Popular adventure park shuts its doors after 17 years, with reopening now uncertain

For 17 years, families across Madrid have taken their children to swing through the trees at one particular park west of the capital, many returning year after year for birthdays and days out. That run has now come to an abrupt halt.

Wildfire forces closure of long-running attraction

Aventura Amazonia Pelayos, set beside the San Juan reservoir in Pelayos de la Presa, has announced a temporary closure following serious wildfire damage to the woodland on which the whole park depends. Unlike a conventional theme park, a treetop adventure course cannot simply relocate, platforms, walkways and zip lines rely entirely on the health and stability of living trees, and current conditions make it impossible to reopen while meeting the safety and conservation standards the company has always upheld.

Fires spread across Madrid’s western hills

Flames tore through the Sierra Oeste region after three separate blazes merged into a single fire, prompting a national emergency declaration covering Madrid, Avila and Toledo. Roughly 34,000 hectares have burned within the Community of Madrid, and more than 56,500 residents were evacuated or confined at the height of the crisis. Firefighters are continuing work on remaining hot spots even after officials described the situation as stabilised.

Seventeen years of memories built among the trees

Since opening, Pelayos has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors, families, schools, companies and athletes have marked birthdays, stag parties and personal victories over vertigo high in the treetops. The park has also supported jobs and economic activity across the local area. Company representatives described the loss in personal terms, saying every tree “represented a story, a memory and a commitment to nature” they have always tried to protect.

Hope for a fresh start

Closure does not mean the end of the project. Technicians and local authorities are assessing the damage together with company staff, weighing whether rebuilding on the original site remains possible once environmental studies and permits allow it. Should that prove unworkable, alternative options for continuing the project will also be explored.