For people like me who did not have the time or money or company to travel round the world or even an interesting country like India, Adlabs Imagica could be a one phrase answer. For the uninitiated, Adlabs Imagica Review is a theme park situated at Khopoli, a tiny place in Maharashtra. It is around an hour and a half from Pune and couple of hours from the capital city, Mumbai. This theme park opened the curtains in the month of April and has been creating curiosity since then. Early birds who went there did not have much to say. However, we went there pretty six months after the launch. And hence, here is an account of this place - that is as described by my friend, ‘Disneyland of India’. Let me put the imagination of your people to rest by saying that it does not have any kind of association with Disney – hence, no Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck here. In simple terms, it is very Indian or say “desi”. So, we have Alibaba and Chalis Chor, Salimgarh, Rajasaurus, etc.
A note of caution for people who have already packed their bags without reading the entire article – do not go there without tagging three-four of your friends along. Yes, this place needs a group, so a lone ranger will get bored and return with a gloomy face. We began our journey from Pune and so, we reached there within 80 minutes. The sad thing about the route is that there are no directions or map towards the park. However, the locals are a great help! The rainy ambiance towards the Park suddenly turned into sunny when we reached there. The sweltering heat made us crib to no extent. The surroundings of the park were spotted by people carrying camera and clicking pictures of anything and everything that came their way. As the doors opened, sharp at 11, people (including us) swarmed inside. The picture inside - A huge walky-talky teddy bear was being hugged, pushed and clicked with kids in tow. A man with tall bamboo legs (obviously artificial) was difficult to reach, so we just waved him and moved forward. The park is divided into zones, Europe, India, Arabia, America and Africa.
The sun took our toll. The sight of water bodies appealed us and one of us, even wanted to dive inside to save himself from the sun. Adlabs Imagica Review is full of coordinators who can easily make out confused faces and appear from nowhere to guide them. One of them guided us to take the rides first and then go for indoor fun, because the rains were regular visitors in the evenings. However, sun and rides are a bad combination. We did not heed his advice and moved for indoor games. First, we went for ‘Alibaba and Chalis Chor’. We are taken inside a tomb and shown a video wherein a person is advising us to kill the chor or thieves in the journey. We are made to sit in a train like structure and handed laser guns. The journey begins. There are various statues dressed in Arabian costumes. We had to aim the laser point and shoot them. Yes, we are awarded points for this. It was fun turning kids again. Then, we headed to the India zone. If you like ghosts and desire to meet them, visit Salimgarh where human dressed as ghosts climb on the wagon you are travelling!
Every attraction at Adlabs Imagica Review is thoughtfully designed. There is something for everyone. For people who fear actual rides, the place has virtual rides too. A couple of rides have water elements; hence, people should carry a hand towel or an extra pair of clothes. People can enjoy the open rain dance too in this theme park. Everything is in place here. Adlabs Imagica is a great combination of indoor and outdoor rides. What we loved is their makeover of Disneyland into Indian theme park! A lovely place that is not only easily accessible but also does not burn a hole in your pockets! Adlabs Imagica even provides transportation services from Mumbai and Pune as well. So, what are you waiting for! Pack your bags and head to the wonderland, Adlabs Imagica!
