Trans Studio Bali

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is a "World Class Indoor Theme Park" - "The Most Instagrammable Theme Park in the World", in fact, according to the brochure.

Quite bold claims, I'm sure you'll agree. But they had me with the rooftop rollercoaster, so I went to check it out.

Disclaimer: I'm not even on Instagram, so that side of things may have gone over my head as I focused on having an entertaining day out. That said, even I was able to appreciate some of the fun photo ops they have set up around the park.



You'll find this Bali theme park occupying the top two floors of the giant Trans Studio Mall, which has recently opened on Jalan Imam Bonjol, just off Sunset Road in south Denpasar. It's easy to access from Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and further afield. The first thing you'll probably notice as you drive past is the yellow rollercoaster on the roof, so it certainly scores cool points from the outside. But what surprises await within?

Tickets to cost 600k for foreigners and 375k for domestic visitors and KITAS/KITAP holders. It's the same price for adults and children. This covers all the rides, shows and attractions except for the iFLY indoor skydiving, which is 600k extra. It's worth checking their Facebook page for promos if you're planning a visit.

All the rides have VIP lines, and the brochure mentions that you can purchase a VIP access upgrade, but the park is so quiet right now that there is no need for this. We went on a weekday and there were no queues at all. I'm told that it's not even that busy on weekends.

The first thing you come to before entering the main theme park is several interactive video installations. You can ride a virtual Bali swing over the rice terraces, admire the night sky, and create ripples underfoot.



Then, you're brought to the Titanic - the iconic staircase and bow of the ship, at least. With Celine Dion playing, you can't help but take a "Jack, I'm flying!" photo. This is also the location of one of the shows that take place throughout the day.

Moving on, you come to the Camera Zone. This is where the thrills begin, with the Boomerang Coaster and Formula Kart go-karts.

With it being so quiet, I was able to go on the rollercoaster three times back-to-back, trying out different seats. You're pulled up a hill and then released through a series of loops, before being pulled up a parallel hill and dropped back down in reverse. Sit at the back for the best views and the highest drop!



The go-karts are the one attraction that we kept coming back to. Some of the other rides aren't as fun once you knew what to expect, but with this one you get a bit more confident each time. After an initial briefing, you get 3-4 high-speed laps around the track (unless someone gets stuck, in which case you all get slowed down). The longest we had to wait was about 10 minutes, and that was spent sitting in the kart, waiting for our turn. I can't imagine how long the wait would be with this queue full, though!

In this section of the park, there's also a decent-sized kids' play area, a ferris wheel and a funhouse (which adults will appreciate too).



After this is the Culture Zone and Adventure Zone, which is really just one big area that also houses the food stalls and a couple of stages used for performances.

Here there are several walk-through/ride-through attractions where you can shoot zombies and werewolves and experience 3D video simulations. They are all really well themed, with decor and a few live actors to really add to the atmosphere.

Prepare to get wet on the river rapids, which weirdly transitions you from a snowy mountaintop setting to rice field and city views as you briefly travel outside the mall.



A gentler rollercoaster, the Bat Glider, also runs inside this area. It wasn't operating when we visited in mid-February, and although they were running tests they couldn't tell me when it was expected to open.

There's also a ninja assault course, which is impossible to complete unless you've done some serious upper body training, and a flight-motion simulator called Flying Over Indonesia which takes you through the country's different cultures and islands.



A few disappointments
I mentioned that the Bat Glider was not open yet, and we were notified of this before we bought our tickets, so fair enough. But when we got to Flying Over Indonesia, we were told there was some maintenance work going on. We went back several times and it was still closed when we had to leave, about 4 hours later.

In a fairly small theme park, having 2 rides down really makes you feel like you've missed out.

The main brochure for the park advertises 11 different shows taking place at multiple times throughout the day, as well as 8 meet & greet opportunities with different characters. There are various dance and cultural performances and a stunt show.

When we got our tickets, we were handed a different schedule with only 8 shows happening once each. So, for example, the stunt show, which was supposed to be on at 11am and 3pm, was actually only on at 5pm. We couldn't stay that long, so again missed out.

Did that make or break the day? Not really, but it's just something to be aware of if you've seen the main glossy brochure and are planning your day around what it advertises. There were also no separate meet & greet events, as far as I could see.

It's also worth noting that some of the (best) rides only operate at certain times of day. For example, the rapids were open from 12-4 and 5.30-7 when we went. Whether for staffing or maintenance, I don't know, and I expect this schedule changes often so I haven't published it here.

Some practicalities
A ticket is for one-time entrance only, so you can't leave and re-enter. You're not allowed to bring in your own food and drink. There's a small food court inside as well as plenty of snack stalls but, as you might expect, choice is limited and prices are inflated.

If you don't have any time constraints, my advice would be to have lunch before you go in (there are plenty of restaurants in the mall) and then spend the afternoon there. We arrived soon after 10 and several of the rides didn't open until 12.

The park is well air-conditioned throughout. A couple of the attractions require you to wear proper shoes, and although there are rubber shoes you can borrow, you might prefer to just wear comfortable trainers in the first place.

Finally, there are some height restrictions to consider: 120cm for the rollercoaster, 110cm for the go-karts and several other thrill rides, and 90cm for a few more.



All in all, is a fun, action-packed day out for adults and older kids, and good to have as a rainy day activity in Bali (although the rollercoaster closes when it's wet). I'd think twice about taking younger children, because although there is a nice play area for them, the majority of the attractions are either height-restricted or might be too scary.

Once all the rides are open, I'm sure I'll be back to check it out again. Hopefully, it won't get too much busier in the meantime - not having to queue definitely made the day more enjoyable!

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