It's always nice to have fun in the sun. Especially in a tropical country like Indonesia, where it is a privilege to have the sun shine all year long. Aside from taking a leisurely trip to the beach, having a splashy delight at the water park is also an excellent option. The Jakarta Post Travel puts on its swimming trunks to pick four fun water parks for you and your family to splash around in all day long. Circus Waterpark Bali Apart from Waterbom for watery joy, Bali also has the Circus Waterpark which is only minutes away from Ngurah Rai International Airport. A little bit different than Waterbom, the water attractions at Circus Waterpark Bali are more suitable for families and younger visitors. Located on Jl. Kediri in Kuta, this water park offers splashy rides such as a spiral slide, wave slide, speed slide and lazy river. The kids area will spoil your kids with a wide variety of fun from sliders and water cannon to fountains and mini trains. There are other fun activities available too such as a flying fox and trampoline for your kids to spend hours of fantastic fun as well as facilities like changing rooms, locker rooms, gift shop, a restaurant and clinic. Compared to Waterbom Bali, the entrance fee for Circus Waterpark is more affordable. Adult visitors are charged $20 while children up to 12 years old are charged $12. Waterbom Bali Recently dubbed as the top water park in Asia and ranked the fifth in the world by TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice Awards, Waterbom Bali is a perfect choice to have some splashing while you are on vacation in the Island of the Gods. Located in the middle of Kuta's hustle and bustle, the water park serves as an oasis with its lush tropical garden, endless fun and daring activities. The 3.8-hectare water park offers adrenaline-pumping slides such as the smashdown, superbowl, race track, climax and boomerang. For family and children fun, head for Funtastic which includes water cannon and jets, body slides and funky rides for your toddler; the Boogie Ride which allows visitors to race head-to-head on a sled mat; and the Python which can be ridden by three persons in a circular tube. You can also opt to just cool off in the lazy river or the pleasure pool, or chill out at its Sunken Pool Bar. To fill up your stomach, you can go to the Wantilan Food Court to get some international comfort food, snacks or pastries with a comfortable roofed seating area. Head up to Pret A Manger to have ready-to-eat sandwiches and snacks accompanied by the local barista's selection of coffee specialties. Alternatively, you can hang out at The Shack which features a rustic wooden structured establishment wrapped in a tropical environment. Its facilities include a full-service bar serving fresh mojitos with the mint picked from Waterbom's own garden and various other cocktails and refreshments. It also offers a place to chill out sitting in a hammock, playing board games such as chess and backgammon or having a reflexology treatment. Waterbom Bali opens daily from 9 a.m. tp 6 p.m. with ticket prices ranging from US$21 to $52 on weekends. Ciputra Water Park Surabaya Dubbed the biggest water park in the country, this 5-hectare site is located within the Citraland modern city area. Ciputra Water Park Surabaya is equipped with fun and petrifying slides such as the Roc Tower Thunder Ride; a 15-meter-high water slide that flushes you down into a tunnel at high speed. Parents who bring their toddlers along can head to the Chimera Pool, a baby pool equipped with a fun fountain to introduce the joy of water play to the little ones. While for older children, the Marina Lagoon is a suitable place for them to have some splashy fun. The latter is also filled with small slides, a bridge and water fountain. To add to the excitement, the Racer Slide provides a 70-kilometer-per-hour speed sliding sensation on its 10-meter-high and 20-meter-long colorful slides. While the iconic Sinbad's Playground features a multi-structured playground resembling Sinbad's palace, the towers of which each connected by a rickety bridge. The towers are equipped with water cannon and a gigantic water drum that will readily soak visitors with 5000 gallons of water. For slightly more sedate activities, the Syracuse Beach will instantly provide you with the fun of a beach. Whether it is chasing the waves or just relaxing on a circular tube, this 1800-square-meter pool offers endless fun for the whole family. There is also the Sirens River that allows visitors to relax along the 425-meter length of a calm artificial river while enjoying the 1001 Nights adventure story carved on the pool's side. The water park opens Tuesday to Friday from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Entrance ticket prices range from Rp 105,000 (US$9) to Rp 130,000. Waterbom Jakarta Affiliated with Waterbom Bali, Waterbom Jakarta water park is located at Pantai Indah Kapuk and has been operating since 2007 with a cool, urban concept featuring a modern and minimalistic complex surrounded by lush tropical forest. According to TripAdvisor, Waterbom Jakarta is ranked sixth in Asia by its Traveler's Choice Awards for water park category. The park's attractions include the Aquatube (a 118-meter long looping water slide with single and double tube); Speed Slide (which features a 20.7-meter-high double speed slide) and the Whizzard (a whopping 113-meter twin water slide which takes passengers on a mattress ride before dropping them with a major splash). Twizter is also interesting; it is a water slide which resembles a giant saucer which will whirl visitors around the circular slide before being sucked into a tunnel and plunged down into the pool. Another ride visitors can enjoy is the Hairpin which can carry four persons on a huge tube to slide down its tunnel. Visitors can also cruise along the park's Wild River on a kayak or a personal river cruiser. Waterbom Jakarta opens daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and national holidays. Ticket prices range from Rp 100,000 to Rp 230,000 on weekends. Pre-deposit waterproof splash bands, which function as e-money for all transactions made inside the water park area, are available at the ticket counter for a top up. Any remaining credit can be refunded at the refund counter in the lobby.
