The World’s Longest Waterslide Lasts 4 Minutes and Twists Through the Malaysian Jungle

Waterslides are like many of life’s most beautiful moments: over too soon.

But a waterpark in Malaysia is hoping to make the ephemera last a bit longer by building the world’s longest waterslide, expected to open to the public in August.

ESCAPE theme park on the island of Penang is building a 3,740-foot waterslide that will smash world records when construction is completed (expected in July). According to the park, the ride will last four minutes and will take visitors down a 230-foot slope through jungle terrain and tree canopies.

“Breaking the world record was never our intention,” Sim Choo Kheng, CEO of ESCAPE’s parent company Sim Leisure Group, said in a statement. “I'm always baffled by how rides are made so short and quick. I wanted to build rides that last a good few minutes.”

The slide is being built from fiber-reinforced polymer, meant to stand in the jungle for years to come. What’s especially impressive about the slide’s construction is that it is all being built without heavy machinery, as part of the park’s commitment to preserving the natural environment.

The park is cutting one more terrible aspect of waterslides: the ascent to the top. Visitors won’t have to trek all the way to the top of the slide to start their experience. The park is building a cable car to bring riders to the top of the slide.

The current longest waterslide in the world is in New Jersey at Action Park theme park. However, this ride only stretches about 1,970 feet and is finished in about 90 seconds. The Malaysian slide will be almost twice as long. The average water slide measures about 650 feet in length.

While waiting for the Malaysian slide to open, discover Travel + Leisure’s guide to the 28 most terrifying and heart-pounding waterslides in the world.