Photo: Jason Knutson. View full-sized image.
Although home to an Arrow Corkscrew (Python) and a Schwarzkopf Silverarrow (Scorpion), Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Florida) was once known as a destination for wildlife experiences first and thrill rides second. That changed in 1993 when Bolliger & Mabillard’s (B&M) multi-element Kumba debuted. Perhaps foreshadowing the roller coaster installations to come in the following decades, the massive coil of turquoise track was situated at the back of the park adjacent to Congo River Rapids, thus highlighting the sheer massiveness of the available real estate.
Photo: Allan Reid. View full-sized image.
Kumba followed the opening of the multi-element Drachen Fire at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia) in 1992, but the two rides couldn’t have been more different from each other. Although the Virginia coaster was intended to be industry veteran Arrow Dynamics’ movement away from its cookie-cutter designs into a new era of thrill ride innovations, it proved too ambitious for the company’s technologies at the time. While Drachen Fire would quietly close only a few years later (and after some failed attempts to refine the ride experience), Kumba represented Monthey, Switzerland-based B&M’s evolution away from smaller roller coasters like standups to its ground-breaking and industry-altering inverted coasters.
Kumba was about as high profile as a coaster could be in the central Florida theme park market that was about to explode with new destinations and headline attractions. It can be argued that without it, Universal’s Islands of Adventure would not have created waves with Incredible Hulk and Dueling Dragons — also B&M creations. In its absence, there is no telling if The Walt Disney Company would have constructed its own thrill rides like Rock ‘n Roller Coaster and Expedition Everest.
Photo: Allan Reid. View full-sized image.
Following years of sporadic and extended closures and accompanying rumors of its demise, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced that Kumba will give its final rides on August 2 — the same day that ArieForce One and Fun Spot America in Atlanta, Georgia, will cease operations. Acknowledging Kumba’s place in Tampa Bay’s history and its popularity among guests, the park reported that Kumba will eventually be replaced by the vaguely named Kumba’s Revenge. Rumors are already as loud as the coaster's famous roar, but anything firmer will likely have to wait until after the replacement of the recently demolished Stanleyville Falls log flume.
— Rob Ascough, Publications Director
#ACENews