We were hosted by Kalahari Resorts to make this article about Kalahari Resort in the Poconos possible. To have your resort featured on Jersey Family Fun, please contact [email protected].
You read all about the Kalahari Resort Hotel – now what about the waterpark?
Right inside the hotel, steps from the lobby, is the Kalahari waterpark! The 100,000 square-foot park is open until 9 pm on weeknights so even with our after dinnertime arrival we had some time to spend exploring. The bonus for my crew was that this night, it wasn’t crowded at all! After using your wristband to enter the park, take some complimentary towels (what a great perk: not having to cart your own from home) and get to having fun!
We were pleased with how warm it was inside. There are tables and chairs all over, and also lockers if you want more protection. You’ll find lifeguards and park staff all over, so if your kids are older and want to break away from you, no worries about them being unprotected. Aside from the main entrance, there’s only two more access points so children can’t easily escape. All children under 48″ must wear safety vests, but there are more than enough available, provided by Kalahari.
Floating in the kids lazy river.
During the day, natural light shines through the glass roof and the paintings on the walls brighten it up inside. You have access to a snack bar and seasonally, there is a cafe open as well. No outside food is allowed inside but leaving to access food you have in your room is easy! Nothing in the resort is far away, so we chose lunch the next day at the cafe in the arcade. JFF tip- since there are no outlets in the waterpark it’s a good time to charge your phone. Music plays inside the waterpark at all times and since it’s such a large enclosed space it can be hard to hear each other talk. Cabanas with a flat screen tv, safe, and refrigerator are available for rent; while we visited we saw a birthday party in one.
So what about the water fun? Here’s what Kalahari Waterpark offers:
- Flowrider; try bodyboarding or surfboarding on the waves
- Anaconda; watercoaster
- Lazy River; coast through Kalahari waterpark on an inner tube
- Crocodile Cove; shallow pool at the entrance to the Lazy River
- Indoor/Outdoor Family Whirlpool; for children ages 6 and up – total relaxation!
- Whirlpool Spas; indoor hot tubs for more relaxation
- Wild Wildebeest; raft water slide
- Lost Lagoon; basketball pool
- Tanzanian Twister; free fall slide into a wild vortex and a big splash!
- Thirsty Turtle Swim Up Bar; adults only!
- Rippling Rhino; 400 foot long tube slide
- Zimbabwe Zipper; go up to 40 mph on this pipe slide
- Splashdown Safari; fun water playground for kids and adults!
- Barreling Baboon; fast and fun tube water slide
- Tiko’s Watering Hole; fun water playground and lazy river for the little ones
Tiko’s Watering Hole
My children are 10 and 5; the one who’s tall enough for all the slides is a little apprehensive and the one who isn’t is a daredevil! No worries though, they had plenty to occupy them. We all went on the Anaconda watercoaster which was pretty thrilling as you speed through the slide in a two person tube. Lines weren’t long at all during our visit so we could go on multiple times without problem. We enjoyed the pools too! It was a rare treat to play basketball in the pool, and the Lost Lagoon has multiple nets for playing. Mom’s favorite was the indoor/outdoor family whirlpool. I could have been in there for hours (not recommended of course) using the jets to soothe aching muscles as the kids swam around. It wasn’t cold while we were there but even when it is, the outdoor hot tub is the perfect temperature.
Take a look inside Kalahari Resort Waterpark
The two playground areas were great for getting energy out. Kids can climb the steps of the Splashdown Safari and take the tube slides back down; shoot water guns at each other and get splashed by the dumping buckets. Tiko’s Watering Hole offers similar water play and slides, but for the younger set. There’s even a 1 foot lazy river with tubes for the little ones. My children enjoyed these areas the best, where they could build their confidence for the bigger slides and bigger splashes on the waterslides. We spent over an hour the night we arrived, and at least 4 hours the next day inside the park.
Kalahari Resorts also has an outdoor waterpark, open seasonally of course. There’s a lot of construction going on on new rooms, and a winter sports area on the property.
If you’re looking for a nearby, self contained vacation with full resort features, and all the water fun you can enjoy, take a look at our blog post about the Kalahari Resort Hotel and then get your family to Kalahari Resorts and Waterpark!
Kalahari Resort Vacation packages start at $229 and daily passes range from $39-$59. Ages 2 and under are free. Learn more here.
For more photos of Kalahari Resorts visit our Facebook album. Here’s a preview.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153260829560745.1073742300.71658875744&type=3
Every time we visit Kalahari we have fun! Read about all our visits to Kalahari Resorts with Kids. To make your reservation for Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos, click over to their site at www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania.
Want to have your family friendly destination featured on Jersey Family Fun? Contact Jenn to make arrangements.
In full disclosure, this is a sponsored post from Kalahari Resorts and Waterpark. We were provided with 1 night accommodations and waterpark admission. These things were arranged so that we could review Kalahari Resorts for its family friendliness. However, our opinions are honest and based on our experiences at Kalahari Resorts.