The world's largest waterpark meets Dubai's most immersive underwater aquarium — a complete guide to two of the most spectacular attractions on the Palm Jumeirah.
Atlantis The Palm — the iconic resort on Palm Jumeirah housing both Aquaventure World and The Lost Chambers Aquarium
Perched on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah — Dubai's most iconic man-made island — Aquaventure Waterpark is no ordinary water park. Having undergone a remarkable multi-year expansion, it now holds the title of the world's largest waterpark, covering over 22 hectares with more than 105 record-breaking slides, rides, lazy rivers, and a pristine private beach stretching one kilometre along the Arabian Gulf. Adjacent to the waterpark, within the palatial Atlantis The Palm resort, lies The Lost Chambers Aquarium — a labyrinthine network of underwater tunnels and chambers home to more than 65,000 marine creatures across 21 immersive exhibits, all themed around the mythological sunken city of Atlantis.
Together, these two world-class attractions form one of the most comprehensive aquatic destinations on the planet — combining heart-stopping adrenaline, family-friendly entertainment, genuine marine education, and the extraordinary backdrop of a luxury island resort. For travellers arriving on a 5 Nights 6 Days Dubai holiday package, dedicating a full day to Aquaventure and The Lost Chambers is not merely recommended — it is essential.
These curated videos offer a first-person preview of both Aquaventure Waterpark and The Lost Chambers Aquarium — covering the major rides, the aquarium experience, and the full atmosphere of a day at Atlantis The Palm.
A comprehensive walkthrough covering the Trident Tower slides, Fearless Odyssey, Raging Rapids, Splashers zones, and the private beach — a realistic preview of a full visit day.
Watch on YouTubeAn immersive tour of The Lost Chambers Aquarium exploring all 21 underwater chambers, resident marine life including sharks and rays, and the atmospheric Atlantis mythology theming.
Watch on YouTubeA broader look at the Aquaventure World experience including the new Trident Tower, record-breaking attractions, Dolphin Bay, and what a full family day at the waterpark looks like in practice.
Watch on YouTubeOriginally opened in 2008 as part of the Atlantis The Palm resort, Aquaventure Waterpark has expanded dramatically over the years, culminating in the opening of the landmark Trident Tower — the world's tallest waterpark tower at 40 metres — along with Splashers Lagoon and Splashers Cove, adding 28 new record-breaking slides and attractions. Today, as Aquaventure World, the park hosts over 105 slides, rides, and experiences across its 22-hectare site, making it the definitive global leader in aquatic entertainment.
The park is structured around distinct zones — from the serene Torrent River lazy river (2.3 km) to the vertiginous Trident Tower, with a sprawling 1-kilometre private beach and multiple dining options completing the experience. Travellers exploring Dubai Delights — 5 Nights 6 Days with Palm Jumeirah can seamlessly integrate a full Aquaventure day into their itinerary.
The world's highest waterslide, located at the peak of the Trident Tower at 40 metres. Riders stand on a trap-door platform and drop through a near-vertical plunge reaching speeds approaching 70 km/h. Pure, concentrated adrenaline in the most literal sense. Minimum height 1.4 m.
A fully enclosed body slide plunging riders into complete darkness through sharp curves and a near-vertical free-fall section. The loss of visual reference makes this among the most disorienting and intense slides in the park. Minimum height 1.2 m.
One of the world's largest water slides — riders board a multi-person inflatable raft and descend from 25 metres through the world's largest fibreglass tube, sweeping through bends before being launched across a massive funnel bowl. Capacity for up to 6 riders per raft.
A two-person body slide launching riders through a clear acrylic tube suspended directly over the shark lagoon. Transparency means riders are face-to-face with sharks while hurtling at speed — one of the most visually dramatic water slide experiences anywhere. Minimum height 1.2 m.
Starting at nearly 30 metres above ground, this family raft ride accelerates through an enclosed dark tube before emerging into a transparent tunnel passing through the resident shark aquarium. The knowledge that only centimetres of acrylic separate riders from apex predators is genuinely extraordinary.
A high-speed body slide delivering a sustained series of sharp turns, banking curves, and sudden directional changes. Deceptively fast and relentlessly twisting — consistently ranked among guests' favourite slides for its sustained intensity from top to bottom.
A multi-person tube slide for groups of up to 4 riders, featuring sharp banking curves and sweeping turns at significant speed. The wide-body tube means riders can observe each other's reactions throughout, amplifying the shared experience considerably.
Four parallel racing slides allow four riders to race simultaneously down side-by-side lanes. Competitive, high-speed, and enormously entertaining — the winner-takes-all format makes this endlessly replayable and one of the park's most socially engaging attractions.
The longest family water track in the park at approximately 450 metres, with sweeping curves, cascading water features, and a series of gentle drops. Suitable for the whole family and combines scenic Palm Jumeirah views with enough pace to satisfy older riders.
A 2.3-kilometre lazy river threading through the entire park, alternating between rapids sections, waterfalls, wave pools, and calm stretches. Guests ride inflatable tubes at their own pace — the park's most versatile attraction and a perfect resting activity between thrill rides.
A multi-person round-raft river ride for groups of 4–6 through a turbulent white-water course of rapids, jets, and spinning sections. The unpredictable rotation of the raft means every run feels different — ideal for families with children aged 4 and above with adult accompaniment.
An artificial surf facility generating a consistent, adjustable wave suitable for beginner through intermediate surfers. Surf lessons with qualified instructors are available, and the wave is tuned to different difficulty levels — an exhilarating, genuinely skill-building activity in the middle of a waterpark.
A 1-kilometre stretch of private beach on the Arabian Gulf, included with all park admission. Loungers, parasols, a supervised swimming area, and non-motorised watersports create a resort-quality beach experience with spectacular views towards the Dubai Marina skyline.
A waterpark zip line launching riders over the lagoon pools at speed, providing a brief bird's-eye view of the resort before splashing down into the water below. One of the more unusual activities in the park's portfolio — a guaranteed highlight. Height and weight restrictions apply.
Part of the new Trident Tower expansion — a dedicated children's water playground with 16 purpose-built attractions scaled for smaller guests: mini slides, interactive water jets, tipping buckets, climbing structures, and shallow splash pools. Suitable from age 2 upwards.
A pirate-themed enclosed water play zone with mini tube slides, water cannons, a rope bridge, and a giant tipping bucket that drenches the entire zone on a timer. Immersive theming makes it a favourite for children aged 3–8 seeking their own independent waterpark adventure.
The original children's area featuring a multi-level play structure, fountains, a climbing wall, mini body slides, and shallow play pools. The gentlest on-site introduction to water slides — ideal for toddlers and children experiencing their very first waterpark visit.
Dolphin Bay, connected to the Aquaventure complex, offers a spectrum of dolphin interaction programmes — from shallow-water Dolphin Encounters for non-swimmers and children from age 3, to open-water Dolphin Adventure swims for confident swimmers, to the premium Deep Water Swim programme. Adjacent Sea Lion Point offers guided sea lion interaction sessions in a dedicated pool facility.
All Dolphin Bay programmes operate under strict animal welfare protocols. Both Dolphin Bay and Sea Lion Point are available as add-ons to any waterpark or aquarium admission and must be pre-booked given strictly limited daily capacity. Contact our Dubai travel enquiry team to secure advance reservations as part of a comprehensive resort day experience.
Accessed from within Atlantis The Palm, The Lost Chambers Aquarium immerses visitors in the mythology of the sunken city of Atlantis through 21 interconnected chambers — each designed as a ruined hall, sunken corridor, or lost library of the ancient civilisation. The narrative is maintained throughout via atmospheric lighting, ancient stonework, crumbling columns, and archaic inscriptions, creating an experience that feels simultaneously like an aquarium and an archaeological museum.
Home to more than 65,000 marine creatures across hundreds of species, the aquarium's highlights include:
| Chamber or Exhibit | Resident Species and Highlights |
|---|---|
| The Ambassador Lagoon | 11 million litres housing sharks, rays, and 65,000 creatures; floor-to-ceiling glass walls for panoramic viewing |
| The Hall of Poseidon | Entrance chamber with a towering glass tunnel through the shark habitat — overwhelming in scale and impact |
| The Myth Chamber | Interpretive displays and interactive screens on the Atlantis mythology and ocean science |
| Piranha Pool | Close-up viewing of the resident red-bellied piranha shoal in a dedicated tank |
| Seahorse Kingdom | Multiple seahorse species in a coral-garden setting with detailed interpretation panels |
| Jellyfish Gallery | Floor-to-ceiling circular tanks of bioluminescent jellyfish, dramatically lit for maximum visual impact |
| Ray Bay | Shallow open pool for close-proximity observation of multiple stingray species |
| The Ruins | Dimly-lit chambers with full-wall aquarium windows giving an immersive ambient marine view |
| The Touch Pool | Interactive tank for supervised touching of sea cucumbers, starfish, and permitted species |
| Shark Lagoon | Overhead and surrounding windows for close observation of multiple shark species in a naturalistic habitat |
Hourly guided tours led by a marine expert covering resident species, conservation programmes, and Atlantis mythology. Included with standard aquarium admission. Approximately 45 minutes.
Scheduled interactive marine education demonstrations and close-up species encounters. Showtimes vary — check the daily schedule board on arrival at the aquarium entrance.
Certified divers can participate in a structured dive inside the Ambassador Lagoon alongside sharks, rays, and the full marine population. Advance booking essential. PADI Open Water or equivalent required.
Non-certified guests aged 10 and above can snorkel in the Shark Lagoon with full guide supervision — coming face-to-face with rays and sharks in their natural habitat. All equipment provided.
A premium tour of the aquarium's operational areas — filtration systems, feeding stations, medical facilities, and conservation laboratories. Genuine insight into how a world-class aquarium functions.
An overnight educational experience for school groups and families — sleeping alongside the tanks, night feeds with staff, and a dedicated marine education programme. Available by advance group booking.
The park opens at 10:00 AM. Arriving at opening keeps queue times for the most popular thrill rides minimal. Queue times for Fearless Odyssey and Poseidon's Revenge can exceed 45 minutes by midday on busy days.
A full 7–8 hours is required to properly experience both Aquaventure and The Lost Chambers. Attempting both in half a day will result in rushed visits and missed attractions.
October to April. The outdoor waterpark is far more enjoyable in cooler months. Summer temperatures can exceed 40°C — slides remain open but the heat outside shaded areas is intense.
Appropriate swimwear is strictly required. Denim, abayas, dishdashas, and very loose clothing are not permitted on water attractions. Headscarves must be properly secured. Burkinis and rashguards are fully accepted.
Take the Palm Jumeirah Monorail from Nakheel Station to Atlantis station — the most direct public transport option. Taxis and rideshares also serve the Atlantis entrance. Dubai tour packages include hotel transfers.
Reef-safe sunscreen, a change of clothes, water shoes, a waterproof phone case, and a light towel. Lockers and towel rental are available at the park entrance. Outside food is not permitted.
Begin with The Lost Chambers (air-conditioned, builds the story of the day), then transition to thrill rides from mid-morning, use the private beach during peak heat (12–3 PM), and return to remaining slides in the cooler afternoon.
Daily capacity for Dolphin Bay sessions is strictly limited. Pre-booking through your tour operator or directly with the resort is essential to avoid disappointment — particularly during school holiday periods.
The Palm Jumeirah offers complementary experiences that build a complete day or multi-day island itinerary alongside Aquaventure. The View at the Palm observation deck on the 52nd floor of the Palm Tower provides 360-degree panoramic views of the entire Palm, the Dubai skyline, and the Arabian Gulf, accessible via the Palm Monorail. The Palm Jumeirah Boardwalk — a 7.8-kilometre pedestrian path along the outer crescent — offers spectacular sunset views of the Atlantis silhouette. The Dubai Miracle Garden, open October to April, is a 20-minute drive from the Palm and an ideal complementary half-day activity.
For a comprehensive Dubai experience, the Dubai Encounter 4 Nights 5 Days package includes structured Palm Jumeirah access, while the Dubai Delights 5 Nights 6 Days with Palm Jumeirah package dedicates specific time to the island's top attractions including Aquaventure. Guests travelling from India can explore tailored options: Dubai packages from Mumbai, Dubai packages from Hyderabad, and Dubai packages from Chennai.
Our Dubai travel experts will build the perfect itinerary — Aquaventure, The Lost Chambers, Palm Jumeirah, and beyond — with hotel, transfers, and full support included.
View Dubai Tour Packages Send an EnquiryAquaventure World at Atlantis The Palm is the world's largest waterpark, earning this title through its 22-hectare footprint, over 105 slides and attractions, a 2.3-kilometre lazy river, a 1-kilometre private beach on the Arabian Gulf, and the landmark Trident Tower — the world's tallest waterpark tower at 40 metres. Originally opened in 2008, the park has undergone successive expansions, most recently with the Trident Tower development adding 28 entirely new record-breaking slides and attractions.
Beyond scale, Aquaventure distinguishes itself through quality across all visitor categories — genuine world-class thrill rides for adults, thoughtfully designed children's zones, a high-quality private beach, and seamless integration with the Atlantis The Palm resort. It is consistently ranked among the world's top waterparks by major travel publications. Travellers on a Dubai 6-day holiday package who skip Aquaventure are almost universally advised by returning visitors that it should have been on their itinerary.
The Lost Chambers Aquarium is an immersive, narrative-driven aquarium built within the foundations of Atlantis The Palm and themed around the sunken city of Atlantis. Unlike a conventional aquarium displaying tanks in a standard gallery format, The Lost Chambers uses 21 interconnected chambers — each themed as a ruined hall, sunken library, or ancient corridor — creating a continuous story as guests move through.
The marine population of over 65,000 creatures includes multiple shark species, stingrays, piranhas, seahorses, jellyfish, eels, and thousands of reef fish, housed in an 11-million-litre Ambassador Lagoon with surrounding chamber tanks, overhead tunnels, and interactive pools. Hourly Myth Tours, an Aquatheatre with scheduled educational shows, a touch pool, and the option to dive or snorkel with sharks make The Lost Chambers far more layered than a conventional aquarium visit — and particularly strong as an educational experience for families.
The most thrilling rides at Aquaventure World, broadly ranked by intensity:
The standard minimum height for most major thrill rides is 1.2 metres. Trained attendants enforce all restrictions. Guests with back, neck, heart, or joint conditions are advised to consult a physician before participating. Pregnant guests are not permitted on any thrill rides.
Yes — Aquaventure World is excellent for young children. The new Splashers Lagoon and Splashers Cove from the Trident Tower expansion together house 16+ purpose-built children's attractions including mini slides, water jets, tipping buckets, shallow splash pools, and themed play structures — all designed for children as young as 2 years old.
The original Splashers Mountain area continues to offer climbing walls, mini body slides, and interactive fountains. The Torrent River lazy river accommodates young children with parental supervision, and the private beach has a designated supervised children's swimming area with shallow entry. Children aged 2 and below receive complimentary admission. The child rate applies to ages 3–7 below 1.2 metres in height. Our Dubai family holiday packages are designed to accommodate families across all age groups.
A combined visit requires a full day of at least 7–8 hours. Breaking this down practically:
The recommended sequence: begin with The Lost Chambers at park opening (while waterpark queues are minimal), transition to thrill rides mid-morning, use the beach during peak heat (noon to 3 PM), and return to remaining slides in the cooler late afternoon. Guests on our Dubai Delights package receive pre-planned day guidance covering exactly this sequencing.
Dolphin Bay offers a graduated range of interaction programmes:
All programmes operate under strict animal welfare protocols with strictly limited daily participant numbers. Advance booking is essential. Our Dubai enquiry team can pre-book Dolphin Bay as part of a full resort day experience.
The main transport options to Aquaventure World at Atlantis The Palm are:
Aquaventure World enforces a swimwear policy balancing international waterpark standards with Dubai's cultural context:
These rules are enforced by ride attendants at the top of every attraction. Guests not meeting requirements will be asked to change before boarding. Reef-safe sunscreen is strongly recommended for use on the beach and in the lagoon snorkelling areas, as standard sunscreens can damage marine ecosystems.
Yes — The Lost Chambers offers two distinct in-water experiences placing guests directly alongside sharks and rays in the Ambassador Lagoon:
Both experiences require advance booking and have limited daily participant slots to protect the marine environment. These represent some of the most accessible shark encounter opportunities available anywhere outside dedicated dive travel. Our enquiry team can arrange these bookings as part of your Dubai itinerary.
The Aquaventure and Atlantis campus offer a wide range of dining suited to different budgets and schedules:
Outside food and beverages are not permitted within the waterpark boundaries. Sealed water bottles up to 500 ml per person are the exception. Locker facilities at the park entrance allow secure storage of belongings throughout the day.
The Torrent River is one of Aquaventure's most beloved attractions — a 2.3-kilometre continuous lazy river that encircles the park, deliberately varying in pace and intensity. Unlike a standard lazy river operating at a single gentle speed, the Torrent River alternates between:
Guests ride on individual or double inflatable tubes available throughout the river at no additional cost. Multiple entry and exit points allow guests to board or leave at any stage. A full circuit takes approximately 20–35 minutes. Many guests complete several circuits during their visit, using it as an active resting activity between thrill rides. Accessible to virtually all ages and particularly well-suited to younger children with adult accompaniment.
The Aquaventure private beach — a 1-kilometre stretch of sand on the Arabian Gulf — is included with all waterpark admission and is not accessible to the general public without valid park or hotel admission. Facilities include:
The beach faces westward across the Arabian Gulf, offering panoramic sunset views towards Dubai Marina and JBR — making late afternoon the most atmospheric time to use this facility. The absence of public crowds and the consistently clear blue water make Aquaventure Beach one of the most premium accessible beach experiences in Dubai.
Dubai has two major waterparks — Aquaventure World at Atlantis The Palm and Wild Wadi Waterpark adjacent to the Burj Al Arab. Both are excellent, but they differ meaningfully:
| Feature | Aquaventure World | Wild Wadi |
|---|---|---|
| Size | World's largest — 22+ hectares | Smaller and more compact |
| Slides and Rides | 105+ slides and attractions | 30+ attractions |
| Private Beach | 1 km on the Arabian Gulf | No beach access |
| Aquarium | Lost Chambers — 65,000+ animals | Not available |
| Dolphin Experience | Yes — Dolphin Bay on site | No |
| Location | Palm Jumeirah crescent | Jumeirah — near Burj Al Arab |
| Best For | Full-day experience for all ages | Shorter visit, central location convenience |
For first-time visitors with a single full waterpark day, Aquaventure World is the clear recommendation based on sheer content volume, The Lost Chambers addition, the private beach, and Dolphin Bay. Wild Wadi suits a half-day visit or guests staying near Jumeirah. Travellers on our Dubai 6-day package can feasibly experience both.
General operating hours — subject to seasonal variation and UAE public holidays:
The park may close specific attractions for maintenance without prior notice. UAE National Day, Eid celebrations, and New Year periods represent the park's busiest periods with possible crowd management measures in place. Visiting on a weekday between October and April offers the best combination of weather, crowd levels, and full operational availability. Our Dubai travel team can advise on optimal visit dates for your travel window.
Yes — both attractions can be fully incorporated into a Dubai holiday package. The benefits of booking through a tour operator over booking independently are substantial:
Our Dubai Delights 5 Nights 6 Days with Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Encounter 4 Nights 5 Days packages both include structured Palm Jumeirah access with Aquaventure integration. For custom itineraries with specific Dolphin Bay or in-aquarium dive arrangements, contact our Dubai travel specialists directly. Guests from India can explore tailored options including Dubai packages from Mumbai, Dubai packages from Hyderabad, and Dubai packages from Chennai.
Let our travel specialists build your perfect Dubai itinerary — Aquaventure, The Lost Chambers, Palm Jumeirah, and every iconic Dubai experience — with hotel, flights, visa, and transfers all taken care of.
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