Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
351
From Egypt, walk to the
Edge of Africa,
the most unique of the park's eight areas, and
home to most of the large animals. Go immediately to the Adventure Tours tent and see
if you can get on one of the park's zoologist-led wildlife tours.
Next stop is
Nairobi,
the most beautiful part of the park, where you can see gorillas
and chimpanzees in their lush rainforest habitat in the Myombe Reserve. Nairobi also has
Jambo Junction—which the park's Animal Ambassadors call home—turtle and reptile
displays, an elephant exhibit, and Curiosity Caverns (where you can find bats, reptiles,
and small mammals that are active in the dark). The entry to Rhino Rally, the park's safari
adventure, is at the western end of Nairobi.
Now head to the
Congo,
where the highlights are the rare white Bengal tigers that live
in Jungala, the park's newest, 4-acre attraction within the Congo, featuring a colorful
village hidden deep in the jungle, up-close animal interactions, multistory family play
areas, rides, and live entertainment. The Congo is also home to Kumba, the largest and
fastest coaster in the southeastern United States (54-in. minimum height for riders). You
will get drenched—and refreshed on a hot day—by riding the Congo River Rapids,
where you're turned loose in round boats that float down the swiftly flowing “river” (42-
in. height minimum). Bumper cars and kiddie rides can be found here, too.
From the Congo, walk south into
Stanleyville,
a prototype African village, with
SheiKra a shopping bazaar, and the Stanleyville Theater, featuring shows for children.
Two more water rides here are the Tanganyika Tidal Wave (48-in. minimum height for
riders), where you'll come to a very damp end, and the Stanley Falls Flume (an aquatic
version of a roller coaster). Also, the Zambia Smokehouse serves ribs and chicken—some
of the best chow in the park.
Up next is
Land of the Dragons,
the most entertaining area for small children. They
can spend the day enjoying a variety of entertainment in a fairy-tale setting, plus just-for-
kids rides. The area is dominated by Dumphrey, a whimsical dragon who interacts with
visitors and guides children around a three-story treehouse with winding stairways, tall
towers, stepping stones, illuminated water geysers, and an echo chamber.
The next stop is
Bird Gardens,
the park's original core, offering rich foliage, lagoons,
and a free-flight aviary for hundreds of exotic birds, including golden and American bald
eagles. Be sure to see the Florida flamingos while you're here.
If your stomach can take another hair-raising ride, try
Gwazi
(48-in. minimum for
riders), an adrenaline-pumping attraction in which a pair of old-fashioned wooden roller
coasters (named the Lion and the Tiger) start simultaneously and whiz within a few feet
of each other six times as they roar along at 50 mph and rise to 90 feet. If you want to
experience the park's fifth roller coaster, head to
Timbuktu
and climb aboard the
Scor-
pion,
a high-speed number with a 60-foot drop and 360-degree loop (42-in. height
minimum). Or if you're really crazy, check out the floorless
SheiKra,
where for 200 feet
up and 90 degrees straight down, you can view the world—from a floorless perspective.
For visual amusement, there's
Pirates 4-D,
an animated 4-D special effects movie and
theater production starring comedic actor Leslie Nielsen.
Added attractions are a 6-hour zookeeper-for-a-day program and a nighttime safari by
lantern-light. You can exchange foreign currency in the park, and interpreters are avail-
able.
Note:
You can get to Busch Gardens from Orlando via shuttle buses, which pick up
at area hotels between 8 and 10:15am for the 1
1
/
2
- to 2-hour ride, with return trips start-
ing at 5pm and continuing until the park closes. Round-trip fares are $10 per person.
Call
&
800/511-2450
for schedules, pickup locations, and reservations.
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