YOU’VE heard of PortAventura, Efteling and Europa-Park, but there’s another European theme park that has just completed a 10-year makeover.
The little-known Walibi Rhône-Alpes attraction is just outside of the city of Lyon in France and has just reopened for the season with new attractions.
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The paradise-looking Exotic Island based on the Pacific Islands like Fiji and Papua New Guinea has had a €4.5million (£3.8million) upgrade, installing a family ride, adventure trail and botanical maze.
Its new family attraction is called RépaR’ Ta Kar and is said to be the ‘first-of-its-kind in Europe‘.
The attraction will be themed around a 4×4’s and be between the high-speed Mahuka rollercoaster and the park’s Tiki Village.
The ride is described as having “off-road vehicles that bounce, rotate, and spin in a chaotic mechanical frenzy.”
Also ready to be explored this year are new walkthrough experiences at Exotic Island.
L’Expédition Perdue (which translated is The Lost Expedition) is a multi-level adventure trail with bridges, slides and climbing challenges.
Le Passage Oublié (The Forgotten Passage) is a sensory maze with underground tunnels.
This upgrade has been part of an overhaul that has been taking place since 2016 at the cost of €50million (£43.2million) – which has been marked by the completion of Exotic Island.
The French theme park has 36 attractions, shows, rollercoasters like Mahuka, Mystic, and Timber – and is divided into three themed zones.
These include Explorer Adventure which is themed around North America with a swinging ship and lazy river ride.
The Festival City zone is New Orleans-themed where visitors enter the ‘party world’.
Here are the likes of a traditional carousel, train and a swing ride.
The park that first opened in 1979 has attractions for children from age three and up, with family-friendly rides and some for the thrill-seekers.
Some of the biggest include the Mystic rollercoaster which has a 31metre vertical climb and top speed of 52.8mph.
Another is Mahuka which is a rollercoaster themed around escaping an abandoned temple.
Then there’s Le Totem, a high-impact drop tower which can be found in Festival City.
It has 12 food and drinks spots as well as shops throughout the park.
The shows include Les Plongeurs de l’Extrême where divers perform daring stunts and jump off platforms as high as 27metres.
At another show, the park’s mascot, Walibi, makes an appearance with meet and greet opportunities for children.
Visitors often leave happy reviews on Tripadvisor, one wrote: “A great park that improves year after year!”
Another described it as “a great park for the whole family.”
Theme park tickets start from €29 (£25.06) – if booked up to five days before the visit.
With Wizz Air, Brits can fly from London Luton Airport to Lyon from £16 in June.
From there, the theme park is around a one-hour drive away.