Busch Gardens: Kumba

Busch GardensTampa, Florida, USA

I'D LOOKED FORWARD TO GOING ON KUMBA. Ruth and I had not really been to a proper Roller Coaster adventure park outside of the UK. Everything I had read about Kumba suggested it is an excellent coaster.

It seems to be built on the same kind of track as the coasters Nemesis and Shock Wave, in Kumba trains, riders are seated. The track allows sweeping turns and imaginative twists and loops to be built into the circuit resulting in a fast, smooth, yet thrilling coaster ride.

The ride is not, by any means, bad. I certainly prefer the two UK coasters mentioned. Maybe sitting, rather than standing or hanging, in the train removed some of the thrill, I don't know.

Busch Gardens is a funny mixed up place: The animal areas that are dotted through the park (I think the animals were there before the rides were) have an African theme. Food and service areas have a German theme and then there is the American brewery in the middle of the park. Do tour the brewery, if only to see how the cans are made for beer! They also serve beer samples for free (note though: free beer... big crowd!).

If you go to the park, you will probably ride Scorpion and Python. Python is like Alton Tower's Corkscrew, certainly worth a waiting in a medium size line for. Scorpion has a loop and some twists, check them in the picture. It broke down, while we were on it, just at the top of the lift. It was a thrill to walk down the drag lift for a change!