Apirama

Plopsaland Belgium

General info

Category

Dark Ride
Type

Boat Ride
Status

Rethemed
Opened

16 May 1979
Closed

1999

Description

Apirama was the flagship ride of Meli Park, then-owned by Meli, the Belgian producer of honey products. "Apirama" loosely translates as 'Bee-orama'.

Guests travelled in boats into a fantasy beehive, seeing how bees live in comical scenes, before leaving the beehive via a lift ramp and drop. Scenes included the construction of honeycombs and the arrival of the queen bee. In total, 256 bees could be seen in the ride.

History

Apirama was inspired by an earlier walk-through attraction owned by Meli, De Wonderbare Bijenkorf (The Amazing Beehive), at Expo ’58 in Brussels. In the earlier attraction, guests walked past oversized UV-lit scenes. After the expo ended, the walkthrough was relocated to Meli Park. For the 1979 season, it was decided to expand the concept as a dark ride. It was produced by Keith Sparks Associates in the UK.

The ride was later revamped in about 1990 with new scenic artwork by Rex Studios.

Meli Park was sold to Studio 100 in 2000. The new owners transformed the park into Plopsaland De Panne, including redesigning Apirama as Bos van Plop.

Not far from where Apirama once stood, a small Meli Park Museum can be found today, which includes some of the original figures from the ride.

Rethemed versions: