Parque Norte: A Guide to Medellín’s Amusement Park

Parque Norte is a traditional amusement park in Medellín that is open year-round. This amusement park is popular with tourists, families and kids of all ages. Parque Norte has been closed for over five months due to the coronavirus pandemic but reopened on September 24, 2020.

Fortunately this amusement park doesn’t have to close for parts of the year as happens with many amusement parks in other parts of the world due to the climate in Medellín. Especially relevant is that the city of Medellín has a great climate and is known as “La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera”, the city of eternal spring. So, you can enjoy this amusement park year-round.

Water ride at Parque Norte in Medellín, photo courtesy of Parque Norte – Medellin Guru

The Parque Norte amusement park is sized at about 39.5 acres. This is smaller than large-scale amusement parks in the U.S. For example, Disneyland in California is sized at about 85 acres. And Disney World in Orlando which is home to four amusement parks is huge with about 27,000 acres.

Parque Norte in Medellín was founded in 1974. And it was completely renovated in a project that started in 2006, which was completed in 2008. In 2014, this amusement park invested nearly 1.4 billion pesos to add three “7-D” simulators with movies and special effects and a canopy ride that crosses the lake. Also, the Prehistoric Jungle ride was updated with an additional eight dinosaurs and six animatronics.

Note the above photo of the Journey to the Center of the Earth water ride at Parque Norte is courtesy of Parque Norte.

Kamikaze ride at Parque Norte

New Biosafety Protocols at Parque Norte

The following are the biosafety protocols at Parque Norte:

• Only 30 percent of the capacity of Parque Norte are permitted to enter the park.
• All guests must use a face mask
• Temperature is taken at entry.
• There are antibacterial dispensers throughout the park. It is recommended to wash your hand frequently.
• Groups should maintain a distance of about 13 feet (4 meters) from other groups.
• Attractions have capacity limits and are closed at times for disinfection.

Attractions at Parque Norte

The attractions at Parque Norte vary from traditional roller coasters and bumper cars to water rides and everything in between including a full-size Boeing 727 airplane on display. The attractions are grouped into five different plazoletas (small squares) that surround a small lake.

1. Plazoleta Extreme

Probably this is the most popular part of the amusement park. Here you’ll find three of the most popular rides at the park:

• Journey to the Center of the Earth – where you can get wet.
• Kamikaze – which is a fairly extreme ride that turns you upside down while going forward and backward.
• Maui – a ride that shakes you back and forth and will likely give you a sense of vertigo.

7-D Simulator Extreme

In addition, one of the 7-D simulators is located here with the name “Simulator Extreme”.

Avión Boeing 727 plane attraction that simulates flying to different destinations

2. Plazoleta Expedición

In this area of the amusement park, you’ll find the Canopy ride that takes you across the lake and gives you a nice view of the mountains surrounding Medellín.  Note this ride is sometimes closed.

Also, in this area of the park you’ll find the Prehistoric Jungle water ride, the Avión Boeing 727 plane attraction that includes simulates flying to different destinations and one of the 7-D simulators with the name “Simulator Expedition”.

Crash – bumper cars for adults and larger kids

3. Plazoleta Adventura

In this part of the amusement park, you’ll find a small roller coaster that is sometimes closed and the Crash bumper cars where you can crash against your friends.

The Polar slide

Also in this area, there is the large Polar slide.

Bumper cars for small kids

4. Plazoleta Fantasía

In this area of the amusement park are several attractions for children. So, you will see many families in the area. The attractions include small bumper cars and other rides that are specifically designed for children less than 1.25 meters (less than 4 feet 2 inches).

In addition, this area has another of the 7-D simulators with the name “Simulator Fantastic”, which has a height restriction of 1.25 meters.

5. Plazoleta Eventos

This part of the amusement park is located next to a food park. Plazoleta Eventos has about 21,500 square feet (2,000 square meters) with capacity for up to 7,000 people.  It is frequently used for concerts, plays and corporate parties.

Christmas lights inside Parque Norte in 2017

Parque Norte at Christmas

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Parque Norte was used as the main location for the annual Medellín Christmas lights display that is known as El Alumbrado.

And in 2018, for the fourth year in a row, the Medellín Christmas lights won’t along the traditional route along the river with lights strung across the river. Due to construction of Parques del Rio along the river the city had to find another location.

So, the city decided to run the Medellín Christmas lights around Parque Explora and inside Parque Norte for the past three years and is doing this again in 2018. And here’s a video in 2016 provided by EPM showing the route of the Christmas lights last year. And the route will be the same in 2018.

During the Christmas light display, entrance to Parque Norte is free unless you wanted to use the rides in the amusement park.  And here’s a video from the Mayor of Medellín for the 2017 Christmas lights:

The food court at Parque Norte

Food Options at Parque Norte

Parque Norte has a food court with several fast food options located next to the lake at the park.  Here is a list of the food options:

• Restaurant – with Colombian comida tipica (typical food of Colombia)
• Nachos – Mexican fast food
• Italianísimo – pizzas and lasagna
• Ranchero – a variety of fast food options including hot dogs, hamburgers and much more
• Café – offers coffee, cappuccinos and pastries
• Ice Cream – includes ice cream, salads and refreshing fruit drinks.

However, in my opinion, the food options at the amusement park are pretty basic and not that great. A much better option would be to eat at the In Situ restaurant at the nearby Jardín Botanico botanical gardens.

The small lake at Parque Norte in Medellín

Entrance Fees

There are three categories of entrance fees for Parque Norte:

1. Extreme Bracelet = 38,000 pesos ($12.62) – includes unlimited use of the following attractions at the park: Kamikaze, Simulator Expedition, Infinite Space, Fantastic Simulator, Extreme Simulator, Prehistoric Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Polar, Maui, Balloons, Morgan, Eagle, Crash, Mythical Train, Iguana Train and Plane.
2. Fusion Bracelet = 25,000 pesos ($8.31) – includes the use of only the family attractions at the park including Rabbits, Urban, Balloons, Invasion, Gas Station, Mini Crash, Fantastic Simulator, Jungle, Prehistoric, Simulator Expedition, Mythical Train, Iguana Train, Infinity Space, Plane, Zig Zag, Morgan Boat.
3. Entrance Only = 5,500 pesos ($1.83) – permits entrance only to the park without the use of any attractions.

Also, Parque Norte also has parking available for 9,100 pesos for a car and 6,000 pesos for a motorcycle good for four hours. The parking lot reportedly has space for 300 cars and 50 motorcycles.

How to Get to Parque Norte

Parque Norte is a popular tourist attraction in Medellín with reportedly over 700,000 visitors each year. And it is easy to get to, since it is located next to the Universidad metro station on Line A of the Medellín Metro.

Universidad Metro Station

Furthermore, any Medellín taxi driver in the city will know where Parque Norte is located.

Parque Norte is located in a very popular area for tourists. In addition, you’ll find several other tourist attractions nearby including Jardín Botanico, Parque Explora, Parque de Los Deseos and Planetario de Medellín

Website: http://www.parquenorte.gov.co/

Address: Carrera 53 # 76-115

Phone: +57 4 340 1210

Email: contacto@parquenorte.gov.co

Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:30 am to 5:00 pm; Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. Note that Parque Norte is closed on Tuesdays after a holiday. It also occasionally closes sometimes for private events or maintenance.

Kid Friendly Things to Do in Medellín and Nearby

Parque Norte is a kid-friendly thing to do in Medellín. On the Medellin Guru website we have looked at 17 different things to do in Medellín and nearby that are kid-friendly:

1. Parque Explora – Medellín’s Interactive museum and aquarium.
2. Hacienda Napoles – Escobar’s former estate located about 4 hours from Medellín that has been transformed into a family-friendly theme park with a waterpark and zoo.
3. Medellín’s Christmas lights – the world-class Christmas lights in Medellín are very popular with families.
4. Parque Norte – Medellín’s amusement park.
5. Guatapé – a very popular pueblo near Medellín known for its huge rock and lake.
6. Barbosa, Antioquia – a pueblo located less than an hour from Medellín. It’s a great getaway from Medellín with streams, waterfalls, hiking, a waterpark and many other things to do.
7. Piedras Blancas – an ecological park in Santa Elena near Medellín with a lake, insect museum, hotel and more.
8. Zoológico Santa Fe – Medellín’s zoo.
9. Parque Arví – a very large ecological nature reserve, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Medellín.
10. Rio Claro Nature Reserve – the perfect place to unplug from hectic daily life and enjoy a picturesque crystal-clear river, canyon and tropical rainforest.
11. Museo del Agua – Medellín’s popular water museum.
12. Jardín Botánico – Medellín’s botanical gardens are popular with families.
13. Bowling in Medellín – there are four bowling alleys in Medellín.
14. Movie Theaters in Medellín – we provide a guide to the movie theaters in Medellín where ticket prices are less than half the U.S. price.
15. Museo El Castillo – Medellín’s Gothic-style castle that is a museum.
16. Planetario de Medellín – Medellín’s planetarium.
17. Parques Del Río (River Parks) – is an important project of urban transformation in Medellín and the first phase of this park is open.

Entrance to Parque Norte

The Bottom Line: Parque Norte

Parque Norte is in a good location with lots of greenery around a small like. And it has nice views of the mountains surrounding the Aburrá Valley. This amusement park closed for over five months due to the coronavirus pandemic but reopened on September 24.

I have been to Parque Norte several times. But don’t go expecting to see a large-scale amusement park like in the U.S. However, Parque Norte is a nice amusement park with some fun attractions. You should plan on at least a few hours here to walk around the amusement park and stand in lines for some of the rides.

Furthermore, Parque Norte is very popular with families in Medellín and you’ll see lots of kids there. In addition, it can be a good place to go on a date.

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Editors note: updated article on November 3, 2017 to add information that the 2017 Medellín Christmas lights will be at Parque Norte like last year.

Editors note: updated on June 6, 2017 with more details on entrance fees.

Editors note: updated on November 11, 2018 to add information that the 2018 Medellín Christmas lights will be at Parque Norte like the past three years.

Editors note: updated on September 28, 2020 with information that Parque Norte reopened on September 24, 2020 plus added new biosafety protocols and updated the amusement park entrance fees.