Kali River Rapids
A Winding History and an Important Message
BY JAMIE CATTANACH
When you think of wet and wild rides at Walt Disney World , you may first imagine yourself at Magic Kingdom , joyfully screaming your way down Splash Mountain ’ s flume . But tucked into the dense forest in the Asian area of Animal Kingdom is an often-underrated adventure that ’ s perhaps even wetter and definitinely wilder : Kali River Rapids .
Along with the undeniable thrill of this exciting-yet-gentle water attraction , whose minimum rider height is a mere 38 inches ( about the height of an average four-year-old ), Kali River Rapids offers park guests a unique combination of entertainment and education . The ride carries an important message about ecological conservation delivered in an unforgettable way — one you ’ ll want to come back and experience again and again .
Oh , and did we mention how much fascinating Imagineering went into the experience ? Let ’ s dive in . ( But only metaphorically . When you ’ re on the ride , please keep your hands , arms , and other body parts inside the raft at all times !)
A WINDING BACKSTORY
Kali River Rapids originally opened back in March of 1999 , a little less than a year after Animal Kingdom itself was launched — which , yes , was over 20 years ago for those of you keeping track .
But its story starts well before then , when Imagineers were hoping to wind this river ride through animal habitats , kind of like a water-based version of Kilimanjaro Safaris . The designers figured out pretty quickly that there were some significant problems with this approach : For one thing , the constant stream of happily shrieking riders would likely disturb the animals , and given the ride ’ s speed , guests wouldn ’ t be able to get a great look at them anyway .
The ride was known as Tiger River Run at this stage , which would have made sense if you could actually see tigers while aboard . But eventually , the moving-zoo idea was scrapped in favor of setting the ride amid lush foliage , which would add more power to the ecological message it was always meant to impart .
No matter which seat you pick , you ' re bound to get wet . PHOTO BY COURTNEY REYNOLDS