5 BEST Roller Coasters
at Busch Gardens, Tampa

When visiting Busch Gardens in Florida, don't miss the BEST roller coasters at Busch Gardens. If you love roller coasters you'll find some top notch thrills in this theme park.

Busch Gardens has some terrific rides that put it up high on the list of America's top rated roller coasters.

Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens 1 - ShieKra

SheiKra is America's first vertical drop dive coaster. Launched in 2005, SheiKra is a monster thrill ride that coaster enthusiasts will love. Coasters of this type are few and far between. This is the only ride in the US that has a truly terrifying 90 degree drop! In fact the ride incorporates 2 vertical drops (one into an underground tunnel), a 360 degree spinning climb and a double loop.

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SheiKra at Busch Gardens, Florida
Photo courtesy of M Seasons

SheiKra - see the vertical drop going into the tunnel?
This is one of two vertical drops. Photo courtesy of Flickrc

SheiKra is one of the most popular Busch Gardens Rides. Pictured is the second terrifying vertical drop, around 138ft!
Photo courtesy of Flickrc

SheiKra viewed from below - the moment the ride
tips over the edge of the 90 degree vertical drop! Riders are face down. This is America's only vertical drop coaster. Photo courtesy of Slowdevil

ShieKra Facts

Seats are 8 person across, floorless coaster

Maximum height reached 200ft

Highest drop 195ft

Second vertical drop 138ft

Loops 1

Ride time 3mins

Height requirement: Must be at least 54 inches tall

Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens 2 - Montu

Montu is an 'old favorite' at Busch Gardens, Tampa. It's been thrilling visitors since 1996. 3 minutes on Montu will be the wildest 3 minutes. Montu send passengers into a exhilarating 60mph ride through 7 different inversions over around 4,000ft of steel track. It's one of the world longest and fastest coasters.

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Montu at Busch Gardens, Florida
Photo courtesy of Tps58

Busch Gardens Rides - Montu at Busch Gardens in Florida
Photo courtesy of Tps58

Beginning climb of Montu at Busch Gardens, Florida
Photo courtesy of Tps58

Montu Facts

104ft high loop.

Seats are 4 person across, floorless coaster

Maximum height reached 150ft

Maximum G Force 3.85g

Longest drop 128ft

Loops & inversions 7

Ride time 3mins

Height requirement: Must be at least 54 inches tall

Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens 3 - Kumba

An oldie but a goodie! Kumba first launched back in 1993, for what it lacks in smooth, modern twists and turns, it makes up for in sheer power, speed, height and one of highest loops in the US. There are 7 different inversions during the ride over around 4,000ft of track. Kumba reaches speeds of 60mph, has a maximum G force of 3.85gs and spins riders 360 degrees.

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Kumba rollercoaster at Busch Gardens Africa
Photo courtesy of JohnBurke

Kumba Facts

Seats are 4 person across, floorless coaster

Maximum height reached 143ft

Maximum G Force 3.8g

Longest drop 135ft

Loops & inversions 7

Ride time 2mins 54 seconds

Height requirement: Must be at least 54 inches tall

Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens 4 - Scorpion

The Scorpion is a classic roller coaster which seats two people across. It's arguably surpassed by the newer thrill coasters at Busch Gardens such as Montu, ShieKra. But then again, if you don't want to try SheiKra, Kumba or Montu this is a nice 'middle ground'.

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Scorpion rollercoaster at Busch Gardens Africa
Photo courtesy of Left--Handed

Scorpion Facts

Seats are 2 person across

Maximum height reached 65ft

Maximum G Force 3.5g

Longest drop 60ft

Loops & inversions 1

Ride time 2mins 15 seconds

Height requirement: Must be at least 42 inches tall

Roller Coasters at Busch Gardens 5 - Gwazi

A old fashioned gigantic wooden roller coaster. Gwazi is actually 2 roller coasters in one! It has two trains that race each other to the finish. As you can see from the photos, Gwazi is a monstrous wooden structure that goes over 1 mile in length! Expect a bit of rougher ride!