Local Getaway: Sahara Sam’s Oasis

Looking for a fun day trip with the family outside of the Bronx? We recently checked out Sahara Sam’s Oasis in West Berlin New Jersey.

The Ride

The ride to Sahara Sam’s is around 2 1/2 hours from the Bronx. For families who like day getaways, it’s still not that far enough that you need to find overnight accommodations, but if you want to- the waterpark has partnered with several hotels in the area with some great offers.

When You Arrive

As you drive up to Sahara Sam’s, the first thing you’ll notice are the slides on the outside of the building! These are the slides you’ll be going down once inside the indoor waterpark!

Upon arrival, you’ll most likely take a fun family photo in their giant lifeguard chair outside of the front entrance. This is where group sales ticket box office is located. You’ll enter and pass through the arcade area to get to the ticket sales desk. Everyone is given a wristband and may leave and return if they’d like to. Just a heads up: no food or drink allowed inside.

The Inside

Inside you will find sections that are great for all age ranges:

Tim-Buk-Tu

This attraction is great for the younger crowd and those who aren’t big enough for the larger slides. Lots of water fun going on here.

Snake Eyes & Mount Kilimanjaro

If you have older kids, this is where they will probably spend most of their time! There is even a family slide called Mount Kilimanjaro that fits four people, be prepared to wait longer for this one- but it’s worth it!

Sam’s Slamdunker

This is another fun area where some basketball fun takes place.

There’s also:

• The Congo Bongo, a relaxing lazy river
• The Flow Rider, New Jersey’s only indoor surfing simulator
• The Nile Mile, a 350 ft. body slide
• Crocodile Flats, a small ropes obstacle course over water
• The Lizard Lagoon, perfect play area for toddlers- complete with swings!

The Outside

In the summer, the Beach Club is open. We spent our first half of the day inside and then the later half enjoying the outside. It’s not huge, but it has some great features that you will definitely enjoy: a wave pool, a leisure pool, a small splish splash area for younger children, a tiki bar (for mom and dad!) and even sand volleyball courts.

For more information and photos of the attractions both inside and outdoors, visit their Rides and Attractions page.

What Else You Should Know

• There are two tiki bars- indoor and outside
• Cabanas are available both indoor and outside- even indoors this a great way to have a small area to your family for towels, flip flops, and serves as a great designated meetup spot
• There is a dining area, food can be taken outside to tables also
• Group ticket packages, birthday parties, and annual passes are available
• Don’t forget the arcade area!

Pricing:

What We Thought

We had a great time at Sahara Sam’s Oasis. We met up with some of our family and had a good range of ages among the kids- and all enjoyed themselves. It’s not huge, so if you have only older children who are just in it for the slides and wavepool, it might be better to go during the summer when they have both options. It’s a great place for a group with different age ranges so that you can split up and do different attractions and still be near each other. With the indoor and outdoor areas, it was the best of both worlds and a great reason to visit in any season or weather. For more information, visit saharasams.com.

Thanks to Sahara Sam’s for hosting us. We were given tickets in exchange for our review, and all opinions are our own.