Roller coasters, fairy-floss and mascots – nothing brings out your inner child quite like a theme park. But if famous parks like Six Flags or Universal Studios are starting to feel a little samey, maybe you’ll dig a Buddhist adventure park? For something a bit more bizarre, hit up one of the world’s most unique theme parks.
Soviet Bunker Survival Drama, Lithuania
This park might not make your stomach drop, but it will give you more nerves than any roller coaster. A visit to Išgyvenimo Drama will transport you to a Soviet-era military prison, where you take on the role of a citizen in the totalitarian state. Visitors are forced to surrender all of their possessions and change into a military uniform upon arrival. As if this isn’t traumatising enough, visitors are then ordered to put on a gas mask, eat prison food, submit to a medical exam and undergo a Gulag-style interrogation from a retired Soviet guard. Those who survive the experience are offered a shot of vodka on the way out. Now that’s hardcore.
Dickens World, United Kingdom
Book nerds rejoice! As the name implies, Dickens World is an authentic recreation of London in the era of Charles’ Dickens novels, complete with gas lamps, soot, pickpockets and animatronic characters from his novels. There are even chemical ‘smell pots’ placed around the attraction that emit odors of rotting cabbage to really set the scene.
Bon-Bon Land, Denmark
Tivoli Gardens may be Denmark’s most famous amusement park (and one of the oldest in the world), but Bon-Bon Land takes the cake for the Danes’ most silly attraction. Started by the confectionary company Bon-Bon, this candy-themed amusement park takes toilet humour to another level with rides and rollercoasters named after their unusual candies, like ‘The Horse Dropping’ and ‘Peeing Ants’. One of the most popular rides translates to ‘Dogfart Rollercoaster,’ which takes riders around giant mounds of dog poop, complete with sound effects.
Crocosaurus Cove, Australia
If getting up close and personal with a man-eating croc sounds like your idea of a good time, there’s no looking past Darwin’s Crocosaurus Cove, where guests are submerged in ‘The Death Cage’ alongside an 800kg crocodile. The only croc dive in Australia, visitors will be left under the water for a full 15 minutes in a clear cylinder while crocodiles up to 20 feet long feed on meaty morsels around you. For the more faint-hearted, stay above water to pat the cute baby crocs.
Suoi Tien Theme Park, Vietnam
The world’s first Buddhist theme park, Suoi Tien invites visitors to experience Vietnamese culture and visit the ‘Heaven Palace’. This palace experience is far from conventional, however, and includes mid-air cycling over crocodile farms and an excursion through a bat cave (which is also known as Buddhist hell) – enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. This very colourful park also has go-karts, an artificial beach and water slides, where visitors emerge from the beards of Buddhist sages.
*The hotel prices above are for double occupancy and (including taxes and fees) were collated on KAYAK.com.au on 2 August 2016 for travel in October 2016. Prices may be subject to change and offers may no longer be available.
**The flight prices given above are for one return economy seat (including taxes and fees, excluding baggage fees) and were collated on KAYAK.com.au on 2 August 2016 for travel in October 2016. Prices may be subject to change and offers may no longer be available.
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