Have you ever wanted to walk on a rope suspended up in the trees or to cross a suspended bridge made of wood and ropes or to jump from one tree to another using a wooden cradle, just like you saw your favourite cartoon or movie characters doing? Well, I had wanted to do this ever since I was little and was watching The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and I guess my adventurous spirit comes from there. Who would have thought that I was going to do this now in 2020? Yes, it’s possible and I will tell you where: in Edenland Park, the biggest adventure park in Romania, located at about 30-min drive from Bucharest.
For those of you who want to escape the daily routine and are looking for some adventure, adrenaline, fun outdoor activities, I think Edenland Park is the perfect place – it offers a wide variety of activities for all preferences and ages. Below you can find out more information about it and at the end of the article, there is also a video.
How to get there
Edenland Park is located on Cantonului Street, no. 12, Balotesti (Ilfov County). The easiest way to get there from Bucharest is by car, about 30 min drive. At the park, there is a free, 24 h guarded parking lot. If you don’t have a car, then you can try by taxi or you can take bus 783 to Otopeni and then take a taxi from there, to save some money. There are also some buses/minibuses to Balotesti, one or two every hour, but I am not sure how frequent the rides are these days due to COVID-19.
What you can do there
Tree courses – the main attraction
In my opinion, the main attraction of Edenland Park is represented by the tree courses – this is why we went there as well. There are 14 tree courses with different degrees of difficulty, suitable for both children and adults. After receiving the safety equipment, each participant takes part in training and demonstration, to learn how to use the protection equipment. Switching from one activity to another, during the same tree course, is done without having to remove the carbine from the safety cable. This can only be removed at the end of the route or when needed by authorized personnel, so you are perfectly safe for all the duration of the tree course. On the route, you are independent but there will always be members of the staff on the ground, assisting when needed. You can start any course you want, as long as you respect the age and height requirements. In 3 hours, we managed to finish 4 tree courses (medium level).
Advice:
- You need some gloves to protect your hands. At the ticket counter, you can buy some gloves that have rubber dots on the palms, so they help you grab better the ropes and cables. Or you can bring your own gloves, but don’t just go with bare hands because you will regret it later.
- If you lack physical exercise, you should better start with an easy or medium tree course. Even the medium ones can be challenging, so don’t expect it to be just a game for kids – most of them require equilibrium and strength in arms.
- If you want to keep your mobile phone with you while on the tree course, in order to take some photos or videos, you should have a zipped pocket or a belt bag, otherwise, it would be better if you left it in the safe box.
Other activities
Children playground, Eden jump, wall climbing, bike rental, horse riding, Zooland, minigolf, airsoft, archery, paintball, painting workshop. As you can see, there is enough you can do, either if you go there with your family, for relaxation, or for fun and adrenaline. There are even tree houses that you can rent and they organize parties or team buildings as well. We tried only the tree courses this time, but next time we would like to try other activities.
Food & Drinks
Romanian dishes, Italian food, burgers, homemade sweets, pancakes, ice cream, smoothies – having a meal, a snack or just a drink in the middle of the woods, after consuming some adrenaline, is a good way of regaining your strength.
Price
There is a cost for entering the park and then additional costs for each activity you want to do.
The price for entering the park: 15 RON per person for adults and 10 RON per person for kids over 3 years old (kids under 3 years old free of charge). Park activities are available every day from 10 AM to sunset.
Tree courses access (3 hours/person): 60 RON (safety equipment included, except for gloves)
For discounts, team pass and prices for other activities, you can check the Edenland Park website.
Overall impression
Honestly, I was super excited about the tree courses and all this concept of “adventure park”. I’ve found out recently about Edenland Park and I was surprised I hadn’t heard about it before. For me, it was definitely a unique experience, I felt as being part of an adventure movie, I felt I did some things I thought I wouldn’t be able to do. I think tree courses are a good way to test your limits.
All in all, I think the whole experience was worth it and I would do it again anytime. I recommend trying an adventure park at least once in your life.