Last week, Bellewaerde Park kindly invited us to have a look at their 6 different construction sites! Impressive to say the least, with not only new attractions coming for the 2023 season, but closer encounters with the animals and eco friendly renovations. Join us for a tour and see what’s new!
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6 construction sites
Park director Stefaan Lemey spoke to us in the Bellewaerde Aquapark to talk about these major investments. The biggest total investment to date is 17 million euros to cover the 6 different projects. Bellewaerde Park’s target group has been families for years, and they keep focusing on these by offering attractions for all ages. The animals obviously play a key role as well as the new renovations will not only bring guests closer, they will also let them see the animal training to help guests realize that it’s necessary part of taking care of them. Bellewaerde is a part of the Compagnie des Alpes group, which is growing rapidly as a profitable chain, thus this park is growing along. Ready for the tour?
Psssht Station in Canada
Here we could not see that much yet, but everything got prepared to receive the new Zamperla Barnyard. It will be right next to the Huss Shot ‘n’ Drop tower, Screaming Eagle, which means that younger guests can enjoy the brand new ride while the others enjoy some thrills. The theme will be an old Canadian steam engine which will even let this type of ride stand out more. About 600 guests per hour will be able to ride this 1.2 million investment.
Hampi & Hampi Playground in India
The Indian area of Bellewaerde Park needed some love to make it stand out more compared to the other areas, ride wise. That will change with the second new ride: Hampi. The well-known Nebulaz attraction will be the first of its kind in the Benelux with a 1.5 million price tag. It will open right next to the amur leopards reserve on the old spot of the Peter Pan attraction. 320 guests per hour is the capacity od this attraction by Zamperla.
As the ride is slightly thrilling, the not-so-daredevils will have a playground to enjoy. 400 m2 of fun and a total investment of 1.4 million euro. It might just look like a circle right now, but soon a beautiful white structure will rise to match the Indian theme.
The new Lion & Tiger walkway in India
In the past, the best way to see the Lions and Tigers was the Bengal Express. It will remain a unique way to come close to the felines but there’s more to come! As the regulations had changed that the resting areas needs to always accessible for animals, both the lions & tigers’ areas will now be visible to guests. On top of that, a new platform will let you see both from above. The tigers reserve also received a wooden walkway to come closer. But not too close of course! The walkway design ensures the safety of guests and new water areas will give more space to the animals. It will be the largest tiger enclosure in Europe.
The King’s Table at the Kid’s Park
The old Carousel restaurant of Bellewaerde Park will receive a long-anticipated makeover. Most parts of the existing restaurant got demolished and replaced by a new modern construction. However, the inside will be medieval style to match with the mascot of the park, King Lion. A big change compared to before as it will be less of an open-concept restaurant and feature more cozy corners and lots of theming. You could smell the new wood when walking around and the concept video looks quite promising! It was only fitting that the most popular restaurant of the park got some love!
The Giraffes & Zebras reserve in the Savanna
The giraffes & zebras already got a renovated viewing platform after the removal of the elephants a few years back. That didn’t stop the park from uplifting the area even more by creating a 360-degree view in the area. The second new walkway of the park can be found here to give the guests even more areas to spot the animals. A second reason to have construction here had geothermical reasons. 30 drillings of 100 meter deep will now heat or cool the King’s Table restaurant and the new resting area for the giraffes and zebras.
We got to have a look inside to see where the animals can spend some time to rest or get cleaned. The new facility also makes it easier for animals to be transported if necessary. Next to it, a training area will show guests how they train the animals for these types of events.
There you have it, what a tour! The target date for all projects is opening day of the park. For some construction sites that might seem like a challenge but in the final days of such a project, things can move fast. We really can’t wait to see all these novelties open and are excited for the park that they can invest in such projects. Visiting Bellewaerde Park in 2023 will not disappoint guests as they will almost be visiting a new park. You’ll definitely have a roaring time.