Ancol Dreamland Park offers fun for the whole family

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.