Busch Gardens originally opened in 1959. The original name of the park was Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and the park had an African theme. Later, it was called The Dark Continent and finally Busch Gardens Africa. The park is home to 2700 animals and a variety of great rides. Your family will enjoy learning about African animals and riding thrilling coasters in this park.

Rides at Busch Gardens

Kumba is a well known roller coaster in this park. The name means roar in the language of the Congo in Africa. This is a steel coaster that is 143 feet tall. The coaster reaches top speeds of about sixty miles per hour. Kumba has multiple inversions throughout the ride. If you love roller coasters, you need to ride Kumba during your visit to this park.

There are four roller coasters in addition to Kumba in the park. The Python and Scorpion coasters are very popular rides. The Gwazi is an eight hundred foot wooden roller coaster. Montu is a steel, inverted roller coaster that is also very popular. There is plenty here to keep the roller coaster enthusiast in your family happy all day long.

There are several water rides to help you cool off on a hot Florida day. You will find that some are great for younger kids, while others are better for the older children and adults in your group. The Tanganyika Tidal Wave, Stanley Falls Log Flume and Congo River Rapids are some of the more popular water rides in the park.

The park has several rides that are geared toward the younger guests. The Congo and Timbuktu areas have rides for children. The bumper cars are always popular with children. Your kids may have fun digging in the sand in the Egypt section of the park. The sky ride is fun for the whole family.

Animals at Busch Gardens

The park is home to approximately 2700 African animals. You can view the animals on rides such as the Rhino Rally. This is a jeep ride through the animal habitats in the park. The safari and river ride takes you on a land and water safari to experience the animals from both vantage points.

The Myombe Reserve is home to the Great Apes of Africa. Here you will see chimps, gorillas and many more ape species. The Serengeti Plains area is home to free roaming African animals. In this area, you will see elephants, giraffes, zebras and more. The Edge of Africa is where you will find rhinos, white Bengal tigers and hippos.

Busch Gardens offers one feature that the other amusement parks in Florida do not offer. They have a rain guarantee. If your day at the park is spoiled by rain, you will be given free admission to come back to the park another day. This is a great feature, especially in the summer. The weather during the Florida summer can be very unpredictable. You will not have to worry about missing out on the fun with this guarantee. To save even more money, ask about flex tickets that include admission to other parks, such as Sea World, Universal Studios, Wet and Wild and Islands of Adventure.