MIAMI (WSVN) - Beat the summer heat at Jungle Island’s ‘Rainforest Riptide’
The dog days of summer are upon us. But forget the dogs, why not monkey around — with actual monkeys? We sent Deco’s zoological expert Chris Van Vliet to Jungle Island and he found a way to beat the summer heat in the coolest way possible.
This story has it all … monkeys and parrots and a moment where I legitimately almost broke my neck. But I’m good, I’m good. Without further adieu, let’s travel to Jungle Island’s newest attraction “Rainforest Riptide.”
Chris Van Vliet: “I love that we are right in the heart of Miami, yet it feels like we are in this tropical escape.”
Jason Chatfield, Jungle Island: “It doesn’t feel like it, you are. You are in a tropical escape. Not just awesome animals, we have really cool plants. You don’t realize that there’s a major highway right there by it.”
Jungle Island is known for their animal encounters…
Chris Van Vliet: “How many am I going to have?”
Parrot handlers: “Four!”
Whether they have feathers, or fur — it’s always a wild experience.
Jason Chatfield: “Look at this guy!”
Chris Van Vliet: “Who is this?”
Jason Chatfield: “This is one of our newest attractions. His name is Campoochie.”
Chris Van Vliet: “Hey, buddy.”
Jason Chatfield: “He’s a young white-faced capuchin. Two and a half months old.”
Jungle Island also knows that summers in Miami are hot, and they’ve come up with a fun way to help you cool off.
Chris Van Vliet: “So Jason, when people think about Jungle Island, this isn’t exactly what they think of.”
Jason Chatfield: “This is one of the coolest things we’ve ever done at Jungle Island. It’s called a Rainforest Riptide. As you can see, it’s a floating water park. This is the new way to do a water park!”
Rainforest Riptide is located on Jungle Island’s private beach and it’s the perfect way to beat the summer heat.
Jason Chatfield: “You can do whatever you want. Sit on it, do nothing, it’s fun. Climb up, jump off our iceberg, it’s fun. Run around like crazy, it’s still fun.”
Now if that doesn’t get you pumped up, I don’t know what will! So I put on a life jacket to tackle the Rainforest Riptide!
Or did it tackle me? Remember when Jason said climbing up the iceberg and jumping off would be fun? Well, the climbing part was. Then I had to figure out exactly where to jump off. And when I did, it didn’t exactly go as planned.
Don’t worry, it wasn’t nearly as painful as it looked! Give it a try for yourself. Rainforest Riptide is $15 on top of park admission and you can play all day!
And how cute is this? Jungle Island just welcomed a baby sloth and they want your help naming her.
They’ve narrowed it down to three names: Flash, Sid or Velcro. Which one are you thinking?
Head to wsvn.com to cast your vote.
FOR MORE INFO:
‘Rainforest Riptide’ at Jungle Island
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Miami, FL 33132
(305) 400-7000
https://www.jungleisland.com/public/explore/Parrot_Cove.cfm
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.