Park of the Reserve

Hello to all the visitors and lovers of Lima! I hope that each and every one of you are good.

Now that the sun is coming to Lima, there is no better opportunity to wander round the streets at night and enjoy a light show which leaves everyone marvelling at their colours and the classic music in some of its fountains.

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Today, I am pleased to tell you about a tourist attraction in Lima, which is known as "El Circuito Magico del Agua" (Park of the Reserve in English). This marvellous place is in the enclosed part of Lima and is an obligatory part of the city within the night life which is already offered in Lima by different travel agencies such as "Turibus", "Limavision", "Mirabus" and many more.

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The first time that I went to the water fountain was with some friends from my university on a day in February which was close to its inauguration. It was sensational to see it and I still don't get tired of going to see it and later on, I will tell you that this park is not only a place to entertain yourself but also it's a place to discover the history of Lima since a lot of things happened here during the Chilean occupation.

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This place is, without a doubt, somewhere to come to relax by watching the fountains and their lights. The times that I have walked around this city with a foreign friend at night, I have always tried to go to this area because it's simply unique. Although at first, when the park was inaugurated, I was running around like a child getting wet, nowadays that I'm older, I go to the park in a more calm manner to stare at the lights and the marvellous fountains and different expositions which are put on in the park - usually they are organised by the municipality of Lima around the dates of Christmas. They also decorate the place with lights and special decorations in addition to those which are already illuminated as well as the expositions about why we should be more aware of the waters in the Rímac River. Unfortunately, the Rímac River is one of the most contaminated in Peru and maybe even the world, but it's upsetting that the people of Lima still don't make the effort to change this.

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When you go on the bridge which connects the park to the side of Arequipa Avenue with the expressway, you are going to find some painted walls which explain the origins of the Rímac River and how it advances to the mouth of the Pacific Ocean which is one of the richest seas in the world. Thanks to the Pacific Ocean Peru changed itself for some years, for example, it was the first exporter of fishmeal in the world.

If you go with a travel agency the tour can cost around 25$USD but to spend so much money when you can go and look around this beautiful park for yourself seems pointless. The cost of this park is only 4 sols per person.

How many fountains are there in total?

There are 13 water fountains with lights which are a spectacle. Each one is different from the others... Here's an image of only one of the 13 fountains, it's pretty, right?

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Each fountain has a name and some of them are bigger in size. Here are the names of each one of them with a map:

• Fuente Magica (Magic Fountain)
• Fuente de la fantasía (Fantasy Fountain)
• Fuente de la ilusión (Fountain of illusion)
• Fuente tunel de las sorpresas (Fountain tunnel of surprises)
• Fuente laberinto del ensueño (Maze of Daydreams Fountain)
• Fuente de la vida (Fountain of Life)
• Fuente de las tradiciones (Fountain of Traditions)
• Fuente rio de los deseos (River of Wishes Fountain)
• Fuente de los niños (Fountain of Children)
• Fuente del arco iris (Iris' arch Fountain)
• Fuente de la armonía (Fountain of harmony)
• Fuente Tanguis (Tanguis Fountain)
• Fuente de la cúpula visitable (The visitable dome fountain)

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A little history about the place

This park is also known as the park of the reserve due to the fact that during the Peruvian-Chilean war in the 19th century, this zone was taken as a reserve place for the Peruvian soldiers in the 8 hectares. So you will be able to step into a park with history. There are also a lot of trees as part of its decoration. Take into account that in this park it's not possible to sit or lie on the grass, this place is constantly watched by the staff and if they see you on the grass, they will give you a warning.

Here is a photo that I found. I love the effect of the lights, it's motivated for the kids and spending a happy night with family, as well as by yourself!

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This is the fountain from the first photo; when you go you will see that the fountain is so high and bit by bit, it gets higher. It's one of the fountains which grabbed my attention the most, furthermore it changes between a yellow, sky-blue and purple colour.

When to visit

Visiting the park at night is the best thing that you can do since the lights play an important role. There are 13 famous fountains on the tourist map of Lima, you can even play games in the fountains. One game is to try not to get wet, but if you do get wet, make sure you bring some emergency clothes. There are changing rooms so don't worry about not being able to change, but take into account that they are not free and you are going to have to pay to go in them (it's a small price).

Here is a photo of the fountain which you can go into, it's one of my favourites since the streams of water disappear for some moments and when you take advantage of the lack of water, they come back in the centre but like they're jumping, and when you start trying to leave, the water comes back on quickly, as well as at times going slowly. In summer, people take advantage of this place.

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The park has recently been remodelled and it has more than one entrance; you can go in by Arequipa Avenue as well as Petit Thours Avenue and via the Expressway. If you don't want to get wet, do what I did and just stay in the background, like the following photo:

How to get to the fountains of Lima

It's very easy to get there, you only need to find the National Stadium of Peru by the expressway, or also by Avenue Arequipa at the height of the 10th block, as a reference point. You'll see a huge entrance and people selling donuts for the kids, as well as a shishkebab stall, so if you're hungry, you can eat! The guys always say to you "si no te gusta, no pagas" (if you don't like it, you don't have to pay) but we all know that you end up paying so they say it more to attract people to their businesses.

Here is a photo of my brother with my mum by the children's fountain, it's not the most captivating of the fountains but the kids in all their innocence, love them and have loads of fun.

Going around the whole park will take approximately one hour. During the night, the widest fountain puts on a light display and there is a projection on the fountain for about 15 minutes and it's repeated 3 times throughout the night.

Talk to the people at the entrance to get some more up-to-date information about what time the show is meant to start. In the show, you can appreciate a projection of dances from Peru as well as listen to music such as "El Condór Pasa" and light displays which you have to see no matter what happens during your visit to the fountains. This plays an important role with the movement of the waters which are seen completely coldly calculated and it's a delight for our eyes. When you find out what time the display starts, I would advise to get there at least 10 minutes before the scene is set since that's when everyone flocks to this fountain to be able to see it better:

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Take into account that...

The park is closed every Monday and Tuesday, apart from that you can go anytime, no problem. On leaving the park, there are also tasty kebabs being sold which smell incredible and if you're leaving via the entrance to the expressway, you will see flower sellers.

Here is the fountain which is in the shape of a tunnel with my Spanish friend. Don't put your finger in the fountain as it will get you, and others, wet!

Here are some summaries of information about the park:

• Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday from 15:00 to 22:30
• Entry fee: 4 Sols
• There are 13 fountains near the national stadium

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this, until the next time! We will see each other on another adventure! Thanks for reading this post ad we will see each other on another experience in Lima.