Rapids Ride

“Amazonia” is now reopened at Bellewaerde

“Amazonia” is now reopened at Bellewaerde 1224 922 Luc Richard

On April 5th, 2025, Bellewaerde in Belgium reopened Amazonia to the public. Our project team has been working diligently in close collaboration with the park during the off-season. Together, we’ve developed enhancements to the ride’s halfpipe section to better control the trajectory of the boats and increase the guest experience.

What is Amazonia?

Amazonia is the next generation of the classic and beloved Rapids Ride. Plunge into the iconic Halfpipe, ascend to new heights with the Rotating Vertical Lift, and enjoy the world’s first Bungee Drop on a Rapids Ride — all within the same attraction!

Featuring unique elements and state-of-the-art technologies, Amazonia promises riders an unparalleled experience. Hop aboard the vibrantly colored Rapids Ride boats, designed for maximum guest comfort.

Amazonia introduces numerous innovative elements, some of which have never been implemented on a Rapids Ride before.

Amazonia’s enhancements

The ride has been upgraded with new enhancements to improve the guest experience. These enhancements were developed in collaboration with Bellewaerde throughout the winter season. Below are two of the primary ones implemented.

New Guide Rail

First, a guide rail has been added at the entrance of the halfpipe to control raft trajectory and increase the time spent in the element.

Upgraded water pump

Secondly, the team upgraded the water pump to increase water flow and boost raft speed on the final drop into the halfpipe. This also brings a new splash effect to refresh riders during the hot summer days.

Intamin extends its sincere Thanks to Bellewaerde and Compagnie des Alpes for their trust and collaboration in helping pioneer the next generation of Rapids Rides.

New Water Ride Features

New Water Ride Features 2560 1440 intamin_admin

New Features for Your Water Rides

Intamin has developed new layout elements for its Flume Rides and its Rapids Rides to bring water ride experiences to the next level.

Upgraded boat designs, an innovative booster system for Flume Rides and special elements like a teeter totter, free fall track or steel slides sections on a Rapids Ride are some of the novelties now available.

Your Next Generation Flume Ride

Intamin’s 8-passenger Flume boat has been notably upgraded. The main improvements on the boat are the comfortable seats as well as the individual lap bar restraints, designed for quick and easy loading & unloading.

In addition to the upgraded boat, Intamin now offers a booster element which is a world’s first for water rides. This, optionally submerged, element is used to boost the Flume boat’s speed in a flat flume section and can be used, for example, to grab some airtime over a hump without the need of a down-chute before.

Intamin also has upgraded its V-Switch track element, which is now called the Swing Switch. The Swing Switch can now swing the flume boat from one side to the other into a backward section while simultaneously performing the backwards motion, so without requiring the boat to fully stop during the swing.

Rapids Ride with Special Elements

Intamin’s Rapids Ride received a number of new special elements which have not been used on a Rapids Ride before. Create unique ride experiences with one of the following new special elements:

  • Teeter totter
  • Vertical in-line lift with steel slide
  • Parallel lift with down chute
  • Inclined lift with drop and show waterfall
  • Inclined lift with drop
  • Inclined lift with floating horseshoe drop

Update Your Existing Installation or Design A New One From Scratch

Surprise your guests with Intamin’s various innovative lift configurations, adding even more uniqueness to your water ride. Implementation of most new features in existing rides are possible.