Busch Gardens Swings Into Action!

It’s the tallest and fastest ride of its kind in the world; it delivers a HUGE adrenalin rush; and it’s now open at Busch Gardens.

A big, high-flying welcome to the amazing Serengeti Flyer!

Yes, Florida’s latest and greatest now takes the accolade for the most imposing – and hair-raising – giant swing attraction, and we can tell you, it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Serengeti Flyer made its official debut on February 27th in the Nairobi section of the park, and it is instantly recognisable as it rises up over the savannah and animals of the Serengeti Plain area, reaching ever higher with every “Whumph!” of its back-and-forth action

What Kind of Ride is the Serengeti Flyer?

Technically, it is called a pendulum ride, due to the fact its seats go backwards and forwards on two huge arms that get successively higher and faster with each swing. There is a real sense of “hang time” as each arm reaches its peak, and then swings back down again with an awesome rush.

It has seats like a roller-coaster, with a buckle-in safety bar across your lap, but otherwise you are exposed to the full negative-G force of the ride’s giant-swinging action.

Serengeti Flyer stands at 105ft tall in its starting position, but the seats actually lift higher than that as the full swing of each arm goes through 230 degrees, providing that powerful extra oomf at the top of each arc.

These pendulum-type rides have been around for a while. The UK’s Thorpe Park debuted the aptly-named Rush in 2005, reaching 50mph and 75ft high at his tallest, while Skyhawk at Cedar Point in Ohio topped that a year later, with a maximum height of 125ft and top speed of 65mph.

SeaWorld San Antonio then took the record to 135ft and 68mph last year with their monstrous Tidal Surge and, while the new Busch Gardens version technically only equals the height and speed of its Texas sister park, it is still jointly the world’s biggest and fastest.

Is the Serengeti Flyer like a Rollercoaster?

No, not really. While the seats are essentially the same, it looks and feels VERY different. There are two sets of seats on each arm, with two rows of 10 sitting back to back, which means each ride can take 40 passengers at a time.

It DOES feature some delicious moments of air-time, that feeling of being suspended in thin air, just slightly out of your seat in negative G, but the back-and-forth movement takes its cue from the basic children’s swing, only much, much bigger.

And, when you reach the uppermost part of the ride’s arc, you are looking straight down at what’s below – from 135ft straight up!

There are no twists and turns like a roller-coaster, but it is most definitely a high-thrill type of ride, and rightly takes its position alongside the park’s collection of nine coasters (10 if you count the children’s version of Air Grover) and exciting drop-tower ride Falcon’s Fury.

Where Will we Find the Serengeti Flyer?

Serengeti Flyer is towards the back of the Nairobi area of the park, to the right after you go through the main entrance. Turn left in front of the Moroccan Palace Theater and keep going, past the Train Station and Animal Care Center, and the new entrance is on the right just before you reach the Elephant Habitat.

For those with memories of Busch Gardens going back as far back as 2001, it is where the old Rhino Rally attraction used to be. The Rally closed down in 2014 after a series of maintenance issues, and part of its circuit was used for the low-running track of the Cheetah Hunt coaster.

Now, the rest of the Rally area is host to this huge purple-and-pink construction, which also features an extensive covered outdoor queuing space.

The minimum height for riders is 48 inches, which will include most children, but it’s official thrill rating is ‘Extreme,’ so you might want to take a good look at it before you strap your kiddies in!

Enjoying Busch Gardens

Of course, if you’ve made the hour’s drive all the way down from Orlando (it’s exactly 59 miles from our lovely The Enclaves at Festival villa community at Champions Gate), you’ll want to know what else there is to do at Busch Gardens, as it certainly isn’t all about thrill rides, although there are plenty of them!

This suitably scenic park stretches for 335 acres and incorporates some magnificent animal habitats, as well as shows and extensive children’s play area, the fabulous Sesame Street Safari of Fun. There are also a number of special tours into the various animal sections.

The must-try tour is their signature 30-minute Serengeti Safari, which takes visitors out into the main animal area in an open-back truck, with the chance to meet and feed the giraffes. It costs an extra $40/person but it is a real Busch Gardens highlight.

The shows include the splendid ice-skating presentation, Turn It Up, the all-new animal show of Rescue Tail, with unique stories about animals that have been rescued, including a skunk and a grey fox, and the Sesame Street fun of Let’s Play Together.

Visit any time between March 10th and May 21st and you can also enjoy the extra sights, sounds and tastes of the Food & Wine Festival, with a unique array of tasty treats and delicious beverages, plus live concerts each weekend from stars such as Kansas, Flo Rida, 38 Special, Air Supply and salsa orchestra El Gran Combo.

Find out what’s in store, and other details from BuschGardens.com.

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