Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa Bay, FL

Stephen and I went to Busch Gardens Africa today while we were staying with my sister in Rockledge, FL. Rockledge is about bout 45 mins southeast of Orlando. (We came to visit Ronda and my niece, Madeline, for our anniversary). Stephen decided that we would go to Busch Gardens because of the animals at the amusement park. He said what better combination: Safari animals, roller coasters, and water rides! But, little did we know when we set out for Busch Gardens that Tampa Bay was 2 hours from Ronda's house. But, at this point, we had already purchased the tickets online so we buckled our seat belts and told "Lucy" (the Garmin) to get us to Busch Gardens.

While at Busch Gardens, we took a train ride through a scenic habitat of hippos, hyenas, meerkats, vultures, a Nile crocodile, giraffes and oh such much more. We also walked through the Jungla where we saw Monkeys and Tigers - Oh My! Below are some of the pictures of these animals.

We rode the Montu - one of the tallest and longest inverted roller coasters in the world. It had the thrill of an inverse diving loop and a 60-foot vertical loop while we were enduring speeds of over 60 miles per hour and a G-force of 3.85. Wow what a ride! We also rode the SheiKra and the Kumba. The SheiKa is a one-of-a-kind experience: 200 feet up, 90 degrees straight down, traveling at 70 mph! It has a true 90-degree drop, an Immelmann loop and a second vertical dive into an underground tunnel. Oh, and did I mention that it was floorless? Kumba has an initial 135 foot drop, plunges from 110 feet into a diving loop, spirals 360 degrees, and also has a vertical loop.

We encountered the swift-flowing white water of the Congo River Rapids. And, of course, our side (me and Stephen) spinned through a geyser and face an ominous waterfall. So, as you can see from the pic below, I was not a happy camper and I did not like Stephen at this point! This was the only reason that I did not want to ride this ride.

But, besides being soaked on the Congo ride, we had a great trip. It was fun and a great adventure with Stephen! Tomorrow, we are going to SeaWorld..... I'll keep ya'll posted (hehe) on how that adventure turns out for us!