Photo: Charlesblack / CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
South America’s theme park scene is smaller and more scattered than Orlando’s or Tokyo’s, but it has a genuine heavyweight in Brazil, a beloved Chilean institution about to relocate, and a couple of Colombian parks that punch above their size. If you’re planning a trip around Rio, São Paulo, Santiago, or Bogotá and want to know which park is actually worth a day of your itinerary, this ranking breaks down the five that matter most right now.
Each pick below is confirmed open for the 2026 season, with a verified detail — attraction count, acreage, or pricing pulled straight from the park’s own site or recent local reporting — so you know exactly what you’re getting before you buy a ticket.
Quick Answer
Beto Carrero World in Penha, Brazil is the best all-around theme park in South America — it’s the largest in Latin America by far, with more than 100 attractions spread across themed zones that include Hot Wheels and Madagascar. For pure roller coaster variety, Hopi Hari near São Paulo is the runner-up, and Fantasilandia in Santiago is the best classic city-park experience, though 2026 is its last season at its historic home before a move across town.
The Ranked List
Here’s how the five leading parks compare on location, standout strength, and one verified fact for each.
| Rank | Park (Location) | Best For | Verified Figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beto Carrero World (Penha, Santa Catarina, Brazil) | Overall size and variety | 100+ attractions across roughly 14 km² (5.4 sq mi) of themed zones |
| 2 | Hopi Hari (Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil) | Roller coasters and thrill rides | Regularly ranks among Latin America’s top five most-visited theme parks |
| 3 | Fantasilandia (Santiago, Chile) | Classic city amusement park experience | Opened in 1978; 2026 is its final season at Parque O’Higgins before relocating |
| 4 | Parque Jaime Duque (Tocancipá, near Bogotá, Colombia) | Family day trips mixing culture and nature | Spread across 100+ hectares, including a 1:1-scale Taj Mahal replica and a relief map of Colombia |
| 5 | Mundo Aventura (Bogotá, Colombia) | Budget-friendly single-day visits | General admission is free; the Pasaporte Silver runs COP 84,000 online for 29 attractions |
What Sets Each Park Apart
Beto Carrero World earns the top spot because it’s not really competing with other South American parks at all — at 14 square kilometers it’s closer in scale to a destination resort than a day-trip park, with licensed zones built around Hot Wheels and Madagascar, plus regular character meet-and-greets with other DreamWorks properties like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Trolls. The park’s old on-site zoo closed permanently in 2024 after three decades, and that space is being redeveloped into a new SpongeBob-themed area targeted for 2028, part of a larger multi-year expansion. It’s still the one park on this list worth planning a multi-day trip around.
Hopi Hari, outside São Paulo, is the region’s go-to for people who care specifically about ride intensity — its coaster lineup is the densest in Brazil, and the park, which recently emerged from a financial restructuring, has announced further investment in new attractions through 2028, so expect it to keep closing the gap on Beto Carrero.
Fantasilandia is the sentimental favorite: it’s been Santiago’s main amusement park since 1978, tucked into Parque O’Higgins near downtown. That changes soon — 2026 is confirmed as the park’s last season at this address, with the site fully closing in 2027 while a new, larger park (including a water park targeted to open as early as December 2026) is built in San Bernardo. If you want to experience the original Fantasilandia, this year is the time.
Parque Jaime Duque, a short drive from Bogotá in Tocancipá, is less about thrill rides and more about spectacle and scale — alongside standard mechanical rides, it packs in a full-size Taj Mahal replica housing a museum and a giant relief map of Colombia spread across lakes, wetlands, and forest covering more than 100 hectares. It’s the best pick for mixed-age groups or anyone who wants culture alongside the carousel.
Mundo Aventura, inside Bogotá proper, is the most accessible of the five: general admission into the park is free, and you only pay for ride passports or individual attractions. The Pasaporte Silver, the park’s mid-tier online passport, covers 29 attractions and runs COP 84,000, while the Pasaporte Kids is cheaper at around COP 73,000 for a smaller set of rides and the Pasaporte Gold goes higher for access to more attractions. That makes it an easy, low-commitment add-on to a Bogotá city visit rather than a dedicated day trip.
Tips and Common Mistakes
Buy tickets online in advance wherever possible — Beto Carrero World, Hopi Hari, and Fantasilandia all price tickets dynamically, and advance online purchase is consistently cheaper than paying at the gate on the day.
Don’t plan a 2027 trip around Fantasilandia’s current O’Higgins location — the park has confirmed it will be fully closed during 2027 while it moves to San Bernardo, with the rebuilt park not reopening until late 2027. If your visit falls in that window, check the official site for water park access in the interim.
At Beto Carrero World, budget more than one day if you want to see the shows and themed zones as well as the rides — with 100+ attractions spread over 14 km², trying to do everything in a single visit is the most common complaint from first-time visitors. Also note the park’s old zoo is gone — it closed for good in 2024, so don’t plan a visit around it.
At Mundo Aventura, don’t assume the park entry fee covers rides — admission is free, but you’ll need to budget separately for a ride passport, and don’t assume the cheapest-sounding tier is the Silver one: the Kids passport (around COP 73,000) is actually cheaper and covers fewer attractions than the Silver passport (COP 84,000, 29 attractions), so check the official site for current tier names, prices, and attraction counts before you go.
Explore more: Explore more theme park rankings and guides.
Folds into its own pocket. Pop it on when the storm rolls in and the rides reopen to short lines.
Keeps your phone strapped to you, not in a loose-article bin. Zip it before the lift hill and walk straight off the exit ramp.
Rapids, log flumes and splash zones without the rice-bag aftermath. The touchscreen still works through the window, so you can still take photos.
Best Theme Parks in South America FAQs
What is the biggest theme park in South America?
Beto Carrero World in Penha, Brazil is the largest, covering about 14 square kilometers (5.4 sq mi) with more than 100 attractions across themed zones including Hot Wheels and Madagascar.
Is Fantasilandia closing permanently?
No — it’s relocating. 2026 is its final season at the historic Parque O’Higgins site in Santiago; the park will be fully closed during 2027 while it rebuilds at a larger site in San Bernardo, with a reopening targeted for late 2027.
Which South American theme park has the best roller coasters?
Hopi Hari, near São Paulo, Brazil, has the region’s densest lineup of roller coasters and is generally considered the top pick for thrill-ride fans.
Is Mundo Aventura in Bogotá free to enter?
General admission to the park grounds is free; you pay separately for a ride passport once inside. The mid-tier Pasaporte Silver, covering 29 attractions, runs COP 84,000 online, while the cheaper Pasaporte Kids (around COP 73,000) covers fewer rides.
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