Fata Morgana (Mirage)

Step into the boat and join us on a journey through the Wonderful World of 1001 nights. Glistening treasure has been hidden away in the depths of the Oriental Palace, but watch out! You will have to make your way past some pretty wild animals and some dark and dingy slums first.
Thank goodness, it’s light again! The wailing has faded and the Oriental music is getting louder... we must be in the heart of the palace. Look over there… belly dancers swinging their hips! You might find yourself feeling a little like Ali Baba for a moment; and then the doors suddenly close and you’ll ask yourself: was it real or was it a Fata Morgana?

Opened in 1986, this ride has 14 boats that float on a waterway that is 1.2 metres deep. The boats sail past 104 different characters in an Oriental setting, along a 285 metre-long watercourse that takes 8 minutes to complete. The attraction has a total surface area of 4,000m2 and contains 2,500 m3 of water.

16- passenger boats pass through a fairy-tale style Arabian city that is populated by 140 animatronics. Only one transport boat is present in a scene at the same time.
Total ride time is 8 minutes, capacity of 1800 persons/ hour.

A more detailed description of the ride with spoilers and photo's below click on the + to read the descriptions and click on the header to skip to the pictures :

Scenes

A rock face opens up into a misty jungle, you think you see something in the distance but it disappears. A mirage?
You pass through the dark jungle, snakes hiss at you as you pass by.
The wizard Miraculus appears and uses his magic to open the gates to a slowly flooding city.

You pass through the outskirts.
In this run down area beggers ask for money in several languages while Abdoel tries to push his donkey to cross a broken bridge.
The noise wakes up a man who comes to the window to see what all the fuss is about.

You enter a market scene filled with activity. There are camels hauling wares, people weaving baskets.
Buying and selling fruit and vegetables.
Merchants selling copper wares.
A dentist is plying his trade out in the open.
A woman tips out her jug from a high balcony, a near miss!

Further along Ali Ben Kiekeboe is trying to sell his bottles while a man in the back is selling various beautiful items.
A snake charmer fascinates a small crowd while a couple men play dice.
There's a man selling flying carpets while two children fetch water from a fountain.

A man warns you in several languages not to go any further.
Danger lies ahead.

You head into a dark corridor passing a carcass of some long forgotten creature.
Crocodiles snap viciously at you as you pass by.

You're faced with a gate and several guards.
A man in the window gives the signal, and a cannon is fired but misses.
The portcullis descends but gets stuck and you pass through unharmed into the prison.
There you see guards being entertained by musicians and a belly dancer.
A nervous guard spots you and tries to shoot you but misses.

The warden barely glances as you pass by while the vulture on his shoulder leers at you.
On your right a poor doomed man is drowning in his flooded cell.
On your left, prisoners are forced into torturous labour while guards with whips look on uncaring.

The wizard Miraculus opens up the cave wall to help you escape this awful place.

Your boat enters the harbour area where shiny treasures are being offloaded from ships.
People on the ship call out to you and ask where you came from.

Beyond the harbour you come into the part of the palace where the sultan keeps his harem.
The guards keep tigers. On the left one roars and tries to leap at you as you pass by.*
Through the veil you see beautiful women being cared for by their attendants.
* after you pass the tiger the action photo is taken so smile!

Next you enter the throne room.
Musicians are playing while a room full of men indulge in food and drink.
Women dance and kowtow before the sultan who is attended to by his servants.

A red curtain parts and you are faced with an enormous Djinn who guards the sultan’s treasure which sparkles throughout the room.
You pass unharmed under between his giant legs into a dark corridor which appears to be a dead end.

Miraculus appears and comes to your rescue one last time and allows you to pass into a dark and foreboding secret room.
A storm is raging, the water broils around you. The room is rapidly flooding and crumbling around you.
The boat tips and almost capsizes!
A gate in the shape of a fanged open mouth awaits you. Does salvation lie beyond or certain doom? You will have to take that chance.

You spend a short time in a calm lush jungle before your boat passes through the bamboo and exits into the hall where you started your journey.

Children under 120 cm need supervision
Baby switch available
Assistance dogs are allowed
Wheelchair accessible with transfer
Contains frightening effects
Contains surprising effects
Contains smell effects
Contains loud noises
Contains flash and light effects
Partly in the dark
May cause dizziness
Smoke and fog effects
Souvenir Photo available
Indoor Attraction

Relive the experience in this 360 VR POV!

Accessibility

Once you enter the building through the standard entrance you walk up a ramp and around a mezzanine until you get to a bridge.
When you've crossed the bridge you must go down some stairs and onto a slow rotating disc.
From there you must step into a boat.

Alternatively if you have a facility card you can enter via the wheelchair entrance, to the right of the attraction entrance. This takes you to down a long wide ramp.
At the end of the ramp you will need to transfer from the wheelchair to the boat.

Legend

The ride is loosely based on 1001 nights so there isn't one specific story.
There are many stories that can be connected to Fata Morgana.
Below are three links to stories the Efteling once published as audio stories.

Fata Morgana

Adoel The Scrooge

Ali Ben Kiekeboe

Outside