The top 15 theme parks and water parks in Latin America

Beto Carrero World can be found in Penha, a municipality in Santa Catarina. It is the biggest amusement park in Latin America, with nine themed areas and more than 100 attractions, including thrill rides, coasters, family-friendly offerings and live shows.

Highlights include a Disney-inspired castle, a zoo with more than 700 animals, a Ferris wheel, and character photo opportunities. In addition, Beto Carrero World features a visitor train, cable railway, restaurants, cafés and shops.

In 2023, the first-ever Nerf-themed land opened at Beto Carrero World. Nerf Mania is a 14,000-square-metre zone with family-friendly rides, a themed restaurant and a Nerf shop.

“This fully immersive experience really leans into the social, active play lifestyle that Nerf has been known for over its nearly 55-year history, all while encouraging friendly competition between family and friends,” said Matt Proulx, vice president of global experiences, partnerships and music at Hasbro.

“This marks the largest investment in Beto Carrero World’s history. It took us 31 years to reach this level of international entertainment standard,” said Alexandre Von Janke Murad, president of the theme park’s board.

Attendance 2023 – 2,792,000

Attendance 2022 – 2,327,000

Located in the Tlalpan forest and borough in Mexico City, Six Flags Mexico is operated by Six Flags. The park offers attractions such as Supergirl Sky Flight and X-Flight, and the Wonder Woman Coaster. Supergirl Sky Flight is a swing tower ride, while X-Flight is a wing coaster. Both opened in 2015. 

Newer additions include CraZanity, the world’s tallest pendulum ride. It features a record height of more than 50 metres and reaches speeds of more than 120 km/h.

Following 2024’s merger with Cedar Fair, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation owns and operates 27 theme parks, 15 water parks and nine resort properties across 17 states in the US, Canada and Mexico. The new Six Flags plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next two years.

Attendance 2023 – 2,021,000

Attendance 2022 – 1,727,000

Thermas dos Laranjais is the most visited water park in Latin America and the second most popular globally as of 2023. It first opened in 1987 and is home to the largest complex of thrilling waterslides in Brazil. The park is located in the northern part of the state of São Paulo.

Thermas dos Laranjais features more than 60 attractions and over 30 F&B outlets across 300,000 square metres. These include waterslides, surfing facilities, pools, rivers and family-friendly offerings. WhiteWater created five of the leading attractions at Thermas dos Laranjais. The company is also providing an impressive tower with two groundbreaking six-person raft rides.

2023 attendance – 1,954,000

2022 attendance – 1,729,000

Atlantis Aquaventure, a tropical water park in the Bahamas, opened in 1994 and is now the leading aquatic attraction in the region on TripAdvisor. Aquaventure water parks are home to attractions including the Mayan Temple, which features a series of rides and slides. There’s also a river ride with waves, rapids, tidal surges, steam and waterfalls, and an exhibit for the park’s cetaceans called Dolphin Cay.

Aquaventure at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas contains more than 20 million gallons of water, as well as 20 swimming areas and 11 swimming pools.

There are three Atlantis Aquaventure water parks in the world, found in the Bahamas, China and the UAE. In 2025, a California-based real estate development company bought oceanfront land in Hawaii to build a $2 billion Atlantis resort – the first in the US.

2023 attendance – 1,891,000

2022 attendance – 1,751,000

Parque Xcaret features more than 40 attractions in the jungle, caves and underground rivers of Mexico. These include an aquarium and archaeological sites. The park is owned by Grupo Xcaret, a Mexican company and a pioneer in sustainable tourism. It operates parks and tours in Cancun and the Riviera Maya, including Xcaret, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xoximilco, Xenses, Xavage and Xel-Há.

Grupo Xcaret’s parks business began in 1984 when Miguel Quintana Pali bought 12 acres in the Riviera Maya and transformed the land into Xcaret, the original destination.

As well as theme parks, the group has tours and activities to visit the ancient ruins of Chichén Itzá, Tulum and Cobá. Xcaret Parks and Tours, which combines archaeology, culture, ecology and entertainment, welcomed its 50 millionth visitor in 2019.

“We are proud to be considered the first and most important ecologically and socially sustainable tourism company in Mexico,” said Pali. He said Xcaret “connects travellers to the spectacular and unique nature of our surroundings, and that will ultimately result in a better understanding of our heritage and culture”.

Currently, Hotel Xcaret Mexico is investing $700 million to enhance its entertainment experiences and expand its accommodation capacity.

Attendance 2023 – 1,637,000

Attendance 2022 – 1,399,000

Hot Park is located at the Rio Quente Resort, one of the biggest resorts in Brazil. The park covers 55,000 square metres and also includes an aviary with more than 200 birds. Hot Park has more than 17 attractions in natural thermal waters. Thrilling rides include AeroBike and Xpirado, while relaxing offerings include a lazy river.

Located in the Cerrado, a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, Rio Quente Resort offers five hotels, bars and restaurants, and aquatic attractions. 

Attendance 2023 – 1,600,000

Attendance 2022 – 1,430,000

A new entry in our list is Hacienda Napoles, a theme park destination close to Medellin in Colombia that used to be the estate of the late drug baron Pablo Escobar. The site fell into disrepair but was reopened as a visitor attraction in 2007 with an initial investment of $10 million, the Independent reported.

Hacienda Napoles has several areas, one a theme park with coasters and Colombia’s tallest drop tower, another a wildlife sanctuary with hippos and other animals. There are also dinosaur and relaxation zones. The water park features giant cobra and octopus slides, pools, and a waterfall. 

2023 attendance – 1,200,000

2022 attendance – 1,000,000

Hot Beach Olímpia, one of the top five water parks in Latin America, features more than 20 aquatic attractions. These range from thrilling slides to a lazy river. Rides at Hot Beach Olímpia include Tangled, a racing waterslide with four parallel lanes. Operated by Hot Beach Parques & Resorts, the park is part of the Hot Beach Resort, which offers an artificial beach and a hot spring bath. 

2023 attendance – 1,035,000

2022 attendance – 914,000

Mundo Aventura is located in the city of Bogotá and opened in 1998. Thrill rides at the park include Sky Coaster, Xtreme, Tropicana, Quantum, Crazy Jump, Ranger, and Air Race. Family-friendly attractions include a carousel, arcades, an aquarium, and bumper cars. Parque Mundo Aventura also provides playgrounds and soft play for children.

Attendance 2023 – 1,015,000

Attendance 2022 – 752,000

Fantasilandia has grown in recent years. It opened with just eight attractions in 1978 in the O’Higgins Park in Santiago, Chile and is now one of the most popular parks in Latin America. Roller coasters include Mining Train, Boomerang and Raptor, and family-friendly rides include Bumper Boats and Wild Mouse. The park’s rides for children include Dragon Mountain, Circus Train and Buggy Jump.

Attendance 2023 – 961,000

Attendance 2022 – 850,000

Piscilago is a popular attraction in Colombia. Located near the city of Melgar, Piscilago has a water park, a zoo, and conservation areas. The water park features 21 ProSlide water rides, including several of the company’s first in Colombia. Piscilago and ProSlide have worked together on 10 projects spanning a 19-year relationship, establishing the park as a key destination in Latin America.

2023 attendance – 914,000

2022 attendance – 816,000

Located in Guatemala City, Mundo Petapa is a top amusement park in Latin America when it comes to attendance. Inaugurated in 1976, the site can accommodate 12,500 daily visitors.

Attractions include the amusement park, a swimming pool, a zoo called La Jungla, and a theatre. A new coaster called Relámpago was added to the theme park in 2019. The high-thrill Zamperla ride joined many other Zamperla attractions at Mundo Petapa.

Attendance 2023 – 912,000

Attendance 2022 – 800,000

Xocomil Water Park is the largest water park in Guatemala. The 77,300-square-metre site features attractions and slide towers inspired by Mayan heritage. Rides include swimming pools, wave pools and waterslides.

WhiteWater has supplied water attractions for Xocomil including a multi-lane mat racer, a Boomerango, a Super Bowl slide, a looping waterslide, and the world’s first AdrenaLIM Blaster.

Attendance 2023 – 900,000

Attendance 2022 – 833,000

Next up is Beach Park, a popular water park and resort located on the beach of Porto das Dunas in Aquiraz, Brazil. Covering 170,000 square metres, the resort is home to restaurants, hotels, aquatic attractions and an artificial river that transports overnight guests to the water park. 

Attendance 2023 – 900,000

Attendance 2022 – 782,000

Beginning our list of the top theme parks and water parks in Latin America, in reverse order, is Thermas de São Pedro. A highly popular attraction in Brazil, Thermas de São Pedro features waterslides, family-friendly pools, the largest wave pool in the state of São Paulo, a huge water playground for children. It also offers entertainment, as well as a small farm and a dinosaur park.

Attendance 2023 – 867,000

Attendance 2022 – 753,000