Terra Encantada: Rio De Janeiro's Abandoned Theme Park

In the heart of Barra da Tijuca, one of Rio’s wealthiest real-estate areas, sits an abandoned theme park. Its old attractions still remain in the bleak, lifeless landscape, perfectly mimicking a scene from a zombie movie. The theme park is near to where the Olympic games took place and was left deserted after a ride threw a woman to her death.
Barra da Tijuca hit the headlines in 2016 when it hosted the Summer Olympic games, the first time a Latin American country has hosted. Tourists, athletes and Olympic professionals enjoyed this neighborhood of contrasts; its long, white sandy beaches, its mountainous skyline and nature preserves against the broad highways, towering, luxurious apartments and giant shopping malls. It’s here in the middle of Barra da Tijuca that Terra Encantada (Enchanted Land) lies, the abandoned theme park that’s been closed to the public since 2010.

Terra Encantada was designed to be one of the most modern amusement parks in Latin America. The theme of the park was characters and festivals from Brazilian culture, with references to its indigenous, African and European origins. The main street was filled with dozens of bars, restaurants and shops. The main attraction, Monte Makaya, boasted the world record for the most loops in a rollercoaster, with eight in total. It held this title for four years until Colossus in Thorpe Park knocked it out of first place.

It opened in 1998 but almost immediately several events chipped away at its credibility. Artist Isis de Oliveira was injured on one of the main attractions, there were fights between the jiu-jitsu entertainment fighters, employee strikes, and a brawl that left 61 people injured during a live show from Charlie Brown Jr.

The rollercoaster carts remain at the park

The park was finally closed indefinitely in 2010 when a 61 year-old woman, Heydiara Lemos Ribeiro, was thrown from a ride and died from head trauma. Investigations showed that all the park’s rides had serious structural and mechanical failures. Eventually the park’s director and engineer were charged with manslaughter. Today, the park remains totally abandoned and closed to the public. There are talks to repurpose the space into housing complexes, but for now there are no concrete plans.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.