The Kalahari Resort is the newest indoor water park in the Poconos.  It is the largest water park in the US at 220,00 square ft and offers 3 locations, with a 4th coming soon.  The Kalahari is known for their authentic African themed decor and endless amounts of fun they offer.  It is more than a Poconos water park- it’s a destination in an of itself offering the water park, beautiful guest rooms, a spa, restaurants, shopping and entertainment like an indoor arcade, virtual reality center and their newly opened outdoor adventure center which includes a ropes course and mini golf.

We were so excited to check out the Kalahari water park with our two boys.  We are no strangers to indoor water parks so our expectations were high.  From the moment we went into the lobby to check in at 12pm and finding out our room was ready (happy surprise!) to discovering that every restaurant we visited was food allergy aware, we were very impressed by the Kalahari.

Since we receive so many questions about the indoor water parks we visit related to what to pack, what to wear, what to know I decided to break it all down in this post and answer them.  So, here is everything you need to know about visiting an indoor water park.

What to Pack

Let’s start with sleeping arrangements.  The Kalahari offers many different room sizes and suites to fit any size family (up to 22 people!) so you likely do not need to pack any extra bedding or portable travel beds, however if you have a toddler you may want to read our post about portable travel beds and which ones we recommend.

All of the rooms are equipped with microwaves, mini fridges, blow dryers and free wifi. You do not need to pack towel for the water park, the Kalahari provides them free of charge.

Here is what we always pack for the water park:

– GoPro camera (the new ones are waterproof right out of the box!)
– If no GoPro, bring a waterproof phone case
– Life Jackets (needed for anyone under 48″) They do have plenty to borrow but we prefer our own.
– A robe or change of clothes for walking back and forth from the water park to your hotel room.
– A backpack to carry everything to and from your room.
– Goggles if your kids like to wear them
– Cash or credit card to purchase food and drinks inside the water park
– Plastic bag or wet bag for the wet bathing suits
– the right type of bathing suit (you’ll quickly find out bikinis don’t work great on water slides!) and pack extra bathing suits as you’ll likely be in and out of the water park and your hotel room all day. Nobody likes putting on a wet bathing suit!
– Lotion (the chlorine levels are very drying to our skin)
– Swim diapers for infants and toddlers

Food
We like to save money and bring our own food for the most part, but the Kalahari has so many amazing restaurants ranging from sit-down to quick pick up so it’s not necessary to pack any food at all. We tried out their pizza from the arcade and it was delicious. They were very food allergy aware so we felt comfortable ordering from them. We also treated ourselves to coffee and tea from the two quick pick up places in the lobby. They also offer a buffet style restaurant, definitely something for every type of eater.

The biggest question I get- is it really suitable for all ages?

short answer- YES! The Kalahari offers several different sections in their indoor water park which are suitable for all ages from infancy to adult.  My 3 and 6 year old played in every single part of the park, except for the water slides that you needed to be 48″ to go on.  They loved everything, and even more telling is that my husband and I had a blast in each section too.  We found ourselves racing the boys down the water slides, partaking in water gun fights and then having a relaxing family soak in one of their hot tubs.  The Thirsty Turtle swim up bar caught our attention, but we were unable to make a stop there since it’s age 21+ and we were not traveling with anyone else.  I’ve already told my girlfriends we should plan a winter girls trip up there.

I hope you found this guide to visiting the Kalahari Indoor Water Park helpful! Have you been there? I love to hear stories about your trip, leave a comment below.  If you’re in the Poconos, be sure to check out these posts on Camelback Water Park and Great Wolf Lodge.

If visiting a water park has inspired you to create an at home water park- check out this post on the best inflatable water slides.



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