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Kali River Rapids

Animal Kingdom (07-07-06) 042

Park
Park section
Opening date
Attraction type
Whitewater rapids
Drop
30 ft
Duration
5:30 minutes

Kali River Rapids is a river rapids ride located at Animal Kingdom. It is in the Asia area of the park, and was originally going to be named Tiger River Rapids. The attraction opened with Animal Kingdom on March 18, 1999.

Ride synopsis[]

Queue[]

The queue takes guests through several Asian themed buildings, passing by ancient statues, shrines, ruins, and lush landscaping. Outside the temple is a line of sandals, showcasing the Asian custom of removing shoes before entering places of worship. Chainsaws can be heard near the forest part of the queue, to match this attraction's co-theme of illegal logging. Guests start to approach the loading pagoda, and they pass through a boathouse with a television screen. On it, the proprietor of the "Kali Rapids Expeditions" explains riders' mission to show the natural beauty of the area. The proprietor also warns of illegal loggers and their dire impact that they have.

Ride[]

Guests walk into the loading pagoda, decorated with Tibetan prayer flags and colors. Riders are loaded into rafts from a rotating platform. The rafts have Asian themed names like "Banyan Bay", "Kali Bumper Car", "Manaslu Slammer" and "Sherpa Surfer". As riders leave the dock in their raft, they start their river expedition on the Chakranadi River. Guests ascend up a 90-foot lift hill through jasmine and ginger scented mist. Once at the top, the raft starts to float through a path of gushing geysers, past a waterfall, and through a dense tropical rainforest where bird and animal calls can be heard. The water becomes rougher, and riders hear noises of chainsaw and smell of smoke, to match the attraction's co-theme of illegal logging. Riders move further down the Chakranadi into a giant pile of tree trunks, and riders pass through a flaming bridge of wood and then riders are soaked once ridden down the 30-foot. The raft passes waterfalls before bumping along the whitewater. The raft passes through a cave, riders are dampened by dripping water, and water carrier statues attempt to spray jets at rafters. Finally, the raft passes beneath a wooden bridge and statues of elephants which also shoot water (controlled by park guests). At this point, the raft returns to the loading pagoda.

Trivia[]

  • The ride gets its name after the Hindu god Kali, which is the Hindu god of time and reincarnation. Kali is the ferocious incarnation of the Divine Mother and is believed to have created the fear of death in the ignorant while removing that fear in those who seek knowledge.
  • In the loading pagoda, guests will humorous depicting the journey down the Chakranadi. In one painting, entitled Khatmandoozy, a rider suspiciously has a Nike Swoosh emblem on his jacket.

Photo Gallery[]

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