Taman Festival Bali
Spooky abandoned theme park
Published/Last edited or updated: 9th February, 2017
More on Sanur
An abandoned theme park may seem like an unlikely attraction and more the spine-chilling stuff of nightmares, but Taman Festival Bali, about four kilometres north of Sanur, is a popular local jaunt and a photographer’s dream.
Travelfish says:
Due to the Asian economic crisis, and dwindling tourist numbers in Bali, the insurance wasn’t forthcoming and generally the place was an economic loss. Taman Festival Bali closed its doors in 2000. The park has been left abandoned since, and there have been all sorts of disputes regarding land ownership, we really don’t know the current legal status, but it remains as neglected as it was in 2000.
And the crocs? Well they have become a thing of urban legend. We heard stories locals would feed them chickens and later that the crocs resorted to cannibalism. Cannibal crocodiles. But what happened to that last one? The one really big fat one that ate all the others? (cue dramatic music).
We entered from the side entrance via the beach and our first impressions were that it was just a derelict site of not much interest (we hadn’t heard the croc stories), but wandering the overgrown paths and deserted buildings of this palace of urban decay it didn’t take long before we were speaking in hushed tones and feeling a little spooked.
First we circumnavigated the crumbling volcano without a soul in sight, but as we meandered towards the front of the park, we were relieved to see some other explorers. Buildings are as densely covered in graffiti as vines, adding to the desolate ambience. A “gang” of local teenage girls were busy with spraycans and stencils and didn’t seem fazed by our ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 300 words.)
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Find out more Reviewed by
Sally Arnold
Sally spent twelve years leading tourists around Indonesia and Malaysia where she collected a lot of stuff. She once carried a 40kg rug overland across Java. Her house has been described as a cross between a museum and a library. Fuelled by coffee, she can often be found riding her bike or petting stray cats. Sally believes travel is the key to world peace.
