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Rank the Busch Gardens Tampa coasters

Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. Busch Gardens Tampa is arguably one of the most prominent thrill parks on the East Coast of America, and most members of CF seem to have been, so I thought I'd make a ranking topic for its coasters. Even though the park itself didn't quite live up to the hype for me when I visited in 2016, I'd personally argue that Busch Gardens Tampa has one of the strongest coaster lineups in the world; Montu, SheiKra and Kumba are a genuinely awesome top 3, and I can only imagine that Iron Gwazi will add to that even more when it opens next year! So, here's my personal ranking of the coasters I rode at Busch Gardens Tampa:
  1. Montu - What a ride! I may not have ridden since 2016, but from memory, it's definitely my favourite B&M invert! The pacing is brilliant, and I'd say it keeps pretty remarkable pace given its long ride time! It's also extremely smooth given its age (probably one of the smoother B&Ms in Florida), and it has just the right amount of forces and intensity! Overall, I loved Montu, and I can't wait to eventually go back on it! 10/10 (#3 in overall rankings)
  2. SheiKra - The big red beast that currently dominates over Busch Gardens Tampa (well, until Iron Gwazi opens, anyway!) provides one hell of a ride experience! I know that height doesn't necessarily make a good coaster, but the sheer size of SheiKra really adds to the ride experience, in my opinion; that first drop is massive, and I must admit it's one of the few times I've been genuinely nervous on a coaster! Both vertical drops are also surprisingly forceful, and the rest of the ride packs a great punch! Combine that with a very smooth and fun coaster and you can see why I love SheiKra so much! 10/10 (#4 in overall rankings)
  3. Kumba - I wouldn't say that Kumba did quite as much for me as the two rides above it, but I still really enjoyed it! It keeps up a great pace throughout its long layout and has some really great moments! Overall, Kumba is a great ride! 9/10 (#10 in overall rankings)
  4. Cheetah Hunt - Now, Cheetah Hunt has a lot going for it as a layout; the launches are quite punchy, there's a couple of really nice bits of airtime and there are some pretty exciting moments, but there's one key thing that really stopped me from ranking it higher; the restraints. The reason that the restraints inhibited my enjoyment of Cheetah Hunt somewhat are because unlike some of Intamin's other rides that have these restraints, Cheetah Hunt has quite a few moments that almost feel like they were designed with Taron-style lap bars in mind. For example, that huge drop off the figure-8 into the ravine would be a phenomenal moment of airtime with lap bars, and it's still a pretty good moment of airtime with the OTSRs, but I do feel that those restraints stop you from achieving the full airtime that you could get in places. That being said, I did still enjoy Cheetah Hunt, and I did find it to be a fun ride! I can also see myself liking it a bit more if I was to reride, as I'd say my appreciation for coasters of its style has grown somewhat since 2016! 7/10 (#20 in overall rankings)
  5. Cobra's Curse - I don't often hear very positive reviews of Cobra's Curse, but I really enjoyed it for what it was! The elevator lift was very unique, the spinning was fun and overall, I really liked it as a family coaster! I'd also say I really liked how smooth it was compared to other spinning coasters, as the Reverchon models tend to be very rough, and while the Maurer models can generate a very good spin, they too are often very rough and jerky, so I think that the smooth style of the Mack spinner appealed to me more! Overall, a fun ride that I liked somewhat more than I expected to! 6/10 (#30 in overall rankings)
One thing I should point out is that I only got one ride on each of Busch Gardens Tampa's coasters and I only rode 5 of them, so I can imagine my opinions might change if I were to revisit.

I'm also going to have a bit of fun, and insert in the coasters that I didn't ride while at Busch Gardens Tampa or ones that are under construction/have been built since my last visit in there too, based on POVs, reviews and what I generally think of the ride type:
(Unridden/under construction coasters in italics)
  1. Iron Gwazi
  2. Montu
  3. SheiKra
  4. Kumba
  5. Cheetah Hunt
  6. Tigris
  7. Cobra's Curse
  8. Scorpion
  9. Air Grover
  10. Sand Serpent
But what is your personal ranking of the Busch Gardens Tampa roller coasters?
 
1. Montu.
Simply one of the best B&M inverters out there.
2. SheiKra.
Great ride - big, imposing, smooth and swoopy. Lovely stuff.
3. Kumba.
Yep, another big and beautiful B&M, but personally I don't think it's quite as good as the other (non-floorless) B&M loopers such as Hulk, Dragon Khan and Wildfire.
4. Scorpion.
Love a good Schwarzkopf, me.
5. Gwazi.
Only rode one side, can't remember which one. I seem to remember it being very rough.
6. Sand Serpent.
JASM.

Have yet to ride C'hunt, Curse, Tigris or Grover cos I haven't been in like 12 years, but Iron Gwazi is the carrot I needed to get me back out there. Will have to update this list once I've ticked off those other creds. :)
 
  1. Kumba - Still in my top 25. It's the epitome of old school B&M goodness.
  2. Montu - If it's not the best B&M invert, it's right near the top.
  3. SheiKra - It's really big with a great first drop & inversion combo.
  4. Cheetah Hunt - Perfectly good ride but feels like it never reaches its full potential. That trick track is great though.
  5. Scorpion - Small Schwarzkopf, can't complain.
  6. Sand Serpent - It's a mediocre wild mouse.
  7. Gwazi - Had an awful ride on this one. I'd say RMC it, but luckily that's already happening.
 
1. Montu
2. Kumba
3. SheiKra
4. Cheetah Hunt
5. Scorpion
6. Cobra's Curse
7. Cheetah Chase
8. Gwazi
 
1. Montu - Sooo good, one of the best inverts out there. Love it.
2. Kumba - Group the sitdowns together with the floorless, and Kumba is easily the best of the bunch. Standard layout but it's executed so well.
3. Cheetah Hunt - Probably has more dull moments than Sheikra, but I think I prefer the launches, bits of airtime, and banked turns more than the big vertical drop.
4. Sheikra - The drops are great, but there's not much else going on. Very pretty though.
5. Cobra's Curse - Some really interesting ideas but every time it gains moment it's stopped by some block brakes or a second lift hill. Spinning was okay. Just let the ride do it's thing!
6. Scorpion - Perfectly fine ride, but kind of forgettable. Think it had a couple rough transitions which is why it's toward the bottom.
7. Air Grover - Yay for +1.
 
1. Montu - Definitely my favourite B&M invert! The bat wing element is the highlight for me but the rest is just as intense and forceful. Pretty smooth for its age too.

2. Shiekra - Although i'm not the biggest fan of dive coaster (they don't do much for me), I still have a soft spot for Shiekra with its old-school restraints and that massive first drop.

3. Kumba - A solid classic B&M sit down! I suppose the layout and elements are typical of a B&M sit down but it's the landscape and smoothness of this ride that makes it for me.

4. Cheetah Hunt - I was slightly disappointed with this one. I get that it was more of a family-thrill coaster but i think I hyped it up a bit more than what it actually was. The launches weren't as forceful as i expected and the the way the restraints dig in when you go through that barrel-roll....ouch! But still, a great layout solid coaster.

5. Scorpion - This one matched my expectations - slightly rough, not the most unique of elements but what took me by surprise was how forceful the loop was!

6. Cobra's Curse - a great family coaster, however it sits at the bottom of my list simply because i'm more of a thrill seeker and this was also rough in some spots.

7. Gwazi - I never got the chance to go on it :( Even though it had a reputation for being rough, I would have still loved to try it out, after all, it was a classic! But, i'm sure Iron Gwazi will take the top spot on this list and also my top 10 coasters overall :)
 
Montu is clearly the best. Also the coaster with the best colour scheme I’ve ever seen.

Cheetah Hunt is the easy second - just a really fun ride.

Not hugely bothered on the rest. Neither Kumba or Sheikra are ‘bad’. But it feels like there are a zillion similar dive coasters and Kumba is just a bit dated.

I had no real desire to return to this park until Iron Gwazi.

edit - ha everyone including me is forgetting Tigris.
 
1) SheiKra
2) Montu
3) Cheetah Hunt
4) Kumba
5) Scorpion
6) Cobra's Curse
7) Tigris (only coaster to ever make me physically sick, repeatedly every ride)
8) Sand Serpent
9) Air Grover
 
Finally made it to this awesome park!

1) Montu
2) Cheetah Hunt
3) Sheikra
4) Tigris
5) Kumba
6) Cobra's Curse
7) Sand Serpent

Scorpion was down when I went :(
 
Went in early January 2020
1. Kumba- rode it late in they day with a night ride in the back row so it was hauling. Despite what some people say I got really good hang-time and those interlocking Corkscrews are out of this world
2. Montu- barely beat out Sheikra due to the long ride duration. Not as intense as I expected but still my favorite inverted coaster. I love the batwing into the tunnel it's amazing
3. Sheikra- That drop pulls crazy G's but I wish their could've been 1 or 2 more inversions. Dive into the tunnel after the mid-course might be better than the first drop
4. Tigris- that 3rd launch is very forceful probably my 2nd favorite launch behind Mr.Freeze Reverse Blast at Six Flags Over Texas. The comfort collars aren't as restricting as people say they are. Great hang-time and whip
5.Cheetah Hunt- Wish the second Launch could've been more forceful. Got the back seat on the last ride of the day. Great airtime on the drop and those S-curves are full of whip

Couldn't get on Air Grover and Cobra's Curse was down along with sand serpent.
 
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