Today marks the official opening of the brand new theme park Katmandu Park Punta Cana. The park is located in the tourist area Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The opening is a big step for the leisure industry in the region, as Katmandu Park Punta Cana is the first true theme park in the country. The park includes, amongst others, no less than three rides that are included in the Dark Ride Database.
Katmandu Park Punta Cana is part of larger development, creating a brand new holiday resort in the Punta Cana area. The whole resort, including a hotel, water park and theme park, means an investment of $350 million, with the theme park costing $100 million. The park is a joint development by Katmandu Group, an Orlando-based theme park operator, and Meliá Hotel International, a major Spanish hotel chain. The two have already worked together on the development of Katmandu Park in Mallorca, Spain, and now seek to expand their brand to new locations such as Punta Cana.
For the development of their newest park in the Dominican Republic, they partnered with Falcon’s Creative Group, a theme park design company based in Orlando. The partnership between the three, in order to create Katmandu Park Punta Cana, was announced in 2019 with the projected opening of the park in late 2021. After some delay, the park is now finally opening today, 15 March 2023.
The rides in Katmandu Park Punta Cana take some cues from the design of the original Katmandu Park in Mallorca. The park will feature activities such as miniature golf, an indoor play area and a climbing course, as well as three database-notable rides.
The first of these three is Legend of the Desirata, an immersive 4D dark ride takes riders on a journey along with explorer Kilgore Goode into the Himalayas, coming face to face with the mythical Yeti and Desirata creatures. The story was adapted from ‘The House‘, a walkthrough-attraction in the original park. Legend of the Desirata features a motion-based car ride system by Oceaneering Entertainment Systems.
Next up is the interactive theater Challenge of the Mad Mage, in which guests go on an interactive journey amongst ‘Chess-bots’ that are going on a rampage. Challange of the Mad Mage is the first of Falcon’s Creative Group’s self-developed interactive theaters: On!x Theater.
The last of the three rides is a new spin on flying theatres, Voyage of the Fathom Wanderer, in which riders are submerged into the ocean. They join Kilgore Goode once again on a journey to great depths to encounter fantastical creatures and to defend the Caverns of Life. The ride system of this ‘Suspended Theater’ by Falcon’s Creative Group is again manufactured by Oceaneering.
Katmandu Park Punta Cana marks the second location of the Katmandu brand, after the first park in Mallorca. A third Katmandu Park is also being planned on the island of Tenerife, Spain.
