Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Roller Coasters: A Complete Guide

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is one of the most exciting theme parks in West Florida. The theme park opened its doors in 1959 as a combination amusement park and zoo. Busch Gardens’ theme is the continent of Africa, so you’ll see plenty of elephants, giraffes, and other African animals throughout the park. 

While there are tons of fun shows, rides, games, and animal encounters, many people come to the amusement park to ride the roller coasters. Currently, there are ten unique and thrilling roller coasters for you to experience when you’re at the park. 

As you make your way to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, here’s a look at all ten of their roller coasters and everything else you may want to learn about them. 

The Different Types of Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens

While most people think of all roller coasters as roller coasters, there are specific types you might want to know about. Busch Gardens has a variety of roller coasters in the park, which makes them an excellent option for roller coaster lovers. Here are the types of roller coasters you’ll see at this theme park. 

Dive

Dive Coasters, which used to be called Diving Machines, are steel roller coasters. Bolliger and Mabillard produce these exciting roller coasters for various theme parks, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. These coasters typically have wide trains that can seat between six and ten people in one row and have drops that are steeper than 90 degrees. 

Inverted

Inverted roller coasters have trains that run under the track. The seats on these coasters are attached to the wheel carriage, so they don’t swing when taking sharp corners. Whenever your legs are dangling, but your arms are more secure, it’s an inverted roller coaster. 

Hybrid

Hybrid roller coasters are a combination of steel and wood building materials. They use both materials to create the supports and tracks of the coaster. Usually, its steel supports on a wooden track. This was the norm for hybrid coasters in the 20th century. 

Now, modern wooden hybrid coasters use galvanized supports where people would paint the older steel supports. Steel supports are weather-resistant and require less maintenance than wooden coasters. 

Hyper

Hyper roller coasters are full-circuit coasters that are made to be tall and fast and have more extended airtime. They are between 200 and 299 feet tall and usually have an out-and-back pattern. Hypercoasters have steel tracks, for the most part. 

Family

As the name might suggest, family roller coasters are designed so that people of almost all sizes and ages can ride them. They’re medium-sized coasters, so they’re smaller than the average coasters but larger than kiddie ones. They usually have a more complicated layout than kiddie coasters too.

Launched

Launched roller coasters are known for propelling the train in a short time but very fast. Usually, this happens at an incline, but it doesn’t have to. These roller coasters are faster than others because they’re made to accelerate faster than gravity, making them a little more thrilling than others. 

Sit-Down

With a sit-down roller coaster, you’ll be sitting down. These coasters are steel and usually come with varying riding positions. They have staggered seating in a “v” position so that all the riders can have increased visibility throughout the ride.

Spinning 

Spinning roller coasters have spinning cars. They are almost always under 70 feet tall, and the trains consist of one car. They don’t have high drops but make sure they use the turns to their advantage to provide riders a thrilling and exciting ride experience. How much they spin will depend on the riders and their weight distribution. 

Wild Mouse

Lastly, there are wild mouse roller coasters. These coasters feature sharp and unbanked turns for a single-car vehicle. They’re small coasters with no inversions but can still be thrilling with the quick and somewhat unexpected direction turns. 

The Ten Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

As you arrive at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, you can expect plenty of things to do, but the roller coasters are a massive draw to the park. Here are the ten roller coasters you can experience at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. 

Air Grover

Type: Steel/Family

Top Speed: 22 mph

Height: 25 feet 

Length: 628 feet 

Height Requirement: 3’2″

You’ll find Air Grover in the park’s Sesame Street Safari of Fun section. This family roller coaster is perfect for children and their parents. It gets its name from the Sesame Street character, Grover, and initially opened in March 2010. 

The German company Zierer designed and built the coasters. It has a tire-propelled lift and can seat 16 people per train. Each train comes with eight cars, allowing two people per car. The arrangement is two across in two rows. 

There are two trains on the coaster, allowing 32 riders. Since there are no inversions, it’s an easy-going roller coaster and even has Grover’s head on the front car. 

Cheetah Hunt

Type: Steel/Launched

Top Speed: 60 mph

Height: 102 feet 

Length: 4,429 feet 

Height Requirement: 4’0″

Cheetah Hunt is in Crown Colony Plaza and opened in 2011. There are three launches throughout the ride with only one inversion. You’ll experience a drop of 130 feet, which can be pretty intimidating to new roller coaster riders. 

You’ll travel through trenches in the park and over water as you ride. This coaster has five total trains, with four cars on each train. The seating arrangements are two across in two rows. 

What makes this roller coaster so appealing is that unlike others where you build up to the drop and then gain speed as you go, once you’re strapped in, you go from 0 to 60 mph in seconds.

Cobra’s Curse

Type: Spinning/Steel

Top Speed: 40 mph

Height: 70 feet

Length: 2,100 feet 

Height Requirement: 3’6″

One of Busch Gardens’ newest roller coasters is Cobra’s Curse. Opening in 2016, this has quickly become a popular ride. You’ll find it in the Egypt area of the park. The theme is around an archeological expedition and is very exciting. 

It’s a spinning coaster that allows for eight riders on each train. The arrangement is eight trains with two cars per train. There are two rows of two in each. 

It’s one of the longer roller coasters at the park, but that’s a massive part of what makes the ride special. Even though there are no inversions on this coaster, we’re sure you’ll have a blast. 

Iron Gwazi

Type: Steel/Hyper/Hybrid

Top Speed: 76 mph

Height: 206 feet 

Length: 4,075 feet 

Height Requirement: 4’0″

If you’re looking for the fastest roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, you need to check out Iron Gwazi. Not only is it the fastest, but it’s the newest coaster, opening in 2022. It replaced the original wooden Gwazi roller coaster, which began demolition in 2019. 

There’s a 91-degree drop which is slightly scary even for the most seasoned roller coaster riders. It’s tied for the tallest hybrid roller coaster in the world at 206 feet tall. 

This ride has only two inversions, but the height and speed alone are enough to get your adrenaline pumping. As for the seating, there are two trains with six cars allowing for 24 passengers on each train. 

Kumba

Type: Steel/Sit-Down

Top Speed: 60 mph

Height: 143 feet 

Length: 3,978 feet 

Height Requirement: 4’6″

Kumba is one of the oldest running roller coasters at Busch Gardens, opening in 1993. It’s a fan favorite, and you’ll find it in the park’s Congo area. At the time, it set industry standards for this type of roller coaster. 

The best features of this coaster are the dive loop and several corkscrews that are sure to make you scream. The tallest drop on the coaster is 135, and it has a total of seven inversions that you’ll love. 

The roller coaster has four trains with eight cars on each train. Riders will sit in rows with four seats, allowing 32 riders on each train. 

Montu

Type: Steel/Inverted

Top Speed: 60 mph

Height: 150 feet 

Length: 3,983 feet 

Height Requirement: 4’6″

Shortly after Kumba opened in Busch Gardens, Montu came. Opening in 1996, they decided to open this coaster designed by Bolliger and Mabillard since they were so successful with the creation of Kumba years before. 

At the time of its opening, it was the world’s tallest inverted coaster. This is the roller coaster you see walking or taking the tram from the parking lot into the park. 

There are three trains with eight cars on each train. Four riders can sit in one row at a time. You’ll enjoy three minutes of adrenaline on this ride with seven inversions. If you want a really thrilling experience, try sitting in the front row. 

Sand Serpent 

Type: Steel/Wild Mouse

Top Speed: 28 mph 

Height: 49.5 feet 

Length: 1,213.9 feet 

Height Requirement: 3’10”

Sand Serpent, previously Cheetah Chase, is in the Pantopia area of the park. It officially opened in 1996 before closing in 2003 and reopened again in 2004. It wasn’t until 2011 that the name formally changed to Sandserpent. 

There are no inversions on this ride but what makes it exciting is how fast the little cars take turns and the tiny drops throughout the track. 

Riders sit in rows of two, allowing four riders in each car. You’ll only have a lap bar restraint on this ride, which can elevate the thrill you’ll feel when you take turns very quickly. While it increases the rush, you’re perfectly safe inside the car. 

SheiKra

Type: Steel/Hyper/Dive

Top Speed: 70 mph

Height: 200 feet 

Length: 3,188 feet 

Height Requirement: 4’6″

Opening in 2005, SheiKra was the first dive coaster in the United States. You’ll find this ride in Stanleyville, where people patiently wait in line and watch the famous dangling part before the drop. 

It’s a floorless roller coaster with a 90-degree angle drop. The creepiest and most thrilling part is that you’re dangled above the drop for several seconds before the ride takes off. If you don’t want to dangle as much, sitting in the third row is the best idea. 

There are three cars per train, and it can seat eight riders in one row. This allows 24 riders total at a time. SheiKra is genuinely one of a kind at the park and a must-ride when you visit. 

Scorpion

Type: Steel

Top Speed: 41 mph 

Height: 60.7 feet 

Length: 1,817.6 feet 

Height Requirement: 3’6″

Located in Pantopia, Scorpion is the oldest roller coaster in the park. With an original opening in 1980, there’s only one loop on the coaster, making it the perfect one to try if you’re not a huge fan of larger roller coasters. 

It’s one of the slower roller coasters and only lasts for about a minute and a half but still a fun ride to experience. Riding this coaster, you’ll have a headrest and lap bar restraint. 

There are two trains with five cars each. Two people can sit in one row, allowing for 20 riders total at one time.

Tigris

Type: Steel/Launched 

Top Speed: 62 mph

Height: 150 feet 

Length: 863 feet

Height Requirement: 3’2″

Tigris was an excellent addition to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s coaster collection. When it opened in 2019, it was the tallest launched roller coaster in the state.

If you’re looking for this ride, you’ll want to head to the Stanleyville area of the park. There’s one inversion on the ride, but don’t let the lack of multiple inversions deter you from trying the ride. 

Unlike the other coasters at the park, Tigris only has one train from this ride. Three cars are in the train with three rows of two, totaling 18 riders. 

Final Thoughts

For roller coaster lovers out there, consider taking a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. There are ten great roller coasters to choose from, but we highly recommend making a point to try them all or as many as you can. Next time you head to Busch Gardens, make time for these rides.