We were fortunate in booking our holiday in Spain from 5th to 19th August. Checking the Costa Blanca News website a few days before departure not only revealed that there was a water shortage in Javea but also that Terra Mitica had been opened the week before and was open to the public the next Monday.
We decided to leave the visit till the next week as our daughter was joining us for the second week of our holiday.
The day before our planned visit we took our daughter and friend to the station at Teulada to catch the train to Benidorm for a trip to Aqualandia. It was then that we discovered that you could buy an entry ticket for Terra Mitica from the station with free travel on the train from Teulada. This also has the advantage that you do not need to queue for a ticket at the entrance to Terra Mitica.Thursday 17th August Terra Mitica had been open to the public for nearly two weeks.
at 8: 45 we purchased our tickets at Teulada. Strangely I thought they were all differnt colours but inspection showed them to be in order. The train trip from Teulada to Benidorm is itself a worthwhile trip and in fact one we had done the previous year taking it through to Alicante for the day. The two car diesel winds its way through some beautiful and unspoilt Spanish countryside with orange, lemon and vines to be seen. It stops at Benissa, Altea and a few other stations along the way. When you get to Disco Benidorm you will know that there is only one more stop Benidorm itself before Terra Mitica. If you want to improve Spanish pronunciation then listen carefully when the stations are announced through the tannoy on the train.Once at the station - a shiny new station marred only by a few holes in the platform we jumped on the spanking new bus and were away to the park itself. The bus is included in the train fare and is run by the Ferrocarril company.
We could see that there was still a lot of work being done on the approach roads to the park but this was all cosmetic the roads themselves were complete and very good. Landscaping and work on the fountains at the centres of the roundabouts was still proceding.
Getting nearer and we could see the sheer size of the place with what looked like several acres of car and coach parks.
It was about 9:55 am as we stepped down from the coach. The park was due to open at 10:00.
There were some very long queues at this point but we soon found our way passed the main ticket office to the entry turnstiles which electronically check the ticket and soon we were in. In fairness although a large queue had gathered prior to opening the systems in place dealt with it very quickly once the park opened.
Once through the gate we found ourselves in the land of Egypt. Everything struck me as being very large exact and ornate. A first look round the area revealed a variety of shops and food outlets as well as games and a film shop. The souvenirs all seemed very original and not like anything I had seen before. A lot of the youger folk were making there way up a path towards Magnus Colussus, the largest rollercoaster in Europe but Jenny and I decided to opt for the more leisurely approach of a boat trip to Iberia.
We had to wait for a while to board but the boats were coming round every few minuites so we were on our way in less than half an hour. The girl on the control of the boat politely explained to us in Spanish where we were going but there was no explanation in other languages. at this point in fact we looked at the guide leaflet I had picked up from the entrance and found we had picked up a Catalonian Spanish one. My Spanish is very weak but I could follow the pictures. We later found other versions of this guide including the English one.
We arrived at Iberia and had a look round. It was quite quiet here with very few visitors at this point. Perfumed candles pottery leather and other crafts. Some very large wine jars were available but I would not have wanted to walk round the park with one in the 33 degrees of heat. In fact my advice is to take as little as possible with you especially if you want to go on the rides. You will get wet on the rapids and so will your bag. There did not appear to be anywhere safe to leave any property. In August you do need sun cream and money to buy cold drinks and snacks. Whilst in Iberia we had a go on the dodgems (Arietes). They were running well and not too much delay to get on.
Where to next well we daudled round for a bit and were almost back in Egypt so I took out the map and decided to head for the central Island. It was approaching midday by now and we were pretty hot and ready for a drink. We walked into Greece and found the fast food restarant and ordered an orange lolly and a drink. A little bit of Spanish was called for here to place your order. Cooled down we walked on a bit and found Las Sorpresas de los dioses ahead. We were not sure what this was about but decided to find out the best way. There was a longish wait for this one, about 45 minuites I think but when you get in it is a 30 minuite show. The first part was a planitarium with various creatures also projected onto the sky. We then moved on into the main theatre to see the main part of the show.
This was a sci fi rescue adventure with a hero selected from the audience and transported into space. The effects were very good and the main screen was in 3D. There was commentary in several languages but I must admit that I found some parts difficult to follow.Back to the fast food restaurant and a baguette and cervesa. That cool beer was very welcome on the warm day. Next we thought we might try the rapids but for some reason they were temporarily closed. They opened again a short time later but we were towards the end of a long queue and as there was noone around who could look after our bag with camera etc in we decided to give it a miss.
Back in Iberia I went on the Tren Bravo. This was a good ride and very enjoyable. After that we had another go on the dodgems and it was time to meet my daughter and her friend to return home. We returned back to Egypt via the boat. I noticed that these were very easy to drive having only a speed control. It became apparant as we went along that there were rails under the water to guide the boat along. That brings me to a point of the whole design. It looked authentically old world with its Egyption paintings and Greek Pillars but was driven by all the latest technology. Certainly I think one of the reasons we didn't go on more rides during the day was that there was so much to look at and we were captured by it.
On returning to Egypt we were in time to watch some play acting as they were getting some slaves to pull a large stone to one of the partly built pyramids. There was also a display of
Egyptian dancers in this area.
All in all Terra Mitica provides an excellant day out with an underlying historical theme presented in an interesting rather than educational manner. There were also a good variety of games rides and displays. I need go again to get some more out of it. Next time we can be a bit better organised as we will know what to expect. It might be better in August to arrive a about 3 pm and stay on into late evening as it gets cooler.
On leaving the park we were soon taken back to the station and were back on the train to Teulada. The train to Terra Mitica can also be caught from other stations which include Alicante, Benidorm, Altea or Denia.
Terra Mitica Latest News ~ From Saturday 3rd March 2001 the park reopens for the new season with additional shows and rides. The point point of the seasom will be the start of one of Europes most hi-tec rides called "Ulysses Travels".
Other improvements include more shaded areas and information boards showing which rides have the longest queues. Over 2.5 million people are expected to visit this year.
