AquarabiaAquarabiaThe Tuwaiq Mountains rise from the dry desert southwest of Riyadh, with rust-red cliffs and ancient rock formations. For most of history, people passed through rather than stopped here. Qiddiya City is trying to change that. At the center of this effort is Aquarabia, the first water theme park in Saudi Arabia, the largest in the Middle East, and one of the most impressive aquatic parks ever built.Aquarabia opened last month alongside Six Flags Qiddiya City, which welcomed its first guests on New Year’s Eve 2025 as the first Six Flags Park outside North America. The two parks sit side by side and together form the core of what Qiddiya City wants to be: a global entertainment destination, not just a place Saudis visit when there is nothing else nearby.AquarabiaAquarabiaThe scale is impressive: 250,000 square meters of themed terrain, 22 water rides, seven dry attractions, eight worlds inspired by the Arabian Peninsula’s wildlife and landscapes, five record-breaking rides, 24 food and drink outlets, and one attraction no other theme park has ever attempted.The design deserves attention. Zones look like camel rock formations, desert canyons, shaded grottos, and wave-filled lagoons. Each has its own character, rides, and feel. This isn’t a group of water slides positioned in a parking lot. It was designed from the ground up and it shows.Camel RockAquarabiaThe Eight Water Worlds of AquarabiaCamel RockCamel Rock is the park’s centerpiece: a sculptured zone that towers over everything and anchors five adventure attractions. The headline ride is Junoon Drop, at 42.1 meters tall and 515.5 meters long, it holds the record as the tallest and longest water coaster in the world. Rider's pile into a seven-person raft with individually bolstered seats, get blasted uphill, plunge through a double water loop, a world first, and arrive at the bottom completely soaked.Jamal Joom is the world’s longest mat blaster, a 232-meter racing track where groups race head-to-head. Speedy Jamezales offers three body slides, including a double loop that pushes the format to its limit. Camel Racers is inner-tube competition racing. The Lazy Camel River winds around Viper Canyon and beneath the rock formations for those who just want to drift.Aquaticar underwater ride in Viper CanyonBuilt by Sub Sea Systems IncViper Canyon If Camel Rock holds the height records, Viper Canyon has the stranger story. The zone centers on two rides found nowhere else. Slithereel is the world’s longest rotating slide wheel: 315 meters of spinning, twisting descent that its Canadian designer, WhiteWater, calls part thrill ride, part visual puzzle. Riders never know what’s coming next.Then there’s the Aquaticar: Legend of the Glowing Guardian, truly unlike anything else in theme-park history. Built by Sub Sea Systems Inc., it is the world’s first fully submersible underwater theme park ride. You take a seat and a canopy with large viewing windows pivots into position over your head and shoulders. Your vehicle releases down an exhilarating gravity feed slope and descends into a flourishing underwater themed environment. For the next several minutes, you’re transported to another world–traversing an underwater course past a colorful reef, an abandoned shipwreck, darting fish and graceful stingrays that fly overhead. Audio narration and special effects immerse you in a storytelling environment.SurftopiaAquarabiaSurf Lagoon Surftopia is the centerpiece of the Surf Lagoon zone and the only surf pool in Saudi Arabia. It is the size of a football field and produces waves up to two meters high with four customizable settings, from beginner-friendly to challenging. Non-surfers can watch from the beachfront area around the pool. The facility also serves as a serious sporting venue. Aquarabia is Saudi Arabia’s premier white-water kayaking site and a confirmed host for kayaking events at the Asian Games.Wave PoolAquarabiaWave Wadi Wave Wadi is the most accessible part of the park. Amwaj Bay is a wave pool that shifts between calm and surging, suitable for all ages. Wadi Tahaddi raises the challenge with six-person rafts, a 19.7-meter climb, and 600 meters of white-water rapids, among the longest and most theatrical raft rides in the world.Herding Grounds free fall adventureAquarabiaHerding Grounds Herding Grounds is for people who find regular water parks too comfortable. It’s an extreme water sports complex with real teeth. KayaXtreme puts guests in kayaks on fast-flowing rivers with drops and obstacles. Jump Jolt is a free-fall platform over water. Colossal Canyon combines hiking, sliding, rappelling, and swimming through rocky terrain. Raft Republic is the Kingdom’s first man-made white-water rafting run, 450 meters long. Yolo Solo does exactly what the name suggests: deep-water solo climbing, free climbing above water with the pool below as your only safety net.SlithereelAquarabiaThe Den The Den is a dedicated space for families with young children. On Fridays, the zone operates exclusively for women and children and is staffed entirely by female employees. The main attraction is SplishSplashSploosh, a splash pad with jets, sprinklers, and water features. ZipZapZoom adds five slides: aquatube, ramp slide, pool slider, and a mini multi-lane racer. It functions as a junior water park inside the bigger one.The Den for family activitiesAquarabiaDhub Grotto Dhub Grotto is a shaded fortress for older kids. FusionFortress 17 is billed as the world’s largest play structure, with 181 interactive elements and ten water slides in one structure. It fits the park’s bigger is better approach.Rahaqua Adults only retreatAquarabiaArabian Peak Arabian Peak sits above the noise, and that is the whole point. At its center is Rahaqua, a quiet retreat where adults can sit by the sound of water and view the Tuwaiq Mountains. After a day of record-breaking rides and extreme sports, a spot that lets you stop and breathe is one of the park’s better ideas.The Vision 2030To understand Aquarabia, it helps to start with Vision 2030. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious economic reform program is based on the idea that Saudi Arabia cannot rely on oil forever, so it is investing in entertainment and domestic tourism. Qiddiya City is the main example of this strategy. Aquarabia and Six Flags are just the beginning of a much bigger plan that also includes a Dragon Ball theme park, the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a gaming and esports district, a Formula circuit, a high-speed rail link, and a full hotel portfolio. QIC says the two parks alone are expected to create 10,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly.Urban design for the city of QiddiyaQiddiya Investment CompanyThe biggest winners are young Saudis, who until recently had few options for entertainment at home. Around 70 percent of the population is under 35. For years, anyone looking for major attractions had to travel to places like Dubai, Orlando, or Europe. Aquarabia aims to change this by offering a world-class destination just 40 minutes from Riyadh, with no need for a visa or a long flight.Sustainability is a key focus for the project. Qiddiya Investment Company has promised to recycle more than 80 percent of waste at all its sites. At Aquarabia, all water used for irrigation and cooling is recycled on-site. This is impressive for a 250,000-square-meter water park in one of the world’s driest deserts.MORE FROM FORBESForbesThe World’s Best Hotel Designs Honored With Gold Key AwardsBy Jim DobsonForbesThe Most Outrageous New Hotel Designs At The Radical Innovation AwardsBy Jim Dobsonwaterpark