Top 10 amusement parks in South America & Mexico

With regular annual attendance figures topping well over the million mark, the popularity of legendary parks, such as: Fantasialand, Playcentre and Hopi Hari, are world-renowned and if you want to discover who made it to the number one spot then read on for the most awesome ride of your life.

10. Parque Plaza Sésamo, Monterrey, Mexico
Located in the northeast of Mexico the Parque Plaza Sésamo presents everything associated with the popular kid’s TV series and then some. According to the Count this park packs in just under one million eager visitors per year and presents an interactive and fun way to spend a day. Expect to find all of the main characters in some form or another as well as plenty of rides of a more extreme variety for the big kids. The on-site water park is a great place to chill out in the Mexican sunshine so, don’t forget your togs.

9. Beto Carrero World, Santa Catarina, Brazil
As you’d expect from a theme park that stretches for almost five and a half square miles, Beto Carrero World attracts some major crowds that take annual attendances to just over a million. Physically speaking this bad boy is huge and is split into three distinct areas featuring a zoo and over 100 different rides. Different areas, such as: the German Village, the Old West and Pirate’s Island, have some awesome attractions and from medieval jousting to the legendary Firewhip coaster, there’s far too much to see and do in just one day. Check out the Radical Adventure area for: Star Mountain, Free Fall and Tchibum water plunge.

8. Parque de la Costa, Tigre, Argentina
Clocking over one million guests through its gates on a yearly basis ensures Argentina’s most successful theme park, Parque de la Costa, is well worth a visit if you’re in or around the Buenos Aires area. The park is set within 35 acres of private land and comprises of over thirty attractions, including: the Saltos del Delta flume ride, the Boomerang roller-coaster and El Desafio which is another coaster that pushes speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. With plenty of alternative fun for the kids, like: musical fountains, mazes, bumper cars and paddleboat rides, this is an excellent option if you’re after some family fun under the Argentine sun.

7. El Salitre Magico, Bogotá, Colombia
Columbia’s second largest theme park is home to more than 30 attractions and regularly invites more than one million visitors per year to enter its hallowed turf. With a total of three roller- coasters, including the 360 degree turns of Banbo, you’ll find more than enough to keep thrill-seekers sated and with one of the continent’s largest Ferris Wheels checking out what to go on next is easy pickings. Thanks to a convenient central location this is a great option for all those staying in Bogota and from pirate ships to haunted houses, you can be sure of a day’s worth of fun for all the family.

6. Fantasilandia, Santiago, Chile
Chile’s finest often packs in over one million visitors each year and you can expect to find state-of-the-art ultimate generation attractions including the likes of: Top Spin, Xtreme Fall and Boomerang to name but a few. As you’d expect from a park that’s been open for over thirty years Fantasilandia is an established and ‘must visit’ if you’re ever in Santiago. And, from family favourites to adrenaline-pumping thrills, there’s a massive selection to choose from. If you feel the need for speed then check out the following rides and coasters: Kamikaze, Raptor, Evolution and Tsunami, you won’t regret it.

5. Parque Mundo Aventura, Bogotá, Colombia
Get ready for loads of rides, events and parades cast over five different sections of parkland which take into consideration everyone from kids and families to those seeking more extreme entertainment. With annual attendances topping over a million Parque Mundo Aventura is Columbia’s most successful theme park and if you want to learn more about Bogota or simply fancy having a go on the Dark Ride rollercoaster, then this is the place to do both. For the more adult attractions then check out Extreme World where you’ll discover rides, such as: Spider, Black Hole, Hammer and Sky Coaster, all vying for your attention.

4. Playcentre, São Paulo, Brazil
Once renowned for pulling in just fewer than one and a half million punters a year, Playcentre in Sao Paulo has since been renovated to focus on children as opposed to the general public. Back in the day you’d have found: Viking ships, a Castle of Horrors, Boomerang, the Looping Star, the Windstorm and the 360 degree low- spinner, Cataclysm, however, with the change of strategy these may now be a thing of the past.

3. La Feria Chapultepec Mágico, Mexico City, Mexico
With four roller-coasters and ten thrill rides, La Feria Chapultepec Mágico is the second-most popular park in Mexico and boasts annual attendances of over one and a half million. The Montana Rusa coaster is a firm favourite with the locals and dates back to the 60’s from when the park first opened. The three remaining roller-coasters are Cascabel, Montana Infinitum and Raton Loco and each have their own very special accolades, including the world’s first coaster with three vertical loops (Infinitum). Alternative rides, such as: Aladino, Top Spin and Power Tower, are all guaranteed to get your pulse racing quicker than a habanero chili dog.

2. Hopi Hari, São Paulo, Brazil
Situated some 30 clicks from Campinas in Sao Paulo, Hopi Hari has a total of 60 rides and often reaches staggering annual attendances of just under two million. The park itself is split between five different areas: Kaminda Mundi, Mistieri, Infantasia, Liga da Justica and Wild West, which feature everything from Brazil’s largest theatre to the largest wooden roller-coaster in Latin America. The park is showing no signs of decreasing in size and fully intends to reach the four million mark before 2025. Other attractions include: a ten- inversion roller-coaster, a rotating tomb and a white-water-rafting simulation ride.

1. Six Flags, Mexico City, Mexico
Smashing the two million annual attendance figure ensures Mexico’s finest theme park rolls in at numero uno and it’s not until you find out that this is the biggest in the whole of Latin America that you begin to realise what you’re dealing with. Located within Tlalpan forest and once boasting the Orca from Free Willy as a resident, Six Flags comprises of almost 50 rides, seven of which are rollercoasters and two are water rides. Main attractions include: Superman: The Last Escape, Batman: The Ride and Horstacio, the world’s largest piñata.