We had a sneak peek of the latest Punta Cana attraction, Katmandu Park. Katmandu is the first theme park in the Dominican Republic. It is being marketed as the first world-class theme park in the Caribbean.
We took advantage of an offer that provided exclusive VIP early access to Katmandu park for guests staying in the new Punta Cana resort “Falcon’s Resort by Melia,” jointly developed by Meliá Hotels International and Falcon’s Beyond, the owners of the “Katmandu” franchise.
When Did We Visit?
We visited Katmandu Park in December 2022. Since this was only a sneak peek, only two attractions were open; a mini golf course called “Expedition Golf” and “Challenge of the Mad Mage,” an immersive 4D adventure. The park is expected to open fully in January or February of 2023.
The park is centrally located in Bavaro Punta Cana, close to many resorts in the area.
From the time we were picked up at the resort by the Katmandu shuttle, we knew we would experience something different. Even though we were the only guests in the cart, the staff that rode with us to the park was super energetic and friendly, making the trip there part of the experience.
When we arrived at the park, we could immediately tell that the park’s ambiance was very well accomplished and could be compared to the quality of any Orlando area theme park.
We used our free passes to get the attraction tickets, and they also gave us two free tickets for use in the food truck area.
Every staff member was super friendly and in character, which helped us get into the Katmandu “Hidden Realms” storyline. The story and all the characters are original from Falcon’s Beyond Global.
For full disclosure, we ran into a good friend who works as head of marketing for Katmandu Park. We didn’t know this before our visit, and it, in no way, impacts our opinions of the park expressed in this video.
Our First Ride!
We decided to try the “Challenge of the Mad Mage” first. It’s dark here, so you can’t really see it, but the line was very well decorated; we kept comparing the quality of the decoration to those in places like Universal Studios or Disney.
This immersive attraction took place in a small 4D theater. Alvis, the mad mage, challenges you to a duel across the hidden realms where you must blast his ChessBots in a madcap game to defeat him.
The idea is to blast as many minions as possible to beat the other players on the scoreboard, which makes this game very competitive. The game lasted 3 to 5 minutes and was really well made.
Super Fun Mini Golf Courses
Next, we headed to the mini golf course. You choose your putter from 3 different sizes, a different colored ball for each player, and the scorecard with one of those cute mini pencils.
We played an 18-hole course which took us about 40 minutes to complete. We had a group of 5 about six holes ahead of us and eventually caught up to them. This meant we had to wait for them to finish playing a hole. No big deal, but keep this in mind, as this can lengthen your game time.
There are two 18-hole courses or “realms”; the realm of Earth and the realm of Sky. We chose to play the Earth realm, and it was super cool; the first holes are airconditioned as they are inside an “ice cave.”
There’s a nice variety of holes ranging from easy to hard, which should keep the entire family engaged, although I wish there were at least one or two extreme holes.
Jhon and I became very competitive, but, of course, I won. Both courses were super well-decorated, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
We also got a chance to walk through the Air Realm course, and we liked it a little bit better. The view of the park from the top of the mountain is excellent.
We Had a Bite at the Food Truck Area
We visited the food truck park next. We tried a frozen lemonade that was perfect for a hot Punta Cana day. We also tried waffles and churros.
We weren’t very hungry since we had a large breakfast at the resort’s buffet, so we didn’t finish the waffles; However, the churros were so good that we finished them all.
Katmandu Park cost about 83 million dollars to build, and when it’s fully open, there will be eight attractions. Four are immersive:
“Challenge of the Mad Mage”
A Suspended Theater, “Voyage of the Fathom Wanderer”
A Dark Ride, “Legend of the Desirata”
The Upside-Down House “Etherquest”
The “Expedition Golf” Course
A Carousel Called “Wheel of Infinite Wonder”
Also, “High Point Adventure”
A high-rise vertical obstacle course that we can’t wait to try. It’s really high and looks like a challenge.
Finally, “The Quadagon”
A soft play area with a section just for adults that looks extremely fun.
We can’t wait to come back when Katmandu Park is fully open, as it promises to be a lot of fun!
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