Ancol Dreamland Park offers fun for the whole family

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

It was just before noon. The sun was high in the sky, but the children and adults who were having fun in the water did not seem to mind the scorching sun. They laughed and played together in the waves, swimming along the river or sliding down tubes in the "little mountain".

Waterfalls and fountains as well as streams and wave pools highlight this new facility called the Atlantis Water Adventures at Gelanggang Renang (Water Arena) of the Ancol Recreation Park in North Jakarta, which is engineered to create a feeling of the ancient age.

"We enjoy ourselves here. I have been to many swimming pools, but none like this. It is really great," said Yani, a visitor from Bogor, West Java.

She was accompanying her daughter, who came to the park in a tour organized by the girl's kindergarten.

Atlantis Water Adventures, which has a concept of the "lost continent", opened in June following a two-year construction project that cost Rp 60 billion, according to Budi Karya Sumadi, president director of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, which develops and manages the park. The development project is still underway but should be completed next year.

Since Atlantis first opened, the number of visitors has increased sharply. On Sundays, the number has increased from 3,000 to 5,000 while on weekdays there are about 500 visitors daily. However, during the school holidays, the number could reach as many as 12,000 daily.

The entrance fee is Rp 25,000 on weekdays and Rp 35,000 on weekends. In addition, visitors must pay Rp 10,000 each to enter Ancol itself. A 50 percent discount is offered for those who come before 8 a.m. to enjoy the fresh morning air or exercise along the four-kilometer jogging track.

Atlantis is the only water park in town that has a wave pool with 10 pumps to create the waves. One pump requires 28,000 watts of electricity and the main pool has a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters of water. It is surrounded by a stream pool that has a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters of water.

Ancol is also conducting a major renovation on Gelanggang Samudra, an oceanarium which is famous for its dolphin and sea lion shows. The Rp 100 billion project will turn the arena, which has a theme of "hidden treasures", into one offering visitors both entertainment and education. This "edutainment center" will help people learn about biology in a fun way, especially getting to know more about various animals, from fish and birds to mammals.

Education is a concept adopted by Ancol, as implemented in its Fantasy World (Dunia Fantasi or Dufan), a theme park like Disneyland where visitors can enjoy rides and games. It offers eight entertainment areas namely the Jakarta Area, the Asian Area, the Greek Area, Fantasy Area, the European Area, the Indonesian Area, the American Area and the Monkey Ballads. Dufan, in cooperation with physicist Yohanes Surya, offers a special package for students who want to learn about physics in a fun way at the park.

Ancol recreation park was built in 1966 upon the order of president Sukarno who had a vision of a recreation park by the sea. The development was carried out by PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, a joint venture of the city administration and developer Ciputra.

In the beginning, the company only focused on the beach, but later, more and more facilities were built, including the Art Market, the Bird Park, Sea World, which is managed by its partner under a BOT (built, operation and transfer) system, a bowling alley and a golf course. A cable car also allows visitors to enjoy the beautiful panorama from the air. Concerts are often held here featuring the favorite artists of various music genres from dangdut to jazz.

The company is also developing a hotel, cottages and housing estates and plans to build industrial estates and other properties in its area of 552 hectares.

Maintaining the beach is not an easy job and each year, PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol spends between Rp 30 billion and Rp 40 billion for that purpose. They have to construct a new layer on the ground as it always sinks, and build structures to break the water in order to prevent the erosion of the beach.

Two or three decades ago, Ancol was known as a place where commercial sex was available. Even though Ancol remains a favorite place for lovers, especially at night, it has embraced an image as a family recreation park, thanks to the park management who declared a war against prostitution.

As a public place, Ancol, which has received many domestic and international awards, continues to create new facilities with the concept of innovations to attract visitors. Covering a 160 hectare plot of land, it stands as the biggest recreation area in Southeast Asia with an average of 11 million visitors a year, the sixth largest number of visitors to a park in the world.

In terms of its size, it is indeed number one in the region, but Budi believes Ancol is a work in progress.

One of the greatest challenges the management faces is the changing Indonesian lifestyle, whereby television and movies, computer games and shopping malls offer entertainment that is closer at hand.

In air-conditioned malls, people can go shopping, watch a movie and eat out with family or friends, while in Ancol, it is really hot and visitors must be prepared to be drenched in sweat. Budi, however, believes in the potency of outdoor recreation.

"Recreational activities can become our strength. We will not employ the use of air conditioners. Sweating profusely during recreation is natural," he said, adding that the park management had made efforts to ease the heat by planting trees on its green enclaves.