddos at home — these wet and wild rides are for adults only. Located all across the globe, these waterpark rides and slides will leave you on an adrenaline high and hungry for more. So pack up your swimsuits and don’t forget the sunscreen, because these are the 9 waterslides every thrill-seeker needs to ride in their lifetime.
The INSANO at Beach Park, Brazil
If you’ve ever wanted to drop 14 stories going 65 miles per hour then boy, are you in luck! The INSANO water slide at Beach Park, Brazil offers just that, and the ride is not for the faint of heart. If you can calm your nerves as you climb up the wooden water tower structure to the top, you’ve already accomplished half the battle. The attendant at the top will make sure you’re lying fully on your back before they wave the green flag for you to push off.
Then you’ll be plummeting feet first to the pool waiting for you below, and considering it’s a fifteen minute climb to the top of the ride, the entire slide down will take just a few seconds. But they will be a heart-pounding, adrenaline-rushing few seconds. Just make sure you don’t try to pick up your head on the way down to take in the sights! This freefall requires you to be vertical for the duration of the ride.
The Citta Del Mare in Palermo, Italy
There’s no greater water park than the Mediterranean Sea, some might say. And if you visit the Citta Del Mare spa and resort on the island of Sicily, you and two buddies will be able to sail down parallel water slides that cascade down the side of a mountain and then land you squarely into the Mediterranean. On the way down, you’ll visit two sparkling turquoise pools to catch your breath and take in the views.
While this waterslide doesn’t offer the loops and swoops that some of the other slides offer, it more than makes up for it in views and scenery. Tucked away from a lot of the hustle of the touristy areas, the water slide is a big draw for guests who decide to book a stay at the resort. This is one travel spot that cannot be left unchecked on your bucket list.
The Aqua Loop at Calypso Park, Canada
If you get dizzy easily, you may want to skip this one and watch from the sidelines. The Aqua Loop requires riders to stand on top of a trap door before the door opens and shoots riders over fifty feet down through a fully enclosed water tunnel and then around a huge loop before spitting them out into a pool. Riders have been known to emerge from the water staggering and spinning. When we tell you to leave your kids at home, we mean it!
Big Thunder in West Palm Beach, Florida
This massive waterslide in West Palm Beach, Florida is the perfect escape from the hot hot heat, especially in the summer months. The Big Thunder ride allows up to four riders on a tube to shoot through a black hole tunnel before ending up swooping back and forth, back and forth, before being sucked down another tunnel. Frequent sliders swear that they experience a moment of no gravity at some point between blast off and touch down in the pool below.
The Divertical in Italy
What do you get when you cross a water slide and a roller coaster? The monster Divertical ride in Italy! While many other water slides boast trap doors and speed times to make themselves stand out to thrill-seekers, the Divertical offers something a little different for the adrenaline junkies who come to visit the park.
When you ride the Divertical, you enter a rollercoaster car with up to three other people, and then you sail through a water track over to an elevator rising nearly 200 feet to the sky. Your car locks itself in and carries you up to the beginning of the ride’s tracks where you’ll then take a vertical drop down and then over a bunch of twists and turns. This hybrid ride is sure to impress everyone who likes to feel their heart skip a beat or two.
The Corkscrew Cavern at Roaring Springs Water Park, Idaho
The first looping water slide in the Northwest will not disappoint! As you enter the ride, an attendant secures you inside of a “launching capsule” where riders will hear a heartbeat sound three times before the door beneath their feet opens and they’re dropped into the rushing water of the slide in a free fall. The ride boasts several G-forces, so attendants are very clear about the need to keep your head back in order to ensure safety.
When riders enter the slide after the big vertical drop, they will need to hold their breath to make sure they don’t swallow any of the pool water rushing past their heads! The tunnels are very narrow, and riders will experience a 38-feet-per-second drop before they’re looped around 360 degrees and dropped into a chlorine pool. Keep those eyes closed! Then swim out, climb off the ladder and grab your towel—and head up to the top to slide down the Corkscrew Cavern again and again and again.
Point Plummet at Cedar Point Shores, Ohio
If you’ve got a little bit of a competitive streak or drive, then you won’t have to look any further than the super fun Point Plummet slide at Cedar Point Shores in Ohio, which pits four slide riders (dubbed “sliders”) against each other as they race from top to bottom of this loopty-doo slide. Once again, we have a big trap door drop that releases all four people at the same time. After 400 feet of surprises, the first slider to drop into the pool is declared the winner.
The Kilimanjaro Slide, Brazil
It’s 234 steps to the top of the world; at least that’s what it feels like when you’re trying to get to the summit of the Kilimanjaro waterslide in Brazil. In fact, employees of the Kilimanjaro say that one out of every 20 riders will call it quits before even making it to the top, so if you’re afraid of heights or your palms are getting sweaty just reading this, you may want to skip this one altogether.
As the tallest body slide in the world, this 160 foot monster is, according to Travel and Leisure, taller than the Statue of Liberty. And unlike some of its contemporaries in the waterslide world that go very fast and feel only seconds long, the Kilimanjaro seems to be unending in its plummet down to earth again. Traveling almost 60mph down, make sure you keep your hands inside the ride at all times. This one is wild!
The Aquaconda Slide at Atlantis Palm, Dubai
Located in Dubai’s number one water park, the Aquaconda longest tube waterslide in the world that looks insane from every single angle, twist and turn. The site for the hotel itself warns prospective riders: ‘Don’t ride on a full stomach!’ Yikes. As you and five others slide around back and forth, it might sometimes feel like you’re going to soar over the side of the slide — but you won’t! Well…at least we hope you won’t.
The Aquaconda has been known to scare the stuff out of even the most seasoned waterpark adventurers and thrill seekers, so if you’re looking to make or win a bet, you should start here. Riding the Atlantis Palm ride in Dubai is like wearing a badge of major courage. Everyone in your life will be so impressed with your bravery. Don’t worry, we won’t tell them you were screaming your lungs out as you careened down to the bottom in your raft going nearly 25 miles per hour.