Slide & Splash

Slide & Splash opened on 10 June 1986, which makes it one of Portugal’s longest-running water parks. It sits beside the EN125 at Vale de Deus, between Lagoa and Estômbar, and covers 10 hectares of slides, pools, lawns and sun loungers. The slides were repainted and reworked between 2017 and 2019, and in 2022 a new tower added three rides: Race, Boomerang and Big Fall.

For families the useful thing is the spread. There are two shallow children’s zones, a big swimming pool, a lazy river and more than 20 slides, graded by height. A toddler, a nervous seven-year-old and a thrill-seeking teenager can all have a full day here, which isn’t true of every water park.

The children’s pools are between 20 and 40 centimetres deep, according to the park’s rules page, so a toddler can sit or walk in them.

• The main children’s zone has a tropical theme (look for “Tropical” on the park map), with mini slides, water jets and shallow water. It’s for children up to 12, and a few of the play features have their own height or age limits.
• Children Slides (called the Brandinhas) are first slides for the little ones, and they have a maximum height of 1.20 metres, so older children can’t take over.
• Foam Slides are five side-by-side lanes, so a family can race each other down. They need a minimum height of 1 metre and are the obvious first “proper” slide for a four- or five-year-old.
• Laguna is the swimming pool, 1 to 1.60 metres deep, for anyone who can swim or is holding on to a parent.

If your child is under a metre tall, they go in free. Many three-year-olds and some four-year-olds fall under that line, which changes the sums for a family day.

Height, not age, decides what a child can ride. From the park’s rules and map:

• 1 metre: most body slides, including the Tunnel, Drops (two slides with a little jump before the pool), Corkscrew, Kamikaze, Banzai (head-first on a mat) and the seven slides of the Big Slides Tower.
• 0.90 to 1.20 metres: tube slides such as Blue Hole, Black Hole and Disco River, but only on a double tube with an adult. On a single tube you must be over 1.20 m.
• 1.07 metres: Race (timed lanes, with the results shown at the end) and Boomerang, a tube ride that drops you down and swings you up a tall wall and back.
• 1.20 metres: River Ride, a tube trip down a flowing river.
• 1.25 metres (1.22 m on the park map): Big Fall, a trapdoor capsule. You stand inside, hear a countdown and the floor drops away.
• 1.40 metres: Tornado, and the Big Wave (1.20 m with an adult), a fast drop and climb up a huge curved wall for two or four people. The warm Jacuzzi also needs 1.40 m.

Several of the enclosed slides are marked as unsuitable for anyone claustrophobic, pregnant or with a heart condition, and the park says rides with closed sections aren’t recommended in those cases. Black Hole is in complete darkness, and Disco River has coloured lights and music, so a child who dislikes the dark may prefer the open slides.

Prices depend on season. When checked in September 2026:

• Adults (11 to 64): €32 in low season, €35 in July and August at the gate.
• Juniors (at least 1 metre tall, up to 10 years old) and over-65s: €24 or €27.
• Under 1 metre: free.

Buying online took 10% off, as long as you buy before the day of your visit: €28.80 or €31.50 for adults, €21.60 or €24.30 for juniors. Tickets bought through other websites need a visit date chosen through the park’s online check-in, or you’ll be turned away.

Visitors with a certified disability under 80% pay €25 (adults) or €17 (juniors and seniors) in low season, €3 more in summer, bought only at the park’s ticket office. Anyone with a disability over 80% who can’t use the rides gets in free. Pregnant visitors pay €25 or €28. You can buy a second-day ticket at the internal reception, but you must collect the wristband before you leave.

You can bring your own food and drink, which saves a lot. Glass isn’t allowed and bags and cool boxes may be checked at the gate. Food isn’t allowed on the slides or in the pools.

If you’d rather buy lunch, Restaurante Splash serves hamburgers, salads, soup, roast chicken, nuggets, breaded chicken and hot dogs. There’s a pizzeria and ice-cream bar, and kiosks selling hot dogs, chicken snacks and ice cream (some only in July and August). The grill runs from June to September.

Lockers come in two sizes and are rented by scanning a QR code at the locker units; the large size can be pre-bought online with your tickets. A sunshade costs €5 plus a €5 refundable deposit. A set of two sun loungers with a parasol and side table was €10 in low season and €15 in July and August. Groups of 4, 6 or 10 can book a private cabana.

The park has a nursing team and a defibrillator at the entrance.

• Children under 12 can’t come in without an adult who takes responsibility for them.
• No glasses on any ride, only swimming goggles with no metal or glass parts.
• No jewellery or watches in the pools or on the slides.
• No phones or cameras on the slides. A GoPro-type camera is allowed on tube slides if it’s strapped to the chest or head.
• Clothing on slides must be swimwear, or tight lycra with no metal (for example a rash vest or burkini). Water shoes without metal are allowed.
• No balls, no animals except guide dogs, and no drones.

The car park is free but unguarded, so don’t leave valuables in the car. Without a car, buses 13 and 14 between Albufeira and Portimão and bus 113 from Portimão to Messines stop at Estômbar-Lagoa. The regional train also stops at Estômbar-Lagoa, about 15 minutes’ walk away, on the line between Vila Real de Santo António, Faro and Lagos.

Paths and services are set up for visitors with reduced mobility. If you have a water-suitable wheelchair, you can use it in Laguna and in the tropical children’s zone, which both have ramps. The slides need the rider to walk independently.

This is an outdoor park with long walks between rides and a lot of sun. Bring hats, sun cream and water shoes for hot paths, and plan shade breaks for small children. July and August are the busiest and dearest months; a school-term weekday in June or September is usually calmer and costs less.

Sand City, the sand-sculpture park, is also in the Lagoa area if you want a gentler outing on another day. The Algarve’s other big water parks are Aquashow in Quarteira, which also has an indoor park for winter, and Aqualand Algarve at Alcantarilha. For a year-round swim with lessons, the Lagoa municipal pools are a few minutes away.

Is Slide & Splash good for toddlers?

Yes, within limits. The children’s pools are 20 to 40 cm deep, the tropical children’s zone has mini slides and jets, and anyone under 1 metre gets in free. Most real slides need at least 1 metre.

Can you take your own food into Slide & Splash?

Yes. Food and drink are allowed as long as there’s no glass. Bags and cool boxes may be searched, and you can’t eat in the pools or on the slides.

How tall do you have to be for the slides?

Most slides need 1 metre. Tube slides need 1.20 m alone, or 0.90 m on a double tube with an adult. Tornado, Big Wave and the Jacuzzi need 1.40 m.

When is Slide & Splash open?

From 1 April to 31 October in 2026, from 10:00. Closing time moves between 17:00 and 18:00 through the season, and a few days are closed, so check the online calendar.

Can children go without an adult?

Only from age 12. Under-12s must be with an adult who is responsible for them.