Cheetah Hunt combines The Wild Thrills of Animals and Roller Coasters

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is not too far down the road from Walt Disney World, and yet it’s a totally different world when it comes to theme parks. Busch Gardens combines all the best elements of your favorite roller coaster heavy amusement park and a really great zoo. So it should be no surprise that the park’s latest attraction combines the speed and thrill of both the fastest animal on earth, the Cheetah, and an amazing new ground hugging speed coaster – Cheetah Hunt.

“Cheetah Hunt will be an iconic coaster for Busch Gardens. It’s the longest coaster yet, and families are sure to enjoy its repeatability,” said Jim Dean, Busch Gardens President. “With amazing views to both watch it and ride it, three launch points and a one-of-a-kind animal habitat, Cheetah Hunt and Cheetah Run solidify Busch Gardens’ portfolio of family experiences.”

Busch Gardens President Jim Dean straps in for some fun

With a ride time of more than 90 seconds from first launch to final brake, Cheetah Hunt’s 4,429 feet of steel track holds the record as Busch Gardens’ longest coaster, and its 13-acre footprint makes it the most expansive thrill-ride in the park’s history.

A test seat is available before you get in the queue.

As Florida’s first triple-launch coaster, Cheetah Hunt creates yet another world-class family attraction by using state-of-the-art technology to deliver three adrenaline-fueled surges of speed inspired by the world’s fastest land animal.

Cheetah Hunt was designed with Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) technology, using the force of repelling magnets to accelerate riders to speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Inspired by the sprint of the cheetah across the grasslands after its prey, Cheetah Hunt surges with heart-pounding bursts of speed at multiple launch points to surprise and excite guests. These surges propel riders up the iconic 102-foot Windcatcher Tower, down into four subterranean trenches, over Busch Gardens’ historic Skyride, around a rocky canyon rushing with whitewater currents, and through a heartline roll inversion.

Also part of this new mega-attraction is Cheetah Run, home to 14 of the agile cats who inspired the project. The new habitat is reminiscent of the ruins of an ancient temple, and features more than 11,000 square feet of grassland, natural rock formations, shaded alcoves, a waterfall and a 220-foot path for the cheetahs to do what they do best – run.

Cheetah’s show their prowess in bursts of speed along this ‘Cheetah Run’ sprint track

Several times each day, Busch Gardens’ animal care experts will conduct sprints with the cheetahs, using a motorized lure system to stimulate the cats’ natural instinct to chase. Glass-panel viewing windows allow guests to get closer than ever before to these highly endangered animals.

The Disney Blog interviews Mike Boos, Vice President Animal Care

Reports from Busch Gardens is that the roller coaster is a ton of fun and lives up to the promise of three separate launches. The biggest problem is that Cheetah Hunt has been experiencing a lot of downtime. If you don’t head there 1st thing in the day, you may not get on late at night. Hopefully they’ll get that on track as huge crowds are expected for summer.