Ever dreamed of having an entire water park to yourself? I know I have. Like so many American kids, I remember spending hot summer days at parks with tantalizing names—“Water World”, “Raging Waters”—evoking endless hours of fun and copious layers of sunburns. While I enjoyed every visit to these mammoths of aquatic amusement, I remember perpetually feeling as if I spent half my day (and acquired most of my sunburn) while waiting in line—all for an exorbitant price. Growing up near Silicon Valley, I would jealously listen to stories of famous software companies renting out entire parks for their employees. Take away the lines, the fees, and the overwhelming crowds, and you have yourself a Water Park Heaven!
In Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, you don’t have to be a software mogul to live your fantasy of an exclusive water park experience. At Trinco’s Isha Water Park, the dream comes true all by itself. For curious travelers and water park enthusiasts alike, this place is a must-see. Located in Uppuveli (just north of Trinco town), Isha was the first water park built in Sri Lanka’s northeast. Bizarre yet lovable, it is a place to engage in lighthearted fun without crowds of people cramming up against you. After months of walking past Isha on my way to work, I was both puzzled and intrigued by how deserted it always seemed. At times I wondered whether it was even open. But after my first visit there yesterday, I can proclaim with great confidence that Isha Water Park is in fact open for business.
Let me offer a brief tour to get your water park brain firing. Stepping through the gates of the property, you pass a small restaurant where you can change into swimsuits and fill your stomach (I advise doing this post-water slide extravaganza). Entering the park, you are greeted by a large, painted-concrete whale, whose very realistic mouth you walk through to access the rest of the park. Inside the whale, you pay the entrance fee of SLR 600 (about $5) at a small booth.
The main three slides of the park are several stories tall. One of the staff will turn on the water just for you after you choose between a cavernous inner-tube tunnel, an exhilarating head-first slide, and a feet-first slide in the luge style. While still causing me to wonder at how the place stays open, Isha’s lack of crowds and lines fortunately allows for infinite slide riding.
For smaller children (or for adults in touch with their inner 6-year-old), Isha features two smaller water slides with a shallow pool, as well as an enormous bucket that dumps water on you every 3 minutes. The clean, slightly chlorinated water in Isha’s pools provides a refreshing break from the salty ocean. The staff are friendly and helpful, and you can even buy biscuits at the waterslide if repeated splashing starts to wear you out.
My day at Isha was one of the most unusual and hilarious days I’ve spent in Sri Lanka. Cynics will tell you say that most dreams don’t come true. How awesome would it be to tell them about your water park fantasy turned reality at Isha?
And If, after several hours at Isha, you find that you’ve finally had enough of your own personal water park dream, some advice on what to do next:
- Grab lunch (served around 1:30) at the canteen at Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka’s largest NGO, whose Trinco headquarters are immediately next door to Isha
- Dive into the ocean at Uppuveli beach (just a short walk up the road from Isha)
- Treat yourself to an authentic Italian dinner at Palm Beach Restaurant (near the 4th mile post in Uppuveli)
- If you’re taking a bus out of Trinco, stop in for some delicious Tamil snacks at Anna Poorani, a small restaurant down the road from the bus stop.
If you’re longing for more about Isha, watch this fun promotional video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmpN_S6DOYk