Countless times while driving  towards downtown Dar es Salaam, I have seen, albeit from a distance, the Funcity Amusement and Water Park on Kigamboni island, but was never interested enough to visit it.

Recently, however, I figured I must be missing something when I read a social media post recommending the theme park as one of the places to visit during the Eid celebration. That piqued my interest.

So a few days before Eid, on a perfect hot day, my brother and I decided to check it out.

Built on 30 acres of coastal greenery on Kigamboni island in Twangoma area, the park is just a car ride away from Dar es Salaam city centre. It is accessible either by ferry or the new Kigamboni bridge. We opted for the six-minute ride on MV Magogoni ferry across the channel to the island. The ferry is usually crowded with beach goers but being a weekday, the commute was pleasant. From the ferry landing, the park is 20km out.

The alternative is by the Kigamboni Bridge, and then a 10km drive to the park.

There is an entrance charge of Tsh15,000 ($6.5) per person which entitles you to 40 different rides (both dry and wet). The park has two sections: The theme (dry) park and the water park. There are 36 different fun rides from roller coasters to caterpillars in what I will call the dry park; and 25 different water slides and a wave pool spread across cool blue waters and lush gardens. It is a perfect family outing, suitable for all age groups with fun water games and a Go Kart racing circuit in the dry park.

VISITING

We visited on a weekday when the park is less crowded, meaning we didn’t have to queue either for tickets or at the water slides as is normal on weekends and public holidays, we learnt later. We got to try everything and repeated those rides that we really liked.

My brother and I started at the water park's four tube slides that enable a family or group to compete on who can slide down faster through a twisted route and splash out the farthest in the landing pool. We learnt several rides later that the trick is to slide down head first. Sitting up slows down the descent.

The best ride was the two "speed slides." You lie on your back and slide feet-first and end up being spewed out at high speed through the air and into the pool. Once was enough for me! I was screaming my lungs out. When I landed in the pool I was so dizzy I could hardly walk straight and I splashed right back into the water. The experienced people took a few minutes in the pool to steady themselves before walking back to the top for another ride!

As a safety precaution, there are minimum height restrictions on some of the rides. For example, children under 48 inches tall are not allowed on the adult slides.

The wave pool was clearly a favourite with many people as the crowds excitedly moved with every ebb and flow. It is advisable to avoid the deep water area if you are not a good swimmer since the waves hit harder there.

For the non-adrenaline junkies, the park has a 12D movie theatre, a zip line built around majestic baobab trees — that I tried out —  but I saved the Go Kart for my next visit because it was not covered in the entrance charge.

Since a visit to the park is an all-day affair, there is a food court for those seeking to replenish their energy. Interestingly, the park also has cottages for hire and a camp site for those wishing to spend the night in the park. Life guards and security workers are on duty round the clock meaning the water sports can be enjoyed even at night.