All the brochures for Busch Gardens seem to feature Sheikra, the floorless roller coaster with 90 degree drops, so we wondered if this was the best place to visit as we don’t do high thrill rides and we were taking my mother! The answer was a resounding yes!
There was plenty to see and do and we planned carefully on arrival to make the most of the 3 – 4 hours that we were there. The programme you pick up on arrival shows the times that the keepers are around particular animal areas to give short talks so we arranged our day around a number of these and were very impressed with the short presentations and the ability of the keepers to answer all kinds of questions.
To get an idea of the whole park the simplest thing is to take the train as you get a great view of the Serengeti Plain and can also see and hear the rides. There are two other options for viewing the animals here; one is to walk around the Edge of Africa where you get great close ups of the lions and the hippopotami, and the other is to take the Rhino Rally. The Rhino Rally really is a treat, a bit bumpy, and there are height restrictions, but nothing to put us wimps off really although there was a warning that it might not be suitable for the elderly – not that this put us off. The driver's script is full of the most dreadful puns e. g. beer is a brain food ---- well it made Budweiser! but you do get close to the animals and there is an unexpected twist when the vehicle gets lost. A word of warning, don’t sit on the far seat on the back row!
Another great way of seeing everything is to take the Skyride, which takes you over the Serengeti Plain, and past Congo.
It is a good idea to plan a visit to the Ka Tonga show. This allows you to sit down for half an hour and see a really high quality performance
There are places to eat in all the areas, but if you want something other than fast food you will need to go to the Crown Colony. There is a waitress service restaurant on the top floor but a nice self-service restaurant on the floor beneath where you can get fresh salads and really good coffee.
The drive there is easy although you do need to look out for the signs in the last couple of miles. Is it worth the drive? Yes certainly, even if you don’t want to go on the big rides and if you have got some adrenaline junkies in your group then they will love it.
There was plenty to see and do and we planned carefully on arrival to make the most of the 3 – 4 hours that we were there. The programme you pick up on arrival shows the times that the keepers are around particular animal areas to give short talks so we arranged our day around a number of these and were very impressed with the short presentations and the ability of the keepers to answer all kinds of questions.
To get an idea of the whole park the simplest thing is to take the train as you get a great view of the Serengeti Plain and can also see and hear the rides. There are two other options for viewing the animals here; one is to walk around the Edge of Africa where you get great close ups of the lions and the hippopotami, and the other is to take the Rhino Rally. The Rhino Rally really is a treat, a bit bumpy, and there are height restrictions, but nothing to put us wimps off really although there was a warning that it might not be suitable for the elderly – not that this put us off. The driver's script is full of the most dreadful puns e. g. beer is a brain food ---- well it made Budweiser! but you do get close to the animals and there is an unexpected twist when the vehicle gets lost. A word of warning, don’t sit on the far seat on the back row!
Another great way of seeing everything is to take the Skyride, which takes you over the Serengeti Plain, and past Congo.
It is a good idea to plan a visit to the Ka Tonga show. This allows you to sit down for half an hour and see a really high quality performance
There are places to eat in all the areas, but if you want something other than fast food you will need to go to the Crown Colony. There is a waitress service restaurant on the top floor but a nice self-service restaurant on the floor beneath where you can get fresh salads and really good coffee.
The drive there is easy although you do need to look out for the signs in the last couple of miles. Is it worth the drive? Yes certainly, even if you don’t want to go on the big rides and if you have got some adrenaline junkies in your group then they will love it.