An introduction.
Researched by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.
SSomewhere inside one of Santiago's oldest public parks, a woman transforms into a gorilla on stage while roller coasters rattle overhead. Fantasilandia, Chile's largest amusement park, has been pulling that trick — and dozens of others — since 1978, when it opened with just eight rides and a coaster the press called South America's biggest. Nearly five decades on, it still occupies the same improbable patch of Parque O'Higgins, a commercial thrill machine nested inside free public green space.
The park splits into three zones — Kids, Family, and Adrenaline — and its rides read like an atlas of global manufacturing. Vekoma in the Netherlands, Zamperla in Italy, Intamin in Switzerland, Mack in Germany. For a park that started with imported European equipment bought for US$2 million, the sourcing has always been international. The screams, though, are distinctly Chilean.
What keeps Fantasilandia interesting after all these years isn't just the hardware. Grandparents remember the original Galaxy coaster, teenagers queue for the Raptor, and everyone has an opinion about the Monga sideshow. In a city where most entertainment has migrated to shopping malls, this place still smells like churros and machine oil.
01 What to see.
Raptor
Tsunami
The Monga and the Kids Zone
02 In pictures.
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03 Visitor logistics.
The practical scaffolding for a good visit — kept short.
Getting There
Take Metro Line 2 to Parque O'Higgins station — the park entrance is a five-minute walk south through the greenery. By car, enter Parque O'Higgins from Avenida Beauchef or Avenida Blanco Encalada; paid parking is available inside the park grounds. From central Santiago, the ride is about 15 minutes by taxi or rideshare.
Opening Hours
As of 2026, Fantasilandia typically opens weekends and holidays from noon to 8 PM during the school year (March–November), and daily during Chilean summer (December–February) with extended hours until 9 or 10 PM. The park closes on rainy days without notice — check their official website or social media the morning of your visit, especially in winter.
Time Needed
A focused visit hitting the big rides takes 3–4 hours. Families with young children exploring the Kids Zone and Family Zone should budget a full 5–6 hours. On peak weekends and holidays, ride queues can double your time — arriving at opening shaves off the worst of it.
Tickets & Cost
Fantasilandia sells all-inclusive wristbands (pulseras) that cover unlimited rides, with different tiers for children and adults. As of 2026, expect to pay roughly CLP 15,000–22,000 per person depending on height category and season. Buy tickets online in advance — the park often runs web-only discounts of 10–20%, and you skip the box-office queue.
05 Tips for visitors.
Small things that change the day.
Time Your Visit
Weekday visits during Chilean summer (January–February) have the shortest queues. Weekend afternoons in spring are the worst — Santiago families descend in force, and the Raptor coaster line can stretch past 45 minutes.
Watch Your Belongings
Parque O'Higgins draws crowds, and the area around the metro station sees occasional pickpocketing. Keep phones in front pockets, leave valuables at your hotel, and stay aware when walking through the park grounds after dark.
Eat Outside the Gates
Park food is overpriced and underwhelming. Walk 10 minutes north to Barrio Franklin for cheap, excellent Chilean comfort food — try the cocinerías in the Persa Biobío market for cazuela or a completo that costs a third of what you'd pay inside Fantasilandia.
Ride Height Limits
Adrenaline Zone rides enforce strict minimum height requirements, typically 1.30–1.40 m. Measure your kids before you go — nothing ruins a morning faster than a child who's two centimeters short for the Boomerang and inconsolable about it.
Bring a Change of Clothes
The Tsunami shoot-the-chute and Pirate Revenge water coaster will soak you from the waist down. Pack a dry shirt and shorts in a small bag, or you'll spend the next three hours squelching through the park in wet denim.
Combine with Parque O'Higgins
The park sits inside one of Santiago's best public green spaces — free to enter. Arrive early, walk the gardens and the lagoon before Fantasilandia opens, then hit the rides. The contrast between the quiet old trees and the screaming coasters is half the fun.
Where to Eat
Don't Leave Without Trying
Dining Tips
- check All restaurants on Av. Beauchef are within walking distance of Fantasilandia — no need for taxis between the park and lunch.
- check Lunch (almuerzo) is the main meal in Santiago, typically 12:00–2:00 PM. Many local spots offer good-value menú del día (daily special) around CLP 4,000–6,000.
- check Cash is still widely used in smaller restaurants, though most accept cards. Check ahead if paying by card.
- check For fresh seafood ceviche or congrio, Mercado Central (about 4 km north) is iconic but touristy; Vega Central is more authentic and cheaper.
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04 A history of reinvention.
A Two-Million-Dollar Gamble on Joy
Santiago in the mid-1970s had parks, plazas, and cinemas, but no amusement park. The idea that a city of four million people lacked a dedicated place for families to ride roller coasters struck Gerardo Ortega as both a problem and an opportunity. In 1977, he and a group of friends began building on a plot inside Parque O'Higgins, importing rides from Europe on a budget of roughly US$2 million.
The park that opened on January 28, 1978, had eight attractions. The Galaxy rollercoaster, marketed as South America's largest, was the headliner. Chilean newspapers compared the opening to the country getting its own Disneyland. The comparison was generous. But the excitement was real.
Gerardo Ortega and the Disneyland of the Andes
Gerardo Ortega didn't come from the entertainment industry. According to local accounts, he was a businessman who noticed something obvious: Santiago's families had nowhere to go on weekends that combined rides, food, and spectacle under one ticket. His pitch was simple — import proven European ride technology, install it in the city's most beloved park, and let the crowds come. They did.
The gamble paid off almost immediately. Fantasilandia became a fixture of Santiago weekends within its first year, and the Galaxy coaster — a steel track towering over the eucalyptus trees of Parque O'Higgins — served as the park's symbol for three decades. Ortega's original eight rides grew to over 30 by the 2000s, each addition imported from a different corner of the world: Fabbri in Italy, Huss in Germany, Zamperla, Vekoma, Intamin.
The Galaxy's run ended in 2013, when an accident forced its permanent closure. By then the park had long outgrown its founding attraction. The Raptor, a US$10 million suspended looping coaster from Vekoma, had taken over as the headline ride in 2008. Fantasilandia had become something Ortega probably never imagined: a working museum of global amusement-ride engineering, tucked inside a Chilean public park.
Rides from Four Continents
The Park Inside a Park
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06 Frequently asked.
The questions travellers send us most about Fantasilandia.
Is Fantasilandia worth visiting?
Yes, particularly if you're traveling with kids or want a break from Santiago's museums and monuments. It's the only major amusement park in Chile, so there's no local alternative — and the setting inside Parque O'Higgins, one of the city's great public parks, makes the approach genuinely pleasant. Thrill-seekers will find the Raptor coaster and Tsunami water ride worth the ticket price alone.
How long do you need at Fantasilandia?
A full day — roughly 6 to 8 hours — covers most of the park without rushing. Families with young children may find 4 to 5 hours enough, since the Kids Zone attractions are fewer and faster to cover. Weekends get crowded; arriving at opening time cuts queue times significantly.
What is the best ride at Fantasilandia?
The Raptor is the headline attraction — a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster that cost around US$10 million when it opened in 2008, and was only the second of its kind in South America. For water rides, the Tsunami shoot-the-chute is the park's other standout. Both sit in the Adrenaline Zone.
How do you get to Fantasilandia in Santiago?
Take the Santiago Metro to Parque O'Higgins station (Line 2, Baquedano direction) — the park entrance is a short walk from the exit. Driving is possible but parking around Parque O'Higgins fills quickly on weekends and public holidays.
Is Fantasilandia good for families with toddlers?
Yes, the Kids Zone is designed specifically for young children, with rides like the Carousel, Dragon Mountain, and Villa Magica. Height restrictions apply on most thrill rides, so children under roughly 1.2 meters will be limited to the Family and Kids zones — which still offer a full half-day of activity.
When did Fantasilandia open?
The park opened in 1978, with records placing the date as January 28 of that year. It launched with just 8 attractions, including the Galaxy roller coaster — then marketed as the largest in South America — after an initial investment of around US$2 million with rides imported from Europe.
Is Fantasilandia inside Parque O'Higgins?
Yes — Fantasilandia sits within Parque O'Higgins, Santiago's large public park named after independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins. The park itself is free to enter; Fantasilandia operates as a separate paid attraction within it. This means you can combine a visit with time in the surrounding green space.
Verified, and shown.
Researched and written by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.
Primary source for ride opening dates, manufacturers, park history milestones, and the 2013 Galaxy coaster closure.
Local tourism source used for founding story, zone descriptions, initial investment figures, and cultural context around the 1978 opening.
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