Destinations Chile Santiago Fantasilandia

Fantasilandia.

Santiago Chile 33° S · 70° W

Chile's only major amusement park sits inside a public city park and opened in 1978 with US$2M in European rides. Home to South America's second Vekoma SLC coaster.

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Fantasilandia
Fantasilandia · Santiago
4-8 hours Flat terrain; some rides have height and mobility restrictions Spring–Summer (October–March)
Introduction

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

The park's flagship coaster since 2008, the Raptor is a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster — only the second of its kind built in South America. Riders hang beneath the track with legs dangling free, swinging through inversions at speeds that turn the surrounding eucalyptus trees into green streaks. The US$10 million price tag made it the most expensive single addition in Fantasilandia's history. At roughly 700 meters of track, the ride lasts about two minutes. The weekend queues can stretch far longer than that.
Disko ride attraction at Fantasilandia amusement park, Santiago, Chile
Boomerang roller coaster ride at Fantasilandia amusement park, Santiago, Chile

Tsunami

Intamin's shoot-the-chute ride replaced the park's aging original Splash attraction in 2007, and the upgrade was dramatic. A boat climbs a steep lift hill, crests, and plunges into a trough that sends a wall of water over the surrounding walkway — drenching riders and bystanders with equal enthusiasm. The Tsunami was assembled in Chile under Swiss license, a rare hybrid of European engineering and South American construction. On hot Santiago afternoons, when temperatures push past 30°C, the soaking is the whole point. On cooler days, you'll have the boat almost to yourself.

The Monga and the Kids Zone

Fantasilandia's Zona Niños clusters gentler rides — a carousel, Dragon Mountain, Mini Splash, Villa Magica — around a landscaped area that feels calmer than the rest of the park. But the real curiosity nearby isn't a ride at all. The Monga is a live sideshow act, a throwback to traveling-carnival aesthetics, in which a woman appears to transform into a gorilla before a small audience. The effect is lo-fi and deliberately absurd. Children stare. Adults laugh nervously. In a park full of million-dollar imported machinery, the Monga costs almost nothing to run and generates more conversation than most coasters. Worth the stop.
Raptor inverted roller coaster at Fantasilandia theme park, Santiago, Chile
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03 Visitor Logistics

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

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

local_dining

Don't Leave Without Trying

Empanadas de pino — baked pastry with spiced beef, onion, egg, and olives Completo — Chilean-style hot dog loaded with avocado, tomato, and mayo Cazuela — hearty broth with beef or chicken and vegetables Pastel de choclo — corn-topped meat casserole, best in summer Cecina — cured and smoked pork, a classic street food Sopaipillas — fried pumpkin dough, especially popular in autumn and winter Pisco Sour — Chile's national cocktail: pisco brandy, lemon juice, sugar, and egg white
El Rincón Quirihuano

El Rincón Quirihuano

local favorite
Chilean Traditional €€ star 4.3 (153)

Order: The empanadas de pino and cazuela — hearty, authentic Chilean comfort food that locals actually eat. Skip the tourist traps and order what the regulars do.

This is where Santiaguinos come for real Chilean food, not the theme-park version. It's a genuine neighborhood spot on Beauchef with solid reviews and consistent quality.

schedule

Opening Hours

El Rincón Quirihuano

Monday 12:00 – 11:00 PM
Tuesday 12:00 – 6:00 PM
Wednesday 12:00 – 6:00 PM
mapMaps
Sangucheria Nicho

Sangucheria Nicho

quick bite
Cafe & Sandwiches €€ star 4.2 (21)

Order: The sanguches (Chilean sandwiches) — ask for completo with avocado, or try a cecina sandwich. Quick, cheap, and exactly what you need before or after the park.

A proper local cafe where you'll see office workers and families grabbing lunch. It's the kind of place that doesn't cater to tourists, which is exactly why it's good. Their website shows they take it seriously.

Típica Chilena

Típica Chilena

local favorite
Chilean Traditional €€ star 5.0 (2)

Order: Whatever's on the menu — with a perfect 5.0 rating, even with limited reviews, this place knows what it's doing. Go for traditional Chilean dishes like pastel de choclo or a hearty cazuela.

Perfect rating and the name says it all: this is authentic Chilean food, no frills. It's small and under-the-radar, which means you're eating where locals do, not where guidebooks send you.

Pasta & Pizza

Pasta & Pizza

quick bite
Italian €€ star 3.0 (4)

Order: Keep it simple — a classic margherita or a straightforward pasta. It's a no-nonsense spot for when you want Italian comfort food without pretension.

Sometimes after a day at Fantasilandia you just want pasta. This place delivers solid, unpretentious Italian without the tourist markup. It's a reliable fallback.

info

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.
Food districts: Estación Central — where Fantasilandia is located; home to traditional, affordable lunch spots and picadas (casual eateries) Barrio Lastarria — about 3 km away; upscale restaurants, galleries, and design-focused dining Plaza de Armas area — historic downtown with a mix of casual and mid-range restaurants Barrio Italia — trendy neighborhood with contemporary Chilean cuisine and cafes

Restaurant data powered by Google

04 Historical Context

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's expansion reads like an atlas. The Boomerang shuttle coaster arrived from Vekoma in the Netherlands in 1996. The Kamikaze came from Italy's Fabbri Group in 1993. Germany's Huss Rides supplied the Top Spin in 2004, and Switzerland's Intamin built the Tsunami shoot-the-chute in 2007 — assembled in Chile under Swiss license, making it one of the few locally manufactured attractions in the park's history. The Wild Mouse, which opened around 2005, was the first of its kind anywhere in Latin America. By 2020, when the Spider ride opened, Fantasilandia had installed equipment from at least seven countries.

The Park Inside a Park

Fantasilandia's most unusual feature isn't a ride — it's the address. Parque O'Higgins, named after Chile's independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins, is one of Santiago's oldest and most cherished public green spaces. A commercial amusement park sitting inside a free park creates a strange and appealing contrast: families picnic on the grass while coaster cars clatter above the tree line thirty meters away. The arrangement would be unthinkable in most cities. In Santiago it's been the status quo since 1978, and nobody seems interested in changing it.

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06 Frequently Asked

Is Fantasilandia worth visiting? add

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? add

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? add

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? add

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? add

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? add

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? add

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.

Sources
  • verified
    Wikipedia — Fantasilandia

    Primary source for ride opening dates, manufacturers, park history milestones, and the 2013 Galaxy coaster closure.

  • verified
    Santiago Turismo

    Local tourism source used for founding story, zone descriptions, initial investment figures, and cultural context around the 1978 opening.

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Images: Jorge Barrios Riquelme (wikimedia, cc by-sa 4.0) | (wikimedia, cc by 2.0) | RL GNZLZ from Chile (wikimedia, cc by-sa 2.0) | PanchoHardy (wikimedia, public domain) | Fantacoaster (wikimedia, cc by-sa 3.0) | Fantacoaster (wikimedia, cc by-sa 4.0) | Fantacoaster (wikimedia, cc by-sa 3.0) | Mulatoenchile (wikimedia, cc by-sa 3.0)