With just four rollercoasters, only one of which manages to achieve ‘Extreme’ status on RCDB, Bellewaerde might not be a park to catch the eye of coaster enthusiasts. Located in Ypres, Belgium, just under a two-hour drive from the Eurotunnel, there are certainly better options nearby if thrilling rollercoasters are your main draw to a park. If like me, however, far too many decisions in your life are determined by the level of theming available? Well then, boy, do I have a recommendation for you!
When we arrived at Bellewaerde, it was bright and early on the first day of our little trip to a few European parks for Halloween. We’d rolled out of bed, in England, at 4am, eager to reach the park for rope-drop, and reach it we did! Come 09:40, we were happily stood outside of the front gate, surrounded by the masses waiting to enter the park! About 10 people, to be precise. It was a cold, drizzly Wednesday in Belgian term-time (though nearby France’s holidays were in full swing), and the crowds had better things to do with their time, apparently. Certainly excellent news for us! What else could you wish for on a first visit to a park than tiny crowds? Even with very few people around us, the moment the gates opened, we were on a mission. A mission for what must be some of the lowest-capacity coasters in any major theme park out there. A mission for the utterly bizarre Dawson Duel.
Having entered the park through the Mexico entrance, the Wiegand mountain coasters were, of course, on the complete opposite side of the park. As we twisted our way through various themed lands, I was blown away by the combination of stunning theming and even more beautiful natural landscaping in the park. This was a really lovely place to be! But other places were calling… We kept walking and walking and eventually reached the entrance for the twin coasters. The closed entrance. Instead, a sign was present stating that Dawson Duel would open at 10:30. Excellent, we do love a staggered opening! Is it even fair to call it a staggered opening when approximately 3 rides in the park were open? Scrolling through the app, all we could find were the pirate ship, NebulaZ, and the carousel in operation. The nearby Wakala was also listed as being open, but the chains across its entrance told another story. Thankfully, we had plenty to keep us busy, or at least warm. Near Dawson Duel, the path was filled with heaters. Heaters that were simply filled with burning coals. There was no fence, no guard, nothing to stop you from reaching in and grabbing the flaming rocks. Something you’d just never see here!
Thankfully, 10:30 rolled around, and Dawson Duel immediately began operation. Before you can head on the lengthy trek to the station, all loose articles must be checked in – free of charge – to the luggage hold. Don’t miss this! We saw people being turned away in the station for bringing even the smallest of bags up, and that is a long way to walk back. It’s a long way because this is the most bizarre concept for a ride I’ve come across. A mountain coaster on flat land. A mountain coaster. On flat land. How does it work, I hear you cry!? By having the track suspended in mid-air and originating from a station built on a massive structure, with an endless queue line reminiscent of Rollercoaster Tycoon. (You know when you build a ride really high up because you’ve run out of land? That queue line). Another strange quirk of this ride is that you have no control over it. The handles do nothing, with the speed instead already pre-determined. The experience remains fun enough, with enjoyable interaction with neighbouring Wakala and, if managed correctly with friends in the queue, the always fun racing element. I just don’t get it. Why build a ride type and not utilise any of the things that make it unique? I guess in that alone, this ride is unique. I’m just glad we didn’t have to wait long, honestly.
Despite having been listed as open earlier in the morning, by the time we’d acquired both Dawson Duel creds, Wakala really was open. I maintain that Gerstlauer are at their finest when producing quirky family coasters, and happily, this 2020 coaster themed to the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest is no exception. I’d boarded expecting nothing more than a standard family layout and was instead treated to a super fun experience packed with surprises, including a spike that I’d somehow completely missed, and even a little mid-lift-hill boost! Beautiful views and interaction with Dawson Duel round out the package to make this a really excellent little family coaster.
Our next ride would be one of the park’s headline attractions, and my first slight disappointment of the day, Bengal Rapid River. The first of this model of rapids I’ve ridden, this Vekoma model has every rider sit in their own little wedge, each of which can flex to allow the waves to crash between with ease. The theming throughout the attraction was excellent, with much beautiful landscaping, ‘ancient ruins’, and plenty of water features. The ride experience, too, was great, with some very strong rapid sections. I just… okay, I know this is on me, but for some reason, I really thought there were animals near this ride! I was waiting and waiting to be able to see some critters from the ride path, but sadly, this never happened. I think I must just have had it confused with Bengal Express! At least I won’t be disappointed next time!
Bellewaerde is the oldest operating theme park in Belgium, originally opening in 1954 as a zoo and safari park, and that history is very evident in the park in its wide variety of high-quality animal exhibits. The savannah exhibit, in particular, is excellent, and this is where we spent the next part of our morning. Across many exhibits, including the savannah, you’ll not find any fences penning in the animals. Instead, large moats surround the enclosures, making the whole experience feel much more organic. The design of the enclosure offers the animal an enormous amount of space – we saw plenty of zebra going for a run – whilst offering guests a phenomenal view out over all its residents. I could have spent an inordinate amount of time at that viewpoint overlooking the giraffe and zebra, and probably would have done, had we not had places we needed to be…
See, we weren’t visiting for any ordinary day at Bellewaerde. No sir, their Halloween event was in full swing with shows, decorations, and walk-throughs throughout the park accompanied by six paid scare experiences. We bought the ‘Mortal Pass’ scare package, including five of the attractions (the sixth is advertised for toddlers). At €30 for five experiences (priced individually at €7/8) this felt like good value, but we would soon find out just how great value it was! The only downside of the Mortal Pass was the need to book timeslots for all attractions at the point of purchase. At the time I booked online, I was unable to find any sort of map of where the attractions would be, so I ended up randomly selecting time slots for each. With the mazes located on opposite sides of the park, this caused a few logistical issues, but thankfully, the low crowds meant we were always able to make our 45-minute time slots!
The first scare attraction on our line-up was Fantasylum. Or should I say FANTA-sylum. It was sponsored by Fanta. A Fanta scare maze. Sadly, aside from a small bottle of Fanta on the sideboard of the asylum’s lobby (read: the pre-show), there was no fizzy orange theming to be seen (free sample where?) Instead, this intense tour through an asylum gave us a pretty good idea of how the rest of our day was about to go. With a large group ahead of us who were making their way through at a slow pace, the staff were excellent at holding us back and making sure we were well-spaced for our solo run-through. However, despite their best efforts, we still caught up with the group in front and – to my great despair – this just had to be in a scene where one of the asylum inmates was beating everyone with a stick. Caught at the back of the motionless group, the actor didn’t take any mercy on me, beating the back of my legs again and again with this cursed stick whilst I cried out to try and get the group to move. Finally, we emerged from the maze, back into the park, and straight back into the park’s only scare zone. This small section of pathway adjacent to the maze was home to one man with a chainsaw all afternoon, and to give him all his due credit, he did not let up. Each and every time we passed through (it’s on a key footpath), this actor had me running for cover. And it wasn’t just me. Being a combination zoo/theme park, on the day of our visit, there were a lot of school groups present. Primary school groups. This scare zone was very clearly marked with enormous archways featuring pictures of chainsaws. In front of these, large signs clearly pointed to an alternative chainsaw-free route. Sadly, these were not always picked up by distracted teachers. Even as their students burst into tears or ran away screaming, school group after school group proceeded through the zone. Teaching staff desperately tried to herd their group safely through, but chaos reigned. No mercy was taken on these young children, with the chainsaw being brandished every bit as intimidatingly at them as it had been at me. It was madness, and I couldn’t breathe from how hard I was laughing.
Our next scare would take us to the very back of the park, in the Canada-themed area housing Dawson Duel, for Mortal Mine. Where Fantasylum had been very nicely themed and a lot of fun, it was Mortal Mine that really made me realise just what Bellewaerde can do. This is an incredibly themed mine attraction, packed with scares that just do not let up. Though I think the actual number of actors in the attraction wasn’t actually that high, these guys were putting in the work and left us absolutely breathless when we emerged.
But even that didn’t prepare me for the Funerarium. I talked about this attraction more over on my recent Halloween round-up, but this was hands-down my favourite attraction of the entire season. It seemed to last forever and had me wholeheartedly immersed and shaken to my core.
Thankfully, we had a few hours between these scares and our final two attractions. Plenty of time in this quiet park to make our way through the rest of the headline attractions. And given that we were already in Mexico, our first stop would, of course, be the world’s final remaining Topple Tower: El Volador. Having entered through the Mexico entrance, the very first thing we’d seen on pulling into the car park that morning was this gorgeous, imposing structure toppling around and I couldn’t wait to experience it for myself! I’d heard plenty about how it looks far better than it rides, and yeah, that’s pretty much the case, but it was still a really enjoyable ride that made me laugh plenty as I spun and tilted all over the Mexican courtyard. I can certainly see why these rides have been phased out, but this ride is so gorgeously themed that I really hope it holds on!
Directly opposite the topple tower is Huracan, a Zierer family coaster that, like Wakala, has more than one surprise up its sleeve. However, whilst Wakala delighted with its hardware, here it’s all about the theming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really fun little indoor coaster – that in itself was a surprise, I thought it was just tucked away – but it really shines with the effort the park has gone to with the theming. Whilst the queue feels almost mine-like with its panelled walls and flickering lighting, from the moment you step into the station, it really feels like a Mayan temple. A foreboding tiled face watches over proceedings as you leave your luggage in one of the automated crates (even this feels like theming as they open and close so dramatically) lit by flickering lanterns on the wall. From here, the ride proceeds through a completely unexpected dark ride portion which, whilst there are no animatronics to speak of, is beautifully designed and atmospheric before heading up and into the main indoor coaster portion. This ride was so far beyond what I could ever want from a family coaster in a regional park, I absolutely adored it.
Just around the corner sits the one ‘extreme’ coaster in the park’s line-up, ‘Boomerang’. Do you need me to tell you about this ride? Well, it’s actually the first ever Vekoma Boomerang to open to the public and, surprisingly, didn’t ride that badly! Admittedly, we rode in the front row, but it really didn’t hurt. Plus, it had some spooky theming going on for Halloween! A win.
In fact, plenty of attractions around the park had some level of Halloween overlay going on. They’d even been given new spooky names for the season, and honestly, I’m obsessed with them! Who doesn’t want to go to the park and ride ‘Waterfall of Death’, ‘The Boomerang of the Mortals’ or ‘Mortal River’? Mortal River was our next stop of the day. Usually known as ‘River Splash’, this is the park’s log flume attraction. For Halloween, the skeletons were scattered around the ride area, and there was lighting on the lift hill (though this could be there normally), but the thing that really made it a must-ride was the station blasting out the Orc theme from Lord of the Rings. You know I have to ride the LOTR flume! It was a really fun log flume even without these additions, with a great final drop that offered a surprising amount of splash!
Of course, it’s not just the attractions around the park that have a Halloween overlay. The park was decorated – really, really decorated – for the season. Some of these decorations were stunning, some were weird, and some were downright… distasteful? As we walked around the park, we passed a giant Rhino/Crab hybrid – Nemesis Rhino anyone – giant skeletons, and of course, smaller skeletons everywhere. Including in the site of a roller coaster crash… using none other than a former roller coaster at the park. Okay. But, even worse than that, in my opinion, at least, was the nearby graveyard. A graveyard for celebrities who had passed away in the year 2023. Featuring Tina Turner, Jerry Springer, and even, in a final dishonour to Michael Gambon, ‘Perkamentus‘, the Dutch name for Albus Dumbledore. This was one of those moments where I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Madness.
By now, our next maze time slot was fast approaching, but there was just about some time for some lunch. As in many European parks, it was a little bit of a mission trying to get some vegetarian food! We weren’t helped, of course, by the vast number of closed outlets on our visit, but it’s hardly surprising given the low crowds across the park. The main sit-down restaurant offered a vegetarian burger, but at about €18, I just didn’t want it that much. Thankfully, back in the Canadian area of the park, we found a stand selling four-cheese pasta that, on a cold day, hit the spot perfectly. For quite a small box of pasta, it was €9. So, not horrific but not a bargain by anyone’s standards. Like many European parks, the drinks are also very highly-priced, with 330ml cans coming in at €4 – ouch!
Our penultimate maze was Mexican Massacre, located next door to the Funerarium. This was another incredible scare attraction. Whilst it didn’t feature as many jump scares as the other scare mazes we experienced, Mexican Massacre was, for me, the most scary. It just felt the most believable. This is, of course, a testament to the design of the attraction, as well as the incredible acting by the cast, but also the horrors of the real world. The vague story is that you have been kidnapped by a Mexican gang who are set on committing brutal murders. Inside, we were locked multiple times in tiny cells with actors who were there to ‘torture’ us. The repeated ‘locking up’ made me feel vulnerable in a way I rarely feel in scare attractions. All agency is taken away, and you really are at the mercy of the ‘murderer’ in front of you. It’s extremely intense but in a very different way to the other attractions!
Before wrapping up the scare attractions, we had a few more rides across the park on our to-do list! First up was Jungle Mission, a Jungle-Cruise-Meets-Zufari style attraction where riders sail along on a boat encountering both real and animatronic creatures. Whilst I loved much of this attraction – there were fun water effects, some nice theming and real capybaras – there were parts that were not so great. Mainly the questionable representation of indigenous people, presumably of the Amazon. Whilst Disney made the right call recently in revising these parts of Jungle Cruise, they remain here to the detriment of the attraction.
Perhaps one of the most unique experiences in the park is Bengal Express, a small train on a short track that takes guests inside the tiger exhibit. It literally drives around inside the exhibit, frequently having to stop due to tigers on the track/approaching the windows! Whilst I have experienced similar style attractions before, such as the train at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, there the exhibit was vast in scale. But here, this train is moving through a zoo-size tiger exhibit. You’re practically guaranteed to get up close. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about it as a concept. It’s more than a little intrusive to the tigers, surely? Plus, beware of this ride in summer! With the risk posed by the cats, the carriages are entirely sealed with plexiglass and signs in the queue warn of the temperatures riders face on warmer days.
If you were after some seasonal fun, but didn’t want to pay for any additional tickets, you’ll be glad to know that not all Halloween experiences at Bellewaerde are paid upcharges. Included with admission are a handful of experiences for younger guests. Of these, we only had the chance to experience one: Freaky Forest. This short walk-through attraction takes guests on a delightfully atmospheric wander through a forest, where we encounter plenty of characters! This reminded me of Monster Street at LEGOLAND, except without the free LEGO, but with some more enhanced theming. It’s hard to go wrong setting a bunch of lights, smoke, and pumpkins in a forest!
Our last of the park’s ordinary offerings, but still quite a spooky one, would be Houdini. This Vekoma madhouse is very similar to the one found at Six Flags Great Adventure, in that it is themed to the life and afterlife of Harry Houdini. Just like the version across the Atlantic, this ride peaks in its pre-show, inviting guests into a very rich set and featuring tricks Houdini himself would be proud of. With the language difference, I’m not sure if this attraction followed the same seance storyline, so can’t say whether I have a similar moral issue with the concept as I did there, but I did find this an excellent madhouse, albeit one that was slightly more nauseating than usual. (Maybe I’m just getting old, as I feel like I say this a lot these days!)
Before we proceeded down to Camping Corpse, our final scare attraction, there was one more spooky offering calling our names. Niagara, the park’s shoot-the-chute attraction, was the sort of ride that wouldn’t usually be a must-do on a first visit to the park. Though it was gorgeously themed, the attraction was very much an up-and-down job. But there was something just a little bit different about this one, at least for Halloween. Some of the boats were entirely enclosed. Not only enclosed but blacked out and covered in spooky imagery. A shoot-the-chute in the dark!? What?! I’m not sure if this is a normal offering – sans spooky pictures – but either way, we had to try it. On this cold, wet day, there was no line at all so we were able to hop straight into the covered boat – having joined a designated line for the special experience – on getting in, we were greeted with a boat that was still somehow wet on the inside, but completely dark, bar a neon blue light strip. It was also completely silent. This made for an extremely disconcerting experience as we began our sail around the ride. From the moment we reached the top of the lift hill, I was bracing myself ready for a drop at any time. I really did have no idea when we would be dropping, and when you’re just chilling on a bench seat with no restraint and a 65-foot drop incoming, that’s actually quite stressful! Hitting the bottom of the drop, water managed to squeeze its way in through gaps in the hood, making sure we didn’t stay completely dry. In fact, the lid dripped on us consistently on the way back, which, with no sense of how much further was left, felt like it lasted forever! Would I recommend this experience? Not at all. Honestly, it was just bizarre and unpleasant. But still, it’s got to be tried, hasn’t it?
And so the time had come for our final scare attraction of the day. We’d be ending our scares with the 4/5 rated Camping Corpse. This attraction shares a set-up with Mortal Mine similar to Funerarium and Mexican Massacre, except this time, it would prove to be so, so much worse than its neighbour. It really hurt to have our final attraction let us down so much, but Camping Corpse was the worst attraction of the day by a vast gulf. I think, and hope, that we were just very unlucky. All of our problems with this maze stemmed from an absolute dearth of actors, so perhaps something had happened, or it was lunchtime? I don’t know. But it all started so promisingly! The very first segment of the maze had us pushing our way through full-body height inflatable sacks (the kind that will be very familiar to Tulley’s Shocktoberfest veterans), except here, we were joined by an actor! As I pushed my way out of the end of the sacks, an actor leapt at me, pushing me back inside and jumping in with us! It was chaotic, terrifying fun that had me scrambling and pushing to get out before screaming and running away. I think after that, we may have seen… two other actors? One of which brandished a chainsaw at us in the least scary way I have ever seen. As we moved through the actor-less (but very nicely themed with so, so many caravans) scenes, the sound of a chainsaw in the distance kept some hope alive. But to have this actor then just keep the chainsaw at their side and slightly twitch it upwards, not even moving any closer to us… it just felt so out of keeping with what we – and even those young kids in the scare zone – had experienced throughout our day! The final salt in the wound was a camera crew set up by the park at the exit. They were clearly gathering marketing materials, and well, if a really put-out-looking girl in a rain mac slowly walks out of the maze in any videos, it might well be me!
My usual last stop on my first visit to a park would always be to pick up some merchandise, some small knick-knacks to add another park to my collection. Sadly, there was nothing here at Bellewaerde that took my fancy, or at least took my fancy enough to pay the asking price! The merch was certainly not cheap, but I still would have picked up a shirt if there were any cute designs! There were some nice pieces, like a beautifully patterned glass-cleaning cloth (unusual!) and a jigsaw puzzle! But sadly, there are no pins, which is always a shame!
Overall, I was really, really impressed with Bellewaerde, particularly with the Halloween offering! On a normal day, this would still have been a really lovely day at a family-oriented park, with plenty of beautiful theming and animals along the way. However, visiting during the Halloween season meant that our day also contained more adrenaline than a normal day at a thrill-based park! I was blown away by the scare mazes here, by the attention to detail, the acting, and the (almost) consistent intensity. With this very adult experience added into the mix, I couldn’t have asked for a better blend of attractions! If you’re heading off on a European road trip in 2024, Bellewaerde is well worth a stop-off on your way. However, if it’s Halloween, it’s worth the trip all by itself!
Speak again soon,
Claire
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coasterclaire.co.uk 