Aqua Fantasia

Tongdo Aqua Fantasia, a mere sixty minutes west of Ulsan, is an exciting, modern, and clean water park to make a leisurely day trip to.

Opened this season it boasts a number of attractions in a stunning mountainside setting.

Admission to Aqua Fantasia is a tolerable 32,000won for adults but once through the main entrance everything is paid for using your locker key that is initially charged with money (at the desk next to the changing rooms). It is an ingenious and convenient system that allows you to get on with having fun in the water without having to worry about unattended possessions and/or wet money.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to take a dip without wearing a life preserver, available for hire (6,000won), and wearing a cap of some sort (4,000won). You must wear these in order to swim, slide and laze about and there are no ways to circumvent these rules.

The park's centrepiece is its wave pool that intermittently produces waves of a decent size to enjoy, but it is the six water slides of various height and excitement that really provide the entertainment. The cream-coloured slide offers the steepest/fastest/greatest experience along with the green and yellow that morphs into a bowl in which you spiral down in until popping out at the bottom. There are of course the standard kids pools with water canons and even a lazy river (though admittedly it's rather bland). Take a ball along and shoot some hoops in one of the pools too.

Further all of this is has been built in a beautiful mountainous expanse. While queuing for a slide you might find yourself gazing dreamily at the vista, your eyes continuously drifting up to the summit of the mountain in the background.

With the Fantasia amusement park right next door it is great for groups of friends and families to visit. It provides an opportunity to get out of the city into an area of natural beauty. And have some great fun in the process.

Getting there: Buses 1723 (starting in Samsandong next to the bus terminals, making notable stops at the Gongeobtap and Shinbok rotaries) and 345 go direct to Tongdo while the more frequent 1703 will get you part of the way to Eonyang. Transfer here or take a taxi to complete the journey. Keep a look out for the multicoloured Ferris wheel that'll let you know you're close. By car from Ulsan take the Gyeonbu expressway until the Tongdo interchange. From here follow signs for Fantasia.  Please note that some additional, detailed, research may be required with these directions to ensure a smoother journey.