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Black Thunder Theme Park, Mettupalayam

by Sudha Chandrasekaran
(Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu)

‘Great place, great fun’ - Black Thunder Theme Park, Mettupalayam


The weather is fast reaching boiling point and summer vacations for schools and colleges have begun! We always keep thinking as to where to head next even if it be a short weekend or just a day. While we can still make our way out of the house we head towards the nearest Theme park, to take a dip, sit back and relax! India has several mesmerizing and wonderful travel destinations to visit during weekends and one of the most popular parks that can be visited is the Black Thunder, an exhilarating amusement and theme park, just 40 kilometres away from our hometown, Coimbatore.

I am one of those who cannot stand the idea of a prolonged car ride for a day’s trip and so Black Thunder proved to be a perfect fit. All excited we packed some snacks for our road trip and left home at 9 after breakfast. Singing and playing all our way, we, a family of three adults and four children, reached Black Thunder in Mettupalayam, at around 10 am. Black Thunder is one of the finest water theme park situated at the foot of the Nilgiri Mountains in South India. It is considered the biggest water theme park in entire Asia. Covering a sprawling expanse of greenery and natural landscapes it reaches nearly 65 acres of rustic land near the forest boundary of the mountain.

We soon reach the entrance and buy the tickets, which appear to be a bit pricey. College and school students do get some concession. Having taken their swim trunks along, the children soon change into that attire and are ready to start their exploration of the wet and dry rides. They all run towards the rides like an uncontrollable gust of wind! We find it hard to keep pace with them! The park is a truly lovely place offering a dizzying array of rides.

Modelled on the lines of Water Kingdom in Mumbai, however on a much larger scale, this park is a scene of non-stop fun and adventure. On offer are a combination of land games and a plethora of water ones. Yet again... you see people everywhere screaming and shouting with excitement. Jumping n sliding, swimming n floating, for over 60 acres of thrilling fun and adventurous rides! This is the BLACK THUNDER experience! The park offers about 49 exciting rides, some of which are extremely thrilling specially meant for daredevils and people who like to test their limits!

Few of the most exciting water rides include:
Wave Pool: The size of the pool is 15,000 square feet and is considered to be the largest in India. It is a faithful reproduction of an ocean in an inland swimming pool. Ride into an ocean of waves with exciting wave patterns that are created as they crash, dash and change shape with hi-tech digital technology! The depth of the pool varies from seven feet at the deep end to zero feet at the shallow end. The size and shape of the waves can be altered from three to four feet in height. A very exciting activity indeed!

Surf Hill: Experience the exhilarating thrill of speed and surf on kiddies’ turf! Grab your surfing board and whiz down the specially designed kiddies surf hill. Ride the high as you kick off at the summit of the Surf Hill and whiz along the 300 feet long lanes. The ride streaks, twists and turns and trails you down with a resounding splash into the pool.

Wild River Ride: Go white water rafting in this ride that starts off at the top of a 50 feet high artificial hill. It is 500 feet long, with water cascading and gushing over padded humps and bumps that give you the feel of wild adventure.

Lucky Falls: This ride also starts from the top of the hill and is much wider than the other wild water rides. It is 500 feet long and is a fast thrilling ride with tons of white cascading water over padded humps and bumps to create great excitement and enjoyment for all ages.

Black Hole: A black hole it is! Experience the fun, the thrill and the rush within. It is an adventure within the tunnel-like tube. Enjoy as you glide and ride your away out of the tunnel. Scream to the top of your lungs and no one will hear and finally come out with a smile on your face!

Thunder Rain: After splashing, dashing and rushing through the exciting rides - take a break at Thunder Rain. This refreshing attraction lets you revel in cool aqua. The circular ring sprays jets of water from different directions letting you squeal in sheer joy. Taste the excitement of splashing water and feel the force of a live waterfall. This is an attraction that's a great hit with kids and adults alike, where you can dance to fast music in a huge shower!

Hunger pangs starts to hit all of us! We are not allowed to carry food inside the park and so we head towards a restaurant there. We find the green carpet lunch system here. Lunch is served on the open lawn that appears like a green carpet. A multi specialized cuisine restaurant caters to all sorts of menu that is popular with the visitors here. Each of us ordered and ate our favourite food and after a short rest headed out to the dry rides.

Some of the interesting dry rides that some of us tried here are:
Dragon Coaster: Are you brave enough to ride the Dragon? Climb aboard the dragon roller-coaster and find out. Roar through a winding track filled with bends and curves on this colorful monster! Soar on the wings of a dragon and watch the earth dance below your feet!
Dashing Car: Also known as bumper car, we have fun in riding and dashing against the electric cars. The only car that can be driven without traffic and License!

Ferris wheel: Enjoy the view from the top. Get on this giant wheel of fun and enjoy the thrills of spinning through air.

Few other interesting activities that draw our attention here are hot Air Balloon, Bungee jumping, Rain forest, Trek trail, Horror house, 5 D theatre.....
Some rides here are not for the faint hearted ones!!
We find Black Thunder to be a place where we can let our hair down and have pure unadulterated fun. We see the park teeming with visitors, all coming there with the sole purpose of enjoying themselves. And we surely did enjoy! We hear shrieks of excitement punctuating the air as the visitors take the various rides. Black Thunder’s huge manmade lake has boating facilities and we enjoy a boat ride in the cool waters, all the while savouring the mesmerizing scenery. You could also try your hand at horse riding on the lake shore as well. Black Thunder is not just a place for unlimited fun but aims at being educative as well. Besides the fun rides and the water games there is an aquarium and a park with a large variety of fishes and birds. The students get to see those birds and fishes which otherwise can be seen in books alone. There is a nursery here as well with a wide variety of plant collection for budding botanists. So a study tour and a picnic can be combined here.

Black Thunder Resort: Black Thunder gives you the option of staying over. So if you want to spread out your vacation or extend your adrenaline-filled adventures stay back at one the 40 deluxe rooms or suites in the Black Thunder Resort which is set in scenic settings with swaying coconut trees and betel nut trees. The rooms offer all modern facilities and there are restaurants and a bar as well here.

In-house movies and a modern Health Club are available for your comfort and relaxation.
"Thunder Cafe", the Multi cuisine Restaurant with plush interiors is great for a relaxed lunch. A romantic dinner awaits you at the picturesque Garden Restaurant, where you will find yourself one with nature. Black Thunder Resort Tusker Bar: "Tusker", is named after the wild elephants that pass by the edge of the resort's boundary to reach their watering hole. The Bar with its rustic decor is well stocked and is the right place to relax.

Do not mix "Work ‘n’ Play" – So some say! However, corporate meetings and casual get-togethers are common with conference halls and board rooms being available here.

We find it difficult to finish all the rides in one day but come out having the best time. Black Thunder Water Theme Park is an ideal place to head out to with family or friends for a day of relentless fun! You can swim; you can take thrilling rides, jump, and slide, float…and enjoy an action-packed day. These popular amusement parks and entertaining weekend getaways offer an excellent range of facilities and services and is a fun destination for families and group entertainment,

Facts file:
Black Thunder is situated at 41km from Coimbatore and 40 km from Ooty. The nearest railway stations are Mettupalayam, Coimbatore and Tiruppur and the airport is Coimbatore. It is well connected with all parts of the country through road and rail. A massive 12 acre land is available for parking. Website of this wonderful theme park is www.btpark.org
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