Published: 22 April 2026
Qiddiya City is preparing to open Aquarabia, the largest water park in the Middle East and the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Opening on 23 April, the park marks a significant milestone for Qiddiya's emergence as a world-class destination for entertainment, sport, and culture. Spanning approximately 250,000 square metres, it offers an extensive range of water rides and experiences encompassing adventure, thrill, and relaxation, alongside restaurants, retail, and supporting facilities. Sustainability has been embedded throughout: more than 80% of waste will be recycled, and 100% of water used for irrigation and cooling will be recycled.
Aquarabia also introduces several Saudi firsts, among them a wave-riding experience and facilities capable of hosting kayak competitions during the Asian Games, alongside world-class infrastructure and dedicated training areas for water sports.
The Eight Zones
The park is organised into eight themed zones, each drawing on Saudi wildlife and landscape for its design inspiration, and collectively featuring four record-breaking attractions.
- Camel Rock sits at the heart of the park and houses five rides. Camel Racer is a high-speed tube race through alternating dark and illuminated turns. Camel Rock Interactive is an immersive cave experience with mist trails, luminescent rock formations, and crystals that react to movement. Crazy Trails features the world's longest and tallest looping water coaster. Jamal Joom is the world's tallest and longest slide, combining sharp turns, steep descents, and dramatic lighting effects. Speedy Jumzales offers three rides in one — a free-fall slide, a speed slide, and a 360-degree loop slide with semi-transparent fibreglass panels.
- Surf Lagoon is the destination for wave enthusiasts and those seeking a more leisurely beach experience. Its centrepiece is Surftopia, Saudi Arabia's first dedicated wave pool, which offers four wave types suited to all ability levels, from beginners to experienced surfers.
- The Den is the park's dedicated family and children's area. Splish Splash Sploosh provides a colourful interactive play space with fountains and water jets on safety-certified flooring. Zoom Zoom offers a multi-slide play structure with vibrant Aqualucent lighting technology.
- Wave Wadi keeps the energy high with Waves Bay, a wave pool that transitions from calm water to rolling waves, complete with a DJ platform; and Valley Challenge, a six-person raft ride that climbs 19.7 metres through swirling rapids and 360-degree rotations.
- Herding Grounds is designed for those seeking a genuine physical challenge. Its five play areas include Awesome Wadi, an exploration zone of gorges and caverns; Jump Jolt, a free-fall platform experience; Kayakstream, Saudi Arabia's first artificial kayak course at 450 metres through white water; Raft Republic, a wild river rafting experience; and Yolo Solo, a ropes-free climbing challenge culminating in a plunge pool landing.
- Arabian Peak is the park's adult retreat, a calmer destination offering fine dining, panoramic views over Qiddiya City, and the Rahkwa lounge, a serene adult-only sanctuary.
- Dabb Grotto offers a more relaxed atmosphere, anchored by Splash Grotto, home to Fusion Fortress 17, the world's largest water play structure, with 181 interactive play elements and ten water slides, designed for all ages and abilities.
- Fiber Canyon delivers the park's most intense thrills. Aquaticar: Legend of the Glowing Guardians is a multi-sensory underwater ride set nine feet below the surface, with immersive sound and visual effects. Hyper Fiber seats up to 20 riders on a 15-metre drop ride with vertical plunges and drenching water cannons. The Lazy Camel offers a gentle float through the canyon, past Tuwaiq mountain formations. Fiber Challenge combines speed, tight turns, and sharp drops. Slidereel is the world's longest spinning-wheel slide, with Aqualucent lighting effects throughout.
Dining, Retail, and Facilities
Beyond the rides, Aquarabia offers 23 food and beverage and retail outlets, spanning a broad range of cuisines. Highlights include Ascent restaurant, Barrel, Costa Cucina for Italian dining, Frosty Shack for lighter bites, Grill Shawi for Middle Eastern fare, and Shishawi for charcoal-grilled meats, alongside further dining options, retail stores, and guest amenities.
A Global Destination with a Saudi Spirit
Aquarabia is one of the defining projects in Qiddiya's journey towards becoming a global capital of entertainment, which is one of the central ambitions of Vision 2030. The wider Qiddiya development will ultimately be home to 600,000 residents and will encompass, alongside Aquarabia, Six Flags Qiddiya, a motorsport circuit, two championship golf courses, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, and dedicated zones for arts, culture, and esports.
Situated on the doorstep of Riyadh, Qiddiya promises a standard of living and entertainment that is genuinely world-class: a bold, Saudi-led reimagining of what modern urban life can be.
