Malaysia: Top 5 Rides at Sunway Lagoon

In April, I went to Sunway Lagoon, a premier theme park located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in the suburban area known as Subang Jaya. The theme park offers some 90 attractions across 88 acres of land, divided into 6 different adventure zones, namely Water Park, Amusement Park, Wildlife Park, Extreme Park, Scream Park and their latest offering, Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon.

I went there with a couple of Twitter friends, Raja Amnan (Nan) & Liyana Madihah (Lana), and the winner of a Twitter contest by @backpackingMY, Syairul Syazwin (Ben) – all of whom are in their 20s, including yours truly *coughs* - at the invitation of the theme park, to spend a day enjoying the rides and facilities that they have to offer. It came with an assignment too, to find out which are the best and top 5 rides that we love the most at Sunway Lagoon.

Now you can understand why I mentioned their age earlier – it’s just so that maybe you can relate with a different demography, heh! Within our group, which is made up of 3 guys and 1 girl, there’s one who is afraid of height, one who is perhaps not so fond of water activities, and there’s one who is the daredevil. Two preferred dry activities only (Dry Team) because somehow they didn’t bring any clothes change to the theme park while the other two made up the Wet Team.

Let’s see if Sunway Lagoon can cater to different types of folks based on the above, shall we?

We arrived at Sunway Lagoon at around noon after having brunch at the nearby shopping mall, Sunway Pyramid, so we had some 6 hours to spend at the park before it closed.

Our first destination inside Sunway Lagoon was Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon, the latest adventure zone at the park, which is also Asia’s 1st Nickelodeon Themed Land. To get there however, we walked pass through Wildlife Park, which has more than 150 species of animals from around the world.

We got quite distracted from our mission here as there are some really cool animals like the black panthers, tigers, white lions, some exotic birds and pets in the Bird Savannah, Jungle Trail and Pet Village, so we ended up spending quite some time snapping photos. Only after that we found our way to Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon and started trying out different rides.

Collectively, we tried 11 different rides in total, and while each one of us has our own top 5 rides, I shall also share the overall ranking by end of this blog post. But first, the following are the 11 rides that we tried.

Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon – Monsoon 360°

Here, Lana and I climbed some 3-storey high staircase to get to a platform and step onto a clear glass floor, which after a countdown, would open below you to let you fall almost vertically down. Talk about adrenaline rush. Now, I must mention here that I’m afraid of heights, and even getting to the top of the platform almost got me a bit dizzy. There was a girl who queued in front of Lana and I who decided not to take the plunge after seeing the glass floor up close.

That didn’t really help calm my nerve down (heh!) but I thought, what the heck, let’s just do this. I told Lana to take the plunge first so if I decided not to do the same, at least she’s not there to bug or laugh at me, ha ha!

In the end, I did take the plunge, loved it, but felt the ride was a bit too short. Short as in I didn’t even manage to start screaming after overcoming the shock of the free fall before I got to the end of the ride. Lana concurred with me on this.

Tips: This is probably applicable throughout the park. If you’re a Muslim girl who wears hijab, you should wear one that doesn’t require you to use any pin. It’s for your own safety and others too.

Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon – Jungle Fury

After Monsoon 360°, Lana and I queued for Jungle Fury, a ride where about 4 to 5 people sit on a big water tube to go down another probably 3-storey high platform. There’d be drops and turns whilst on the way down. And some screaming too, of course.

Tips: As the big water tube is suitable for 4 to 5 people, and only Lana and I were going for the ride while the other 2 Dry Team guys waited for us, we had to wait in the queue for a bit to find another couple to make up the minimum requirement. So it’s better if you try this in a group of four or you might be unlucky having to wait for another couple to join you in the queue.

Extreme Park – G-Force X

After getting all wet, it was time for the Dry Team to have their fun. We went to Extreme Park which is probably the ultimate adventure zone for adrenaline junkies. They have the longest Flying Fox in Malaysia, the highest sling shot ride in Asia, the first Bungy Jump in Malaysia, Go Kart, ATV and a few other activities too. Some of these activities however do require an additional fee.

Here Ben and Nan went for the G-Force X ride, a sling shot ride that propels you from 0 to 120km/h in just 2 seconds. Talk about taking the extreme to whole new level.

Tips: I had wanted to try this ride too but Lana didn’t so in the end, I didn’t either. They require at least 2 participants in one go, and you cannot go on it alone. So you’d need to have or find a willing partner for this crazy ride.

In hindsight however, I was very happy not to have tried the ride after seeing Nan’s hand shaking after getting down from the ride, ha ha! Ben the daredevil however was like, jumping up and down from excitement. (See the video towards the end of this post)

Extreme Park – Bungy Jump

Next, we walked up a tower, walked on Malaysia’s longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge to get to Bungy Jump platforms, the first bungee jump in Malaysia. The view of Sunway Lagoon from the hanging bridge is just awesome. The jump from the platform was… oh I don’t know... I didn’t jump, ha ha!

Here Nan, Lana and Ben took the plunge, or what they call the ultimate leap of faith, down the suspension bridge, one after the other. I could only watch in disbelief while hearing they screamed their lungs out, heh!

Ben taking the plunge

The crazy folks (L-R): Nan, Ben & Lana, with their Certificate of Insanity

Tips: While the crew would help keep your belongings, e.g. sandals, up on the Suspension Bridge, it’s still a good idea to have someone in the group who doesn’t jump so that s/he can help bring your stuff down rather than you climbing up the tower again to get to Bungy Jump platform. This is because you’re not pulled up to the platform again after you’ve jumped. Instead you're pulled down to the ground below.

Amusement Park – Tomahawk 

Did you see Ben's nervous (or is that bored) face there? ;)

We continued on with the Dry Team trying out the Amusement Park’s double looping ride on Tomahawk. This ride is pretty standard in that it usually is available in most noteworthy theme parks around the world. But still, watching the machine loops 360 degrees upside down at some crazy speed was fun, at least from the ground below, ha ha!

Amusement Park – Pirate’s Revenge

Going for the full swing!

This is another standard ride in theme parks worldwide. You get on a pirate’s ship, it swings some 170 degrees, you scream, and then you get down. I almost joined the Dry Team on this ride but instead, decided to watch it first. It turned out that the ship swings in a 360 degrees loop at some points of the ride. Phew! Watching Nan’s face right after he got off the ride was quite priceless, ha ha!

Tips: Always find out what you’re getting yourself into first but I guess, in some cases, ignorance could be bliss too, ha ha!

Amusement Park – Lost City Scream Coaster

Ben had to leave after Pirate’s Revenge ride so only 3 of us left. Lana and Nan next went on the roller coaster ride called Lost City Scream Coaster. Nan said that he thought it was quite boring (at first) while the train was climbing up but it got quite scary at one section of the ride.

Water Park – Vuvuzela

Vuvuzela - Can you hear the sound of people screaming?

We skipped the nearby Scream Park and traced our steps back to Water Park, which we passed by whilst on the way to Amusement Park from Extreme Park. Here, Lana and I started our climb again to a platform located some 11-storey high for the ultimate ride in Water Park, Vuvuzela. I was especially looking forward to the ride because the last time I was at Sunway Lagoon in late 2013, the ride, then known as Vortex Water Ride, had just been completed but was still not opened to the public yet. The funny thing is, I didn't think I'd have the courage to try it out even if it was already opened at the time.

But this time, it was different. Not only the name has changed to Vuvuzela, I was also more than willing to try it out.

Not dissimilar to Jungle Fury ride earlier (although the height at Jungle Fury is much lower), thrill seekers basically travel down to the ground on a water tube through turbulent waters before plummeting into the world’s largest funnel. Vuvuzela is purportedly the highest and largest water ride in the world. The highest and the largest or not, Vuvuzela didn’t disappoint. It was easily the best water ride that we tried that day.

Tips: Similar to Jungle Fury, there’s a minimum requirement of 4 adults on the water tube so it’s better to try this ride in a group. This time though, Lana and I didn’t have to wait long because there was already a couple with two kids waiting to complete their quorum on the platform so we’re asked by the staff to jump the queue to get to the platform. I guess you win some, you lose some.

Water Park – Congo Challenge

Nan capturing the action

After Vuvuzela, Congo Challenge didn’t seem like a challenge at all although that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun. Here, Lana and I did a quick race down the slide head first down. The ride however was a bit too short and quick for me, one round would not be enough. It’s probably not a good idea for those with a back pain though.

Water Park – African Pythons

The Wet Team then continued with African Pythons, another water tube ride down a slide (inside the body of a “python”) but here, the water tube is suitable for two, so Lana and I didn’t have to wait for anybody to enjoy the ride and have fun. The thrill here is that you’re spinning and sliding down in total darkness for the most part before you see the light at the end of the tunnel as you fall into the pool.

Water Park – Waterplexx 5D

Towards the end of the day, we all went into Waterplexx 5D to watch a 3D movie that also comes with some thrills and spills as you sit on your simulator-like chair. They actually have a warning at the entrance that one will get wet inside the theatre. We however thought that it’d just involve some minimal water spray or something but we thought wrong. Consequently Nan, the Dry Team member who didn’t bring any spare clothes, got a thorough soaking inside, he could have just as well joined Lana and I on all of our Water Park rides, heh heh! Well, in the end he did, as he went on to join me as I tried Vuvuzela for the second round.

Tips: Whilst you enjoy the ride inside Waterplexx 5D, do make sure that the back of your head do not bang on the seat as the ride could be somewhat dramatic at some points. Oh! And yes, don't forget, you WILL get wet!

That pretty much recaps our day at Sunway Lagoon where we tried 11 rides in total. And here are some more tips from us to ensure that you have more fun at Sunway Lagoon!

Tips: There were a few rides that were closed to the public on the day – these are usually announced on their website. We wanted to try the ATV ride but the queue was quite long and by the time we got back to the station to give it a shot, it was already closed for the day. Another free activity that seemed to attract a long queue was the Flying Fox, which we didn’t try. And while there were queues for other rides too they didn’t take much time before we got to enjoy our ride. So if you plan on trying either the ATV or Flying Fox or both, it might be a good idea to go for them first. If you wear spectacles, try to use contact lens instead for the day. Most rides require you to take your glasses off for safety reasons so contact lens would be better to help you enjoy the views as well whilst on a ride. Sunway Lagoon doesn’t allow the use of Go-Pro (or other similar action) cameras on most of their rides for safety reasons. So you’d need someone to look after the camera while you go for a ride. You’re however allowed to use it for G-Force X and Bungy Jump at your own risks. On the same note, it would be great if Sunway Lagoon could install some cameras to capture photos of guests whilst they are on the rides. These photos could be priceless!

So anyways, what are our individual’s Top 5 Rides at Sunway Lagoon? They are as follows:

Rank	Nan	Ben	Lana	RaW
1	G-Force X	G-Force X	Vuvuzela	Vuvuzela
2	Pirate's Revenge	Bungy Jump	Jungle Fury	Monsoon 360°
3	Bungy Jump	Pirate's Revenge	Bungy Jump	African Pythons
4	Tomahawk	Tomahawk	Lost City Scream Coaster	Jungle Fury
5	Lost City Scream Coaster	Vuvuzela	Waterplexx 5D	Congo Challenge

I also asked everyone to give a rating as well for each ride that they had tried on the day, a rating of between 1 and 10 where 1 is for “Biasa je” (~ Normal ride) and 10 is for “Gila best!” (~ Totally awesome!). The points were then added and averaged out to give a single rating for each ride.

Too academic? Whatever... Hahaha! We were on an assignment, after all, albeit a fun one! ;)

The following are the results:

Rank	Top 5 (Dry) Rides	Top 5 (Wet) Rides
1	G-Force X	Vuvuzela
2	Bungy Jump	African Pythons; Monsoon 360°
3	Pirate's Revenge	n/a
4	Tomahawk; Lost City Scream Coaster	Jungle Fury; Congo Challenge
5	n/a	n/a

And last but not least... *drum rolls*

OVERALL TOP 5 RIDES AT SUNWAY LAGOON

5. Tomahawk; Lost City Scream Coaster; African Pythons; Monsoon 360° 

4. Pirate’s Revenge 

“Totally unexpected!” – Nan

3. Vuvuzela

“Vuvuzela is worth the queue!” – Lana

2. Bungy Jump

“If you’re a thrill seeker and a first timer to bungee jumping, go for Bungy Jump!” – Lana

And the top ride at Sunway Lagoon is...

1. G-Force X
“The coolest heart-pumping ride!” – Nan

So what do you guys think about the list? Obviously these are just individual’s preferences and also our group overall choices based on the rides that we’d tried after considering all the options/rides available on the day. Let’s not forget that there are some 90 rides and attractions at Sunway Lagoon so whether you are a Dry Team or a Wet Team, afraid of heights or a pure daredevil, you can rest assured that there’s something for everyone in the group or family at Sunway Lagoon.

So why not go to Sunway Lagoon and find it out yourself today? ;)

Tips: If you’re not a Malaysian national, buy the tickets online at Sunway Lagoon website for a 20% discount on the tickets.

If you’ve been to Sunway Lagoon before, what are your personal Top 5 Rides? And if you haven’t been, which rides you’d like to try out the most?

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For more information:

Sunway Lagoon Official Website

A Thank You and Disclosure Note:
I would like to thank Sunway Lagoon for the invitation to try out the rides at their theme park. As usual, the sponsorship doesn't affect my review of our day there.

I'd also like to thank Ben, Lana & Nan for being such a sport. However, I do expect you guys to buy me some heavy meals or durian cendol soon. Okay, just kidding!

Going to Kuala Lumpur? Do check out these hotels or Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa for your accommodation requirements there. For other blog entries on Malaysia, click here. For other blog entries on Theme Parks, click here.