Mer de Sable
Ermenonville·France·Europe
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Visit
Breakdown
Introduction
We visited Mer de Sable on August 26, 2026, for our first ever visit, which was quite an unplanned one as well. Initially, we were never going to visit Mer de Sable during our Paris 2026 trip, as the original schedule didn't leave time for it. However, due to some changes in the itinerary, we suddenly found ourselves staring at the possibility of squeezing one more park in. Even though we had just spent three days at Disney, half a day at Jardin, and two days at Parc Astérix, we couldn't pass up the opportunity for a quick-stop at this small regional park and ended up spending roughly 5 hours there.
Needless to say, we did not know what to expect other than it being a smaller park that, for some reason, now had a GCI woodie. In the end, while it doesn't score particularly high as a complete theme park experience, this is a very charming and relaxed park with plenty of things to do, especially for families.
Needless to say, we did not know what to expect other than it being a smaller park that, for some reason, now had a GCI woodie. In the end, while it doesn't score particularly high as a complete theme park experience, this is a very charming and relaxed park with plenty of things to do, especially for families.
Mer de Sable Review
Best Coaster
6
Prior to 2025, this category would have been a lot closer, but also a lot worse. However, we think we speak for all coaster enthusiasts when we say that this small, regional park made a fantastic decision to invest in a brand-new, family-scale GCI wooden coaster with Wild Buffalo, which is easily the park's best ride.
This little family-thrill coaster elevates the park in several aspects. First, it's their most thrilling attraction, which helps broaden the park's appeal. It also works seamlessly with what the park is going for, as a wooden coaster themed to a buffalo running wild is free real estate for a Western-themed park.
But most importantly, it's just a damn good ride. Wild Buffalo offers a quick-paced layout filled with lots of banking and rapid transitions in a decently thrilling package that can still appeal to a younger audience. The coaster isn't too tall and doesn't have any strong forces, but its drop is decently zippy in the back row. The constant direction changes, along with a few small pops of airtime, mean you're getting way more bang for your buck than you would normally get from a coaster of this size. The only real thing holding it back is the ride duration, which is quite short - the coaster is simply too fast for its own good.
This little family-thrill coaster elevates the park in several aspects. First, it's their most thrilling attraction, which helps broaden the park's appeal. It also works seamlessly with what the park is going for, as a wooden coaster themed to a buffalo running wild is free real estate for a Western-themed park.
But most importantly, it's just a damn good ride. Wild Buffalo offers a quick-paced layout filled with lots of banking and rapid transitions in a decently thrilling package that can still appeal to a younger audience. The coaster isn't too tall and doesn't have any strong forces, but its drop is decently zippy in the back row. The constant direction changes, along with a few small pops of airtime, mean you're getting way more bang for your buck than you would normally get from a coaster of this size. The only real thing holding it back is the ride duration, which is quite short - the coaster is simply too fast for its own good.
Coaster Depth
2.5
The original gang of coasters is holding up the supporting lineup. Unfortunately, the park's SBF Visa spinner, Bandidos, was closed during our visit, so the entire available lineup consists of only two family coasters.
Silver Mountain is a Vekoma junior coaster placed on top of a hill at the very end of the park. This one has a surprisingly good location and theming for a ride like this, which we were quite impressed by. The ride experience itself is nothing special, but we appreciate the extra attention to detail.
Tiger Express is a standard Mack Wilde Maus coaster inside the Le Canyon du Color'Ado area. This one has an oriental aesthetic and a very nice station building, but once again, it really is just a wild mouse.
Overall, a supporting lineup consisting of two cloned family coasters of moderate quality really isn't enough to make much of a dent in the highly competitive theme park world, and adding a third (Bandidos) probably wouldn't have changed that. But we're sure that the park's mostly family crowd doesn't mind.
Silver Mountain is a Vekoma junior coaster placed on top of a hill at the very end of the park. This one has a surprisingly good location and theming for a ride like this, which we were quite impressed by. The ride experience itself is nothing special, but we appreciate the extra attention to detail.
Tiger Express is a standard Mack Wilde Maus coaster inside the Le Canyon du Color'Ado area. This one has an oriental aesthetic and a very nice station building, but once again, it really is just a wild mouse.
Overall, a supporting lineup consisting of two cloned family coasters of moderate quality really isn't enough to make much of a dent in the highly competitive theme park world, and adding a third (Bandidos) probably wouldn't have changed that. But we're sure that the park's mostly family crowd doesn't mind.
Water Rides
2.5
Unfortunately, we had another closure here, and this one definitely left more of an impact, as the park's log flume, Cheyenne River, was closed. This left the park with only a rapids ride and a mini flume for kids.
La Rivière Sauvage is a Soquet rapids ride - and a very weird one. The rafts are very small and slowly filled up with more and more water throughout the course. By the end, we all had to try to find space for our feet around the middle handle, as the floor of the raft was quite literally underwater! It was quite an entertaining ride, though there wasn't really much to look at, and the experience was fairly short. Ultimately, it simply wasn't enough to carry the score as the park's only operating water ride. This is a category where we're sure the park would score much higher on a revisit.
La Rivière Sauvage is a Soquet rapids ride - and a very weird one. The rafts are very small and slowly filled up with more and more water throughout the course. By the end, we all had to try to find space for our feet around the middle handle, as the floor of the raft was quite literally underwater! It was quite an entertaining ride, though there wasn't really much to look at, and the experience was fairly short. Ultimately, it simply wasn't enough to carry the score as the park's only operating water ride. This is a category where we're sure the park would score much higher on a revisit.
Flatrides And Darkrides
3.5
For children, there are plenty of interesting rides at Mer de Sable; for thrill-seekers, however, the field is running a little dry. In terms of flat rides, your best options are Disco Loco (a small Zamperla Disk'O), La Ruée vers l'Or (a Zierer Tilt-A-Whirl), and Tornado, which is a Zamperla Sombrero (and honestly, not particularly good).
While they do have a Wave Swinger, they are missing a lot of classics and have no thrill flats whatsoever. In terms of dark rides, you also won't find much, though they do have Bayou des Chikapas, which is a proper boat dark ride.
This is quite a charming ride, though the quality is quite questionable. The ride has a good duration and takes you through a lot of different 'animatronics', meaning puppets with lots of clear strings pulling their limbs in every which direction. This is a great way of creating your own so-called animatronics on a budget, though it does very much feel like a couple of guys trying to create Disney's "It's a Small World" using puppets and props found at the local scrapyard. It's a noble quest nonetheless, and we very much appreciated their commitment to the classic dark ride experience, resisting the urge to cave in and plaster interactive pistols all over it for cheap amusements with children.
So, while you likely won't find much in terms of high-quality flat rides or thrill rides, the lineup is more than enough to keep your average visiting family happy.
While they do have a Wave Swinger, they are missing a lot of classics and have no thrill flats whatsoever. In terms of dark rides, you also won't find much, though they do have Bayou des Chikapas, which is a proper boat dark ride.
This is quite a charming ride, though the quality is quite questionable. The ride has a good duration and takes you through a lot of different 'animatronics', meaning puppets with lots of clear strings pulling their limbs in every which direction. This is a great way of creating your own so-called animatronics on a budget, though it does very much feel like a couple of guys trying to create Disney's "It's a Small World" using puppets and props found at the local scrapyard. It's a noble quest nonetheless, and we very much appreciated their commitment to the classic dark ride experience, resisting the urge to cave in and plaster interactive pistols all over it for cheap amusements with children.
So, while you likely won't find much in terms of high-quality flat rides or thrill rides, the lineup is more than enough to keep your average visiting family happy.
Park Appearance
6.5
Mer de Sable is a charming park with a strong identity and some good, though scattered, theming. You would be hard-pressed to find a theme park in Europe that doesn't have some kind of Western-inspired area, usually themed around Southern states and/or cowboys. While it really isn't the most unique or creative theme they could have chosen, the dedication to making the entire park revolve around it gives it a more cohesive and complete feel, which is great for immersion.
The theming itself is fairly basic and revolves mostly around having a lot of sand (it is the "Sea of Sand," after all!) and a lot of Western-looking props and facades. The park does have some Mexican-themed (Le Désert du Nouveau-Mexique) and even Oriental-themed attractions, though the implementation of these areas didn't feel fully incorporated into the existing theming.
The park is pretty and charming, offering a mostly cohesive experience, though some areas feel a bit barren and the attempts at other themes wasn't executed perfectly. Ultimately, it's a nice and quaint park that feels comfortable to be in, but a genuine attempt at something completely different to coexist with the existing Western theme could help take it to the next level.
The theming itself is fairly basic and revolves mostly around having a lot of sand (it is the "Sea of Sand," after all!) and a lot of Western-looking props and facades. The park does have some Mexican-themed (Le Désert du Nouveau-Mexique) and even Oriental-themed attractions, though the implementation of these areas didn't feel fully incorporated into the existing theming.
The park is pretty and charming, offering a mostly cohesive experience, though some areas feel a bit barren and the attempts at other themes wasn't executed perfectly. Ultimately, it's a nice and quaint park that feels comfortable to be in, but a genuine attempt at something completely different to coexist with the existing Western theme could help take it to the next level.
Park Practicality
4
Mer de Sable definitely isn't the most practical park. While the hilly terrain and abundance of sand and dirt paths play a central role in its overall aesthetics and presentation, they also make the park quite exhausting to traverse, especially on a very warm summer day. The layout itself is not really the problem, as it is quite simple. It is basically an out-and-back park layout where you follow the main path up the hill to Silver Mountain; from there, you can either retrace your steps back down or go around the backside of the arena to the La Rivière Sauvage rapids ride and come around to the La Vallée des Mississi'Ptits area, which connects back to the main path.
However, there aren't many paths to follow, and the ones that do help the navigation flow are quite narrow and not particularly obvious. There also seems to be a lack of signage, and most of the facilities are clumped together down in the starting area, meaning you essentially hike to the top of the hill only to do two or three rides. There is also no park app, which can be the perfect answer to most navigation problems, and we hope Mer de Sable invests in one in the future.
Overall, it's not like you will get lost, as the park is not very big and the layout itself is fine, but the execution of pathing, signage, facility placement, and lack of shade can make the park quite exhausting to traverse depending on the weather.
However, there aren't many paths to follow, and the ones that do help the navigation flow are quite narrow and not particularly obvious. There also seems to be a lack of signage, and most of the facilities are clumped together down in the starting area, meaning you essentially hike to the top of the hill only to do two or three rides. There is also no park app, which can be the perfect answer to most navigation problems, and we hope Mer de Sable invests in one in the future.
Overall, it's not like you will get lost, as the park is not very big and the layout itself is fine, but the execution of pathing, signage, facility placement, and lack of shade can make the park quite exhausting to traverse depending on the weather.
Food
5.5
For lunch, we ate at Le Saloon, a burger joint with some nice views over the park from the porch area. We got a chicken burger and a seasonal kebab burger with loaded fries. The burgers were fairly standard but of solid quality, and the loaded fries were a nice touch. It was nothing that's going to knock your socks off, but there was nothing to complain about, either.
The reason the food score is on the middling side is because the overall selection in the park is very limited, consisting almost exclusively of burgers, fried chicken, sandwiches, and soft tacos. There were no sit-down restaurants or unique culinary options, which makes sense for a park of this size. However, the food game can be quite competitive at European theme parks, and Mer de Sable is simply a middle-of-the-road contender, which is perfectly okay.
The reason the food score is on the middling side is because the overall selection in the park is very limited, consisting almost exclusively of burgers, fried chicken, sandwiches, and soft tacos. There were no sit-down restaurants or unique culinary options, which makes sense for a park of this size. However, the food game can be quite competitive at European theme parks, and Mer de Sable is simply a middle-of-the-road contender, which is perfectly okay.
Snacks And Drinks
5
The snack selection was also quite limited, offering churros, waffles, crepes, and straight-from-the-freezer ice cream. The only ice cream you could get that wasn't a typical pre-packaged variant was the small chocolate ice cream included with the meal deals (which still came in a wrapper, though). It wasn't bad at all quality-wise, but it definitely wasn't a particularly exciting snack option. Our best bet probably would have been the chocolate-pistachio waffle, but forgive us for not indulging in that on an almost 30-degree Celsius summer day when we were already chugging water every five minutes!
We did get several slushies and also tried some "milkshake smoothies," which were just okay taste-wise, but very much needed and refreshing.
The park seems to have the basics covered, and they do have one option that looks enticing. However, given the limited selection and lack of unique or creative options, it's another middling score here.
We did get several slushies and also tried some "milkshake smoothies," which were just okay taste-wise, but very much needed and refreshing.
The park seems to have the basics covered, and they do have one option that looks enticing. However, given the limited selection and lack of unique or creative options, it's another middling score here.
Ride Operations
5.5
Ride operations were night and day, ranging from quite awful to very good.
The first impressions we got of the operations at the park were terrible, as we started the day with a solid 40-plus-minute queue for Silver Mountain. We were admittedly quite worn out after experiencing 45- to 70-minute queues for five of our six previous days (thanks, Disney and Astérix), so we were really hoping for some relaxing five- to ten-minute queues at this small regional park, but it was not to be. We stood in a horrendous queue through small, narrow tunnels and tightly packed turns with loud - and at times screaming - kids for almost 45 minutes. It also seemed completely unnecessary, as there really weren't that many people, but for some reason, the station was complete chaos with crying kids, confused ride ops, and five-minute dispatches (on a Vekoma junior coaster?!). As far as we could see, the queue for this attraction stayed long throughout the day, which is why we never returned for a reride.
The operations at Wild Buffalo, however, were the complete opposite, with efficient loading and quick dispatches throughout. Because of this, the 15-minute queues really weren't caused by bad operations here.
Most of the other rides had okay operations, though definitely on the slower side, but the staff was friendly, and we didn't experience any major breakdowns while we were there.
The first impressions we got of the operations at the park were terrible, as we started the day with a solid 40-plus-minute queue for Silver Mountain. We were admittedly quite worn out after experiencing 45- to 70-minute queues for five of our six previous days (thanks, Disney and Astérix), so we were really hoping for some relaxing five- to ten-minute queues at this small regional park, but it was not to be. We stood in a horrendous queue through small, narrow tunnels and tightly packed turns with loud - and at times screaming - kids for almost 45 minutes. It also seemed completely unnecessary, as there really weren't that many people, but for some reason, the station was complete chaos with crying kids, confused ride ops, and five-minute dispatches (on a Vekoma junior coaster?!). As far as we could see, the queue for this attraction stayed long throughout the day, which is why we never returned for a reride.
The operations at Wild Buffalo, however, were the complete opposite, with efficient loading and quick dispatches throughout. Because of this, the 15-minute queues really weren't caused by bad operations here.
Most of the other rides had okay operations, though definitely on the slower side, but the staff was friendly, and we didn't experience any major breakdowns while we were there.
Park Management
7
Management seemed like one of the park's biggest strengths, even with two ride closures, one of them being quite major, as the Cheyenne River log flume was closed during our visit alongside the Bandidos SBF Visa spinning coaster.
However, the general service at the park was good. We experienced no facility closures, and even the merch game was surprisingly strong. As with so many other European parks, Mer de Sable really is managed quite nicely, and if it weren't for those ride closures, the park could have scored very high here.
Nonetheless, we enjoyed our short stay at the park, and if (more like when) they get their next expansion, we would very much like to come back for a revisit!
However, the general service at the park was good. We experienced no facility closures, and even the merch game was surprisingly strong. As with so many other European parks, Mer de Sable really is managed quite nicely, and if it weren't for those ride closures, the park could have scored very high here.
Nonetheless, we enjoyed our short stay at the park, and if (more like when) they get their next expansion, we would very much like to come back for a revisit!
Roller Coasters (4)
Main Coasters (3)
Name
Year
Manufacturer
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Optional Coasters (1)
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