Beto Carrero World

Beto Carrero World is a 14-square-kilometre theme park on the coast of Penha, north of Itajai, founded in 1991 by its Brazilian namesake and today the biggest park of its kind in Latin America. It has genuinely serious rides — Firewhip roller coaster, Big Tower drop, FireWhip inversion — a Madagascar-themed area licensed from DreamWorks, and a full working horse-and-stunt arena that anchors the daily parade. It matters as the region's family-day-out headline and, with a young Brazilian visitor base, the theme park most likely to be full of Portuguese-speaking kids rather than international tourists.

A visit works best as a full day. You enter through a large avenue with a fake Bavarian castle at the end, and split off into themed zones: Radical Zone (rollercoasters), Aventura Adamas (an Egypt-styled area with a river ride), Terra da Alegria for smaller children, and Vila Germanica for food and shows. The horse-arena show at 15:30 is the emotional peak and worth planning around. Food is theme-park-priced (R$45 for a hot dog and drink) but reasonably good; a snack budget of R$100 per person is realistic. Queues in January and July are 60-90 minutes for the top rides.

Best on a Wednesday or Thursday outside Brazilian school holidays (avoid January, mid-July, Carnaval week). Buy tickets online for a 15% discount and to skip the ticket queue. Skip trying to do everything — pick five must-do rides and pace around them. Beto Carrero is 25 minutes from Balneario Camboriu and about an hour from Florianopolis; day-trip shuttles from Balneario hotels run R$60 return and are simpler than driving.

Hours & entry

Not free · R$220 general ticket · Half price under 12

Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00 low season · Daily 10:00-19:00 Jan and July · Closed some Mon-Tue in Apr-May

What to see

{'what': 'Firewhip roller coaster', 'where': 'Radical Zone, at the far end of the main avenue'}

{'what': 'Horse and stunt show', 'where': 'Arena Grand Prix, daily at 15:30'}

{'what': 'Madagascar Live parade', 'where': 'Central avenue, 13:00 and 16:30'}

Tips from the ground

Buy Passaporte Express (R$150 extra) only in January or July — otherwise queues are manageable.

Do the top rollercoasters first thing at 10:00, then work down through mid-day.

Bring a change of clothes for the water rides — the sun dries you but Penha wind is chilly by 17:00.