Splash Mountain receives all of the attention, but Walt Disney World is home to a second splash ride, one where you’re sure to get wet. Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is more than just a way to cool off on a hot Florida day. It’s also one of the most eco-friendly amusement attractions in the world. Let’s go Behind the Ride to learn why it’s such an important attraction.
The planned experience: A water rapids ride through the Chakranadi River
The problems: noisy boats and easily disrupted habitats
Image: DisneyLike Jungle Cruise before it, Kali River Rapids was once planned as something entirely different. First named Tiger Rapids Run, it would highlight the spectacular Imagineering feat of Animal Kingdom. Boat riders would witness animals frolicking in their natural habitats throughout the attraction.
Park planners wanted to marry the concepts of a working zoo and a theme park with rides on multiple attractions. Kilimanjaro Safaris was one, and the expectation at the time was that Tiger Rapids Run would be the other. Alas, over time, everyone realized what a terrible idea this was.
While driving a jeep through an animal habitat is tricky, it’s a cake walk compared to constructing a boat ride through the same trails. Consider the matter from the ride designer’s perspective. The rafts must follow a path close enough to provide a view of various animals, ones who wouldn’t be spooked by the constant noise and activity.
Image: DisneyEven worse, the rafts must go slow enough that the guests would have time to watch the animals. By going too fast, the vessels would never get to enjoy one of the best parts of the attraction. Disney officials struggled with each parameter, eventually finding an optimal solution for the latter, one we’ll discuss in a bit.
The former seemed like pointless overhead with limited upside, and so Disney ditched the premise. At the same time, they changed the name of the ride from Tiger Rapids Run. Otherwise, everyone worried that guests would expect (and possibly fear) the presence of tigers in a ride that had none.
The experience: A simulation of the Chakranadi River
The trick: Recreating the lush scenery of the area at Animal Kingdom
Image: DisneyIn place of playful animals, Disney chose exotic scenery for their attraction. The setting for Kali River Rapids is the Chakranadi River, a real place in Karnataka, India. Imagineers themed the attraction as a tribute to the Harare province of India with some elements of Nepal included as well.
Starting with the line queue, you’ll feel transported to a faraway land where you’re about to go on a rafting expedition with Kali Rapids Expeditions. The similarities to the later addition, Expedition Everest, are unmistakable.
You’ll see many authentic touches before and during the ride. The concept of the attraction is that you’re a tourist. You’ll see an odd mixture of ancient ruins, shrines, and thematic statues here. But you’ll also walk past advertisements for bike tours, retailers, and expeditions. In fact, one of the signs is for Anandapur Rail Services, the company that will almost lead you to your doom on Expedition Everest!
Image: DisneyAs you walk and ride through Kali River Rapids, keep your eyes open. You’ll walk past a temple that has shoes lining the doors. This bit of subtle storytelling honors the Asian tradition of removing one’s shoes before entering a place of worship. Many touches like this are visible during the entire ride experience. Count how many you notice during your next ride!
The experience: Gentle rapids that a child can ride safely
The trick: Rubber tubing instead of steel pipes
Image: Simon17964, Flickr (license)
While the name of this attraction hints at thrilling, dangerous rapids that could intimidate even the most daring of rafting enthusiasts, the reality is much different.
Disney couldn’t very well construct a white water rapids ride akin to one that you’d find in Colorado, New Mexico, or the Smoky Mountains. They needed something safe enough for children to ride. The height requirement is only 38 inches, the average height for a four-year-old. To protect their youngest clients, attraction strategists needed to reduce the speed of the rapids, even compared to regular theme parks.
Their solution has a wow factor to it. Imagineers threw out the steel pipes and wooden logs used on most rafting rides. The purpose of these devices is to enhance the speed of the water flow, the opposite of what Disney wanted. They countered with their own rapids regulation system.
Image: Daryl_Smith, Flickr (license)
Instead of standard piping, Kali River Rapids has constructed rubber tubing in several key places. Its express purpose is to create white water that’s incapable of building waves. The “rapids” are genteel and child-friendly.
This tubing is no different than the rubber hose you have attached to the spigot at your house. Because of this, you can easily envision just how calm the water flow is. All of the splash elements throughout the ride are totally controlled by its designers rather than randomly caused by the rapids.
This bit of Imagineering seems ridiculous, but it demonstrates just how creative ride designers are at Disney theme parks.
The experience: Getting riders to move fast across slow rapids
The trick: A giant lift hill drop
Given the last section, Disney faced a secondary problem of its own creation. Kali River Rapids is a five-minute boat ride across less than rapid waters. The idea of a fast boat is right there in the title, yet Disney’s intentional design aesthetic prevented it from happening.
Imagineers wanted a boat ride that would simulate rapids without endangering four-year-olds. The calm nature of the aquatic throughways meant that the rafts would need a fast start to trek around the paths. Otherwise, boats would take an extended and irregular amount of time on the rivers.
Park officials need complete control of throughput. It’s a certainty that drives decision making across themed lands and determines overall customer satisfaction. Ergo, Disney had to get the boats on Kali River Rapids going at a fast enough pace that the rubber-tubed rapids would carry them to the finish line in roughly five minutes.
Their solution was a record-setting one for the time. Imagineers constructed the largest lift hill in the world at the time. They employed the lift system to give their floats a gravity-based push.
The protracted build-up that you experience at the start isn’t for mood-setting, although it achieves that goal, too. The ride path needs to deposit your vessel at a spot where it will go downward at a safe but steady speed.
The next time that you ride Kali River Rapids, pay attention to the course. You’ll see how quickly you begin to descend at a modest angle. It’s a fractional descent at the start before you start the more significant, clothes-soaking drops.
The genius of this design is that you’ll never drop more than 30 feet during the ride. However, you’ll start with a 90-foot ascent. It’s just enough incremental movement to propel you forward at the desired velocity during the entire ride experience.
Fun fact: Chakranadi literally translates as “river that flows in a circle,” which is mostly what Kali River Rapids does.
The experience: Signs of deforestation throughout the river voyage
The trick: A park-appropriate environmental message and some Imagineer tricks
Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day, and that’s not a coincidence. Disney uses this theme park to preach a conservation message. Many of their earliest attractions honor this concept. And whether you’ve noticed it or not, Kali River Rapids is one of the most emphatic.
The storyline for the attraction is that Kali River Rapids is a direct response to deforestation in the area. You’ll see a video during your wait in a line that explains everything. Here’s the dialogue:
“Hello, my name is Manisha Gurung. I am the founder and manager of Kali Rapids Expeditions. When you board one of our rafts, you can look forward to an exciting, safe, and very wet trip down a Class IV stretch of beautiful river.
My team and I believe that our river rides are more than just an exciting adventure. We believe they help spread a message to visitors about preserving wild places — like our forest. All around Anandapur, logging companies in search of tropical hardwood have bitten deep into the jungle. When this happens, the traditional life of village and forest is destroyed forever.
I created this river-rafting enterprise to demonstrate there are non-destructive ways to bring revenue to the village. Because the more people like you care, the better chance our jungle has of surviving. Thank you for choosing Kali Rapids Expeditions! We hope your journey will show you a world that is truly worth saving.”
The signs of deforestation are visible throughout the attraction. You’ll almost bump into trees that have been knocked down. Some of them even have red lighting effects, signifying that they’re on fire.
Imagineers are even a bit cheeky about the ride experience. Ms. Gurung, your host, lives in a house on stilts. Even though she’s gravely concerned by the deforestation, she doesn’t notice that the natural logging stops are now gone. So, your entire journey down the rapids happens because developers have knocked down the protective logs that keep you safely inside the boundaries.
Deforestation almost kills you! If that doesn’t make you more environmentally conscious, I’m not sure what will. Disney does a tremendous job of giving riders a firsthand perspective of the dangers of unchecked logging, thereby delivering Animal Kingdom’s overall message in an understated but relatable form.
