Tropical Islands - Europe’s largest tropical holiday world Tropical Islands offers its guests “the best of the Tropics” and is the perfect destination for anyone looking for a short break or an extended holiday – without the need for a long plane journey. Here, Asia, the Pacific region, Africa and South America all come together under one roof with a temperature around pleasant 26 degrees Celsius. It is the ideal place to recharge batteries, relax and have a good time. The Tropical Islands Resort offers a wide range of comfortable accommodation. Open all year round, 24 hours a day, it is a unique holiday destination for families with or without children, and grown-ups of all ages, with weather that is always perfect. Tropical Islands is located in Brandenburg between Berlin and Dresden and it is situated in one of the largest self-supporting halls in the world. Tropical Islands has two main areas The Tropical World features a huge water world with fun and games for kids, the world’s largest indoor rainforest, a tropical village with authentic buildings, a shopping boulevard, a fitness club and comfortable accommodation in the dome’s 195 rooms and lodges or the many tents in the Rainforest and the Sunset Camp. The tropical Sauna and Spa Complex allows guests to relax and recharge their batteries, with extensive spa facilities covering an area of almost 10,000 square metres. I. Tropical World The Tropical Sea, the Lagoon, the world’s largest indoor rainforest, a tropical village and huge children’s play area; all this together makes the Tropical World. Overnight accommodation varies from rooms to lodges and tents. And that’s not all – there are also Germany’s highest water-slide, countless shops, restaurants and bars, not to mention the Wayang Plaza and the mini golf complex, which all provide entertainment for the guests. The Tropical Sea The Tropical Sea covers an area of 3,000 square metres, three times the size of an Olympic swimming pool, and has a constant water temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. The 200-metre-long sandy beach with its many sun lounges offers guests a unique experience. The warming sun shines through a UV-transparent film on the southern side of the dome, meaning guests can even get a natural suntan. Younger children love playing in the special kids’ paddling pool. The High-tech filters and permanent electronic monitoring ensure that the water is always of the highest quality. Tropical Islands meets the most stringent of hygiene standards. The Lagoon The 1,200 square metres Lagoon has a temperature of around 32 degrees Celsius. The counter-current, two water slides and whirlpools in the bays provide guests with everything they need for fun and relaxation. Where the Lagoon meets the rainforest, a grotto and a waterfall create a real jungle atmosphere. It is a unique experience to spend a night in one of the luxury rooms or lodges on the shores of the Lagoon. Made Wijaya (born Michael White) is the creator of this area. The native Australian travelled to Bali while he was studying architecture and has lived there ever since. He specializes in exotic gardens and has created over 600 (mainly tropical) gardens around the world. The world’s largest indoor rainforest The tropical vegetation in the world’s largest indoor rainforest consists of over 50,000 plants, bushes and different types of groundcover. Up to 600 different species of plants can be found at Tropical Islands, such as palms, ferns and mangroves. Most of those plants come from the Asia Pacific region and South America. The various different types of palm trees are particularly impressive, including the betel palm, Bismarck palm, fan palm and the giant fishtail palm with its fleshy fruits. The 20,000 square metre UV-transparent film on the south side of the dome lets in natural sunlight. This allows the plants to flourish, along with many varieties of fruit such as bananas, papayas, star fruit and jackfruit. A kilometre long path winds through the rainforest’s many natural wonders, with a bridge allowing visitors to cross the mangrove swamp. The swamp is home to many exotic species of fish such as guppies, mouth brooding cichlids, red tail and shark catfish, black pacus from the Amazon, Asian arowanas and archer fish. Most of the red and yellow-eared turtles can also be seen playing in the water, while ten flamingos have now found a new home on the edge of the swamp. Large, colourful Koi carps can be seen swimming in various ponds around the tropical village and the sauna complex. Many species of birds can also to be found amongst the trees and undergrowth, including parakeets, Chinese blue-breasted quail, golden and silver pheasants, canaries and zebra finches. At the Bali-House there are also two colourful macaws living. Landscape architects and designers from South America, Sri Lanka, Great Britain and Germany have worked together to ensure that the rainforest is as authentic as possible. Haruyoshi Ono was in overall charge of landscape planning. After the death of his business partner, Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994), Ono took over the running of their joint business (Burle Marx and Cia. Ltda.) in Rio de Janeiro. Robert Burle Marx was considered to be one of the most important landscaping architects of the 20th century and his work included the redesign of the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. Attractions in Tropical World Water slides Tropical Islands is home to Germany’s highest water slide tower. At 27 metres, it is the same height as a four-storey building. With four different slides there is something for everybody. The 76 metre power turbo slide, for example, allows the more adventurous to reach speeds of up to 70 kph, while the 149 metre giant water slide with its many twists and turns is great fun for both young and old. There is also a 21 metre long, wide undulating slide and the 112 metre long crazy river slide for inner tubes. The Tropino Club for Kids At Tropical Islands the kids have their very own play world, the “Tropino Club for Kids”. The play area covers 4,000 square metres and includes a Lego mountain made of soft Lego blocks, a pool for bumper boats, a huge climbing frame, a go-kart track and much more. The activities team ensures there are all sorts of fun things for the kids to do, from dancing at the kids disco, treasure hunts through the rainforest, face painting and fish feeding, etc. The adjacent Tropino restaurant offers a large selection of food and drinks for both children and adults. It is also possible to hold a children’s birthday party at Tropical Islands. Further information on the birthday party package can be found at www.tropical-islands.de and on the hotline: +49 (0)35477 60 4444. Please note: the use of kids facilities is at own risk, all kids are to be supervised by parents or guardians. Tropical Islands does not provide supervision. Miniature golf The mini golf course wends its way through a rocky landscape with 18 different holes laid out on green artificial lawns. The course offers plenty of variety with its unique layout and varying degrees of difficulty. Island ballooning The dome’s tethered balloon offers passengers a breath-taking view over the Tropical World and Sauna and Spa Complex. The tethered balloon flies up to 55 metres high, allowing passengers to float in the air and enjoy a view of Europe’s largest tropical holiday world. Meanwhile, the free-floating balloon is large enough of accommodate the whole family with a maximum weight of 240 kg. A member of staff takes guests on a magical journey, 22 metres above Tropical Islands. The Boulevard The many shops on the Tropical Islands Boulevard offer a wide range of goods including swimwear, souvenirs, books, newspapers, sweets, beach toys and much more. An airbrush tattoo parlour lets visitors of all ages display a tattoo of their choice, safe in the knowledge that it can be removed at any time. Young guests enjoy the electronic gaming devices at Treasure Island. On the first level, above the boulevard, guests can find the Tropical Islands Fitness Club, which is equipped with all the latest equipment, including state-of-the-art exercise bikes, cross trainers and treadmills for endurance training. The Tropical Village The Tropical Village consists of a collection of traditional buildings from Thailand, Borneo, Bali and Samoa. Each of these elaborately designed buildings is both authentic and unique. They were exclusively designed and built for Tropical Islands by experienced architects and craftsmen in their countries of origin, then brought to Berlin and installed in the dome. At 14 metres high, the Balinese Temple Gate is the largest Balinese gate outside of Bali. On the Hindu “Island of the Gods” these kinds of open gates provide access to holy places. The “split gate” symbolizes a mountain of the Gods that has been divided from the middle. The Balinese Temple Gate at Tropical Islands is a highly complex structure built by experienced Balinese craftsmen. The sandstone and brick reliefs depict lions and dragons along with typical Balinese figures and patterns. From the Balinese Temple Gate the path leads to the Bali Pavilion. Hexagonal in shape and with three pagoda roofs, the Pavilion is modelled on a Balinese temple. The roofs are covered with palm leaves. The wood used in the pavilion’s construction is bangkirai and merbau, both extremely hard woods. On the ground floor sandstone reliefs depict scenes from the Ramayana. This epic tale of Prince Rama, his beautiful wife Sita and the Monkey King Hanuman is a classic of world literature and incorporates the philosophical principles of Hinduism.