Kali River Rapids

Kali River Rapids is an attraction at the Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, in the "Asia" area. It is themed as a rafting expedition along the Chakranadi River, courtesy of "Kali Rapids Expeditions". In keeping with Animal Kingdom's message of conservation and environmental protection, this attraction deals with illegal logging and habitat destruction.

Ride experience

Queue line

The queue winds through several themed buildings, passing by ancient, decaying statues, shrines, overgrown ruins and lush landscapes. Outside the temple there are many pairs of sandals lined up, reflecting the Asian custom of removing shoes before entering places of worship. In keeping with the theme against illegal logging, chainsaws can be heard in the forest near the queue. While approaching the loading pagoda, one passes through a boathouse and on a television screen the proprietor of “Kali Rapids Expeditions” explains their company's mission: to show visitors the natural beauty of the area. She also warns of illegal loggers, and the dire ecological impact their actions have.

Main ride

Moving into the brightly coloured wooden pagoda, decorated with Tibetan prayer flags, riders are loaded from a rotating platform into 12-person rafts. The rafts have names such as “Banyan Bay”, “Kali Bumper Car” “Manaslu Slammer” and “Sherpa Surfer”.

As the rafts leave the dock, riders begin their adventure on the Chakranadi River, firstly ascending a 90-foot lift hill through jasmine and ginger scented mist. Once at the top, the raft floats through the path of gushing geysers, along the river past a waterfall, through dense tropical jungles where countless animal and bird calls can be heard.

The water becomes choppier, and riders hear the sound of chainsaws and the smell of smoke. Around the bend, the lush vegetation gives way to charred tree stumps, and a fully loaded logging truck which has slid perilously into the river tries in vain to drive itself out.

Moving further into a gargantuan pile of charred tree trunks, the raft passes through a flaming bridge of felled wood and then plummets down a 20-foot slide, soaking everyone in the resulting waves. Careening down the rapids, the raft passes waterfalls cascading down a granite rock face, before spinning and bumping its way along the whitewater.

Passing through a cave, riders are dampened further by dripping water, and by statues of water-carriers which spray water jets. Finally, the raft passes beneath a wooden bridge and past statues of elephants which also shoot water; these jets are controlled by park guests standing on the bridge. At this point the raft returns to the loading pagoda and riders disembark.

Facts

• Before the ride opened in 1999, the ride was originally going to be named Tiger Rapids Run.
• This was Disney's first attempt at a river rapids type ride, it has since been joined by Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure Park.

Incidents

The ride was briefly closed on May 29, 2007 after five visitors and one employee received minor injuries as a result of a loading platform malfunction.^[1]

References

External links

• Official Walt Disney World Kali River Rapids page