10 Tips & Tricks for Siam Water Park in Tenerife
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Planning a trip to Tenerife, Spain, and wondering if Siam Park is worth it? The answer is yes, especially if you’re traveling with kids or teens, or if you simply love water parks and adrenaline-rushing attractions.
Having been to the world’s biggest water park, Atlantis Aquaventure in Dubai, we can confirm that Siam’s claim to fame as one of the best water parks in the world is not too exaggerated. It’s definitely the best water park we’ve visited in Europe.
With its unique Thai-inspired design, thrilling rides, and plenty of fun attractions for all ages, Siam Water Kingdom is a must-visit in Tenerife for families. That said, the park can get crowded and overwhelming, and your experience will highly depend on how prepared you are.
We recently visited Siam Park with our three teenagers and had a good time. Yet, despite having been to countless water parks worldwide and knowing how important it is to prepare, we made a few big mistakes here.
To start with, we completely underestimated how popular Siam Park is – even on a cloudy and rather cold weekday outside of school holidays… Plus, we decided to visit last-minute and booked our tickets literally while walking to the park in the morning without any previous research – another big mistake…
So in this guide, I share our experience-based tips to help you avoid common mistakes, make the most of your visit to Siam Park, and decide what’s worth spending money on (and what’s not). I hope our tips will help you enjoy your day at Siam Park without unnecessary stress and frustrations. Find out!
READ ALSO: Best Things to Do in Tenerife
1. Arrive Early
If there is one tip I could give for any waterpark or theme park anywhere in the world, it would be to arrive early. Ideally, at least 20-30 minutes before the official opening time.
Siam Park opens at 10 AM, and getting there before the opening time gives you a few big advantages. Here are the main ones:
- Shorter lines at the entrance.
- Shorter lines at the most popular rides (do those first – more about it below!).
- Better choice of sunbeds (they are free of charge but very limited) and locker locations.
2. Buy Your Tickets Online in Advance
Siam Park is extremely popular, and – as we found out – not only on sunny days in high season or on weekends.
Book your tickets online to avoid standing in long queues before you even enter. With an e-ticket on your phone, you can head straight to the entrance, saving precious time at the start of your day.
In addition, some ticket types often sell out, so it’s a good idea to book in advance.
That said, don’t rush to book your tickets just yet because there are several ticket options (and the general ticket isn’t always the best one). See our tips and info further below!
3. Save Money with Twin Ticket for Loro Parque
Tenerife has two world-class theme parks: Siam Park in the south and Loro Parque in the north. They offer very different experiences: Siam Park is a water park, while Loro Parque is an animal and conservation park hosting over 400 animal species. Loro Parque is the top tourist attraction in Tenerife and is well worth it!
If you want to visit both parks without paying full price, opt for a Twin Ticket. It includes admission to both – Loro Parque and Siam Park – and is valid for 14 days after the first activation.
TIP: If you are staying in the south of the island and are not renting a car, opt for a Twin Ticket including a bus transfer to Loro Parque.
4. Save Time with the Fast Pass
If you want to enjoy everything that Siam Park has to offer, do yourself a favor and get a Fast Pass that gives priority access at the main attractions. While in many water parks, skip-the-line is nice to have, at Siam Water Park, it’s a must. It may not be absolutely necessary on a weekday in a super low tourist season, but I wouldn’t even bet on that…
We visited Siam Park on a rather cold and grey Tuesday in early April, when most European countries, including Spain and the Canary Islands, didn’t have school holidays yet. The park was full of local teens who all seemed to have annual passes and fast-track wristbands. Regular lines hardly moved. They would let 12-20 people from the fast lane for every 3-4 people from the regular queue. We saw the same people come back and skip the line again and again while we were still waiting…
After spending 1.5 hours waiting for the first ride, we would have given anything for the fast pass. But by then, they were sold out…
There are several types of Fast Passes at Siam Park:
- Unlimited priority access to all attractions (except Tower of Power and Mai Thai River). You can buy these passes online, but they are way too expensive compared to other options. Instead, here are the best options that include unlimited Fast Pass benefits:
- All-inclusive tickets. These include park admission, unlimited fast pass, towels, lockers, and unlimited food and drinks at the main restaurants (some restrictions apply).
- VIP tickets. In addition to all the benefits of all-in tickets, these also include a private cabin for your group (different sizes and options), all-inclusive food and drinks, and lots of extras such as showers, a mini-bar, jacuzzi, etc. However, the number of private cabins/villas is very limited, so these tickets are often sold out weeks in advance.
- One-time priority entry for each attraction (except Tower of Power and Mai Thai River). These passes offer excellent value, but they are only sold inside the park, with a limited number of passes issued each day. If you want to try to buy them, book a regular entry ticket online and get there early so that you can buy this pass as soon as possible.
My recommendation: VIP tickets offer the best value, even if you are just with 2 people, but especially if you are visiting with 4-8 people and like to indulge in nice food and drinks. If you are booking in advance and these are available, I wouldn’t hesitate. Alternatively, all-inclusive tickets also offer really good value with a fast pass, lunch, and drinks included.
Whatever you do, try to get a hold of those Fast Passes one way or another. Everyone who has any inside knowledge of Siam Park seems to have priority access, leaving all ‘newbies’ stranded in endless lines…
5. Start & End with the Wildest Rides
Whether you get a Fast Pass or not, the best way to make the most of your time is by doing the most popular, adrenaline-rushing rides first thing in the morning or the last thing before the park closes. We could do four rides in the last hour before closing time – almost as much as during the entire day before that.
Here are some of the best attractions that I recommend doing first/last: Singha, Kinnaree, The Volcano, Saifa, Dragon, and The Giant.
If you want to do the Tower of Power, you may want to know that the queues here are manageable even during the busiest hours of the day. Partially because not everyone is brave/crazy enough to try it, and partially because it doesn’t have a priority line.
TIP: Don’t skip Mai Thai River. It’s one of the best lazy rivers we’ve ever seen, with a long and scenic route surrounded by greenery with pretty flowers and plants. In addition, you can also choose to go through ‘rapids’ and an aquarium tunnel. It’s a really nice and relaxing experience for the whole family (yes, teens will enjoy it too).
6. Get Familiar with the Park Layout (+ Map)
Siam Park proudly calls itself the world’s best water park, and while it’s amazing in many ways, there are a few things they could improve. One of them is definitely the signage. It’s some of the most confusing we’ve come across.
Yes, there are signs here and there, usually pointing to several attractions at once. But as you get closer, the paths split with no clear directions. So you sometimes end up at another water slide than the one you were looking for. And no, it’s not just us – we saw plenty of other people asking fellow visitors where to go.
To save time and avoid frustration, I recommend checking out the park map before your visit – see below. That way, you’ll at least have a general idea of where things are when you arrive. We also recommend looking up the locker locations and deciding which one you’ll use. Head there first – or have one person from your group sort out the locker while the others make the most of the short queues early in the day.
TIP: The best rides are on the left side of the park.
7. Wear Swimwear & Pack Smart
To make the most of your day, arrive wearing your swimwear so you can head straight to the best rides. In addition, don’t forget these essentials:
- Water shoes. Surfaces can get hot, and these protect your feet while staying secure (no need to worry about losing flip-flops or leaving sandals behind at the start of each water slide).
- Waterproof phone case. Handy if you want to take photos or pay for food with your phone.
- Sunscreen (we recommend SPF 50+ or even higher). Apply before arrival and reapply during the day..
- UV T-shirts. Great for extra sun protection, especially since you’ll be going in and out of the water all the time.
- Towel (unless it’s included in your all-in ticket or VIP package). We recommend travel towels – not only do they dry faster, but it’s also easier to squeeze everything into a small locker.
If you forget something, don’t worry – you can rent towels and lockers and buy essentials at the park. That said, it’s not cheap and you’ll waste precious time.
Good to know: Sunglasses and sharp objects (like big rings) aren’t allowed on many attractions. It’s best to leave watches, jewelry, and any valuables at your accommodation.
8. Use the (Free) Shuttle Bus
Siam Park is conveniently located close to the most popular tourist resorts in southern Tenerife. You can easily reach it by car (although the parking area is rather limited for such a big park), taxi, or a shuttle bus.
If you are staying nearby, as we were, you can even walk to the park (we stayed at Wyndham Residences Costa Adeje, just near the park; with spacious suites, it’s ideal for families).
Good to know: The park runs FREE double-decker shuttle buses from Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas, and Los Cristianos. It’s a great option if you don’t have a rental car and don’t want to pay for a taxi.
Check the latest schedule and get to the stop early, especially in high season. The earliest buses usually depart at 9:30 AM and arrive just before the park opens.
In addition, there are also shuttle buses from other areas located further away, but you need to pay for those. It’s a pretty good deal compared to taxi prices, especially if you are coming from Puerto de la Cruz in the north or from the east coast. In that case, you can also get park tickets including a shuttle transfer.
9. Check Height Requirements & Group Sizes
Siam Park has plenty of rides and attractions for all ages. However, if you’re visiting with young children, it’s a good idea to check the height restrictions in advance. It will help you plan better and avoid any last-minute disappointment.
Good to know: The most thrilling rides at Siam Park require a minimum height of 125 cm, while several others start at 110 cm. Tower of Power is the wildest of them all, with 149 cm and a minimum age of 14.
Also, keep in mind that most of the top attractions are designed for groups of four. Many of the floats seat four people, while some are made for two, so planning your group size accordingly can make things easier. Let’s just say that going with a family of 5 is not ideal…
10. Enjoy the Food at the Park’s Restaurants
There are several restaurants, cafés, and bars at Siam Park, so you don’t need to worry about food. You’ll find everything from burgers, pizza, and sandwiches to salads, Thai-style dishes, sweet crepes, and cakes. Prices are about what you’d expect at theme parks elsewhere in Europe.
In the past, the park didn’t allow outside food or drinks, but that seems to have changed. You can now bring your own food, store it for a small fee, and eat it in a designated picnic area. They don’t exactly advertise this, but I found this info in tiny letters at the bottom of this page on their website: “We will charge just € 3 to store your food and drink during your visit to the park and you can have your lunch whenever you want at the enabled exclusively picnic area.”
That said, I couldn’t find this so-called “exclusive picnic area” anywhere on the map…
Honestly, I’d say save yourself the hassle and just eat at the park. They check bags at the entrance, and who knows where you’ll need to go to collect your food or where you’ll be allowed to eat it. Plus, if you go for an all-inclusive ticket, food and drinks are already covered.
So, these are our top tips and things we wish we had known before visiting Siam Park in Tenerife. I hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect and helps you plan a perfect day at this amazing water park.
Have a great time!
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