The 1992 Universal Exhibition of Seville was a turning point for the city of Seville, above all for its international image. The event left behind a new and enormous urban space and a variety of pavilions and infrastructures that were partly transformed into Isla Mágica. When it opened its doors in 1997, the city’s new focal point became the first urban theme park in the world and, despite not being as successful as expected at first, today it is one of the city’s main tourist attractions, not just for children and young people. 

What and where is Isla Mágica 

 The Isla Mágica theme park is situated on the Isla de la Cartuja, a huge space on the banks of the Guadalquivir river, which, as we mentioned before, was the site of the Universal Exhibition of Seville, held in 1992. Isla Mágica is located in the area that was home to the Spanish pavilions, making use of some of the structures built for the great international event, which are distributed around a large lake. 

Ever since it began, Isla Mágica has sought to continue with the theme of the World’s Fair: the Age of Discovery. A large part of the attractions are themed around transoceanic voyages and different Latin American cultures.  

Together with the six themed areas, Isla Mágica also boasts Agua Mágica, a water park with several pools (one with waves) and slides. It was opened in 2014 with the aim of becoming “Seville’s beach”. 

 

 

The themed areas of Isla Mágica 

 Apart from its recreational function, Isla Mágica also purports to be an educational space. This explains why its six themed areas are centred around different chapters related to discovery and the long voyages that connected the different continents of the world. The six areas are as follows: 

  • Sevilla, Puerto de Indias: Reflecting the city’s atmosphere in the sixteenth century when it became the leading port linking Spain to the Latin American colonies—Europe’s so-called gateway to the New World. 
  • Puerta de América: Based around the Fuerte de San Felipe, the area also has a replica of the historical city of Cartagena de Indias. 
  • Amazonía: The humid and lush atmosphere of the biggest rainforest on the planet, a habitat of jaguars, is recreated in this area, in addition to the incredible Iguazú Falls. 
  • La Guarida de los Piratas: A place recreating the period in which pirates and corsairs roamed freely through the waters of the Caribbean. 
  • La Fuente de la Juventud: This area is aimed especially at the youngest children, with a series of streams and ponds inhabited by numerous critters and other living creatures. 
  • El Dorado: A fantastic recreation of the mythical lost city, which Spanish and British explorers ran ragged trying to find. 

 In addition to these areas, as we already mentioned, is Agua Mágica, although it is actually a separate park within the Isla Mágica complex. 

The top attractions 

 Rollercoasters, dizzying waterfalls, projections on state-of-the-art screens, interactive tours and classic fun… Isla Mágica boasts an array of attractions for all types of visitors, ages and physical conditions. These are some of the most popular: 

  • Jaguar: Every theme park has a top rollercoaster and this is Isla Mágica’s. A 765-metre-long route with a maximum speed of 85 kilometres per hour. 
  • Anaconda: A frenetic water rollercoaster with a 17-metre drop and guaranteed splash. 
  • The Challenge: This tower, based on a minaret, is visible from anywhere in the park and consists of a dizzying free fall from a height of 68 metres.  
  • The Orinoco Rapids: One of the most fun attractions in Isla Mágica. Riding on an inflatable raft down this 500-metre long rafting route is ideal for groups. 
  • Dimension 4: Be prepared to experience all manner of sensations, not just of the visual kind, when watching fun and interesting projections at this 4D cinema. 
  • Ball Lake: Here you can explore the lake from inside an enormous inflatable transparent ball, whilst trying your best to keep your balance. 

 

 

Isla Mágica for little children 

La Fuente de la Juventud, a themed area especially designed for the youngest children, is where kids up to the age of 12 can enjoy a similar experience to their older counterparts thanks to smaller attractions that emulate those in the rest of the park. 

Some of the most popular include: 

  • The Dancing Caiman—a water rollercoaster. 
  • The Jumping Frog—boasting a mini free fall.  
  • The Chrysalis—a caterpillar merry-go-round. 
  • The Spring Wheel—a Ferris wheel that mum and dad can also enjoy. 
  • The Caravels—scale models of two of the historical vessels that traversed the Atlantic Ocean towards the New World, which you can explore inside.