Congo River Rapids

Congo River Rapids

Congo River Rapids
Alton Towers
AreaKatanga Canyon
Coordinates52°59′21″N 1°53′12″W / 52.9893°N 1.88678°W / 52.9893; -1.88678Coordinates: 52°59′21″N 1°53′12″W / 52.9893°N 1.88678°W / 52.9893; -1.88678
StatusOperating
Opening date1986
General statistics
Type River rapids ride
Manufacturer Intamin
Length 725 m (2,379 ft)
Capacity 2,000 riders per hour
Duration 6 mins
Restraint style Ring in centre of raft

Congo River Rapids is a river rapids ride made by Intamin. It is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The rapids course come close to the Runaway Mine Train as it passes through the tunnel, and features twin waterfalls that the rafts pass between. It shares its name with a ride at Busch Gardens: Africa in Tampa Bay, Florida, US, but has different layout.

History

Lift hill

Congo River Rapids first opened in 1986 as Grand Canyon Rapids and was part of the Aqua Land area of the park. The entrance to the queueline was originally where the path to Katanga Canyon starts in Mutiny Bay today, meaning that the ride was hidden from view. This was changed when Katanga Canyon was built in the centre of the rapids circuit, as part of John Wardley's plan to open up the area. Katanga Canyon opened in 1992 along with the new Runaway Mine Train.

The Grand Canyon Rapids were rethemed to adopt the African safari theme of the new area, including the change of name to Congo River Rapids. The original rafts held six riders, but were changed years later for eight seat rafts, to increase passenger throughput.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this ride comes from the real Congo River Rapids. They lie on the outskirts of Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo, where the Djoué River meets the Congo.

In media

Gallery

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Congo River Rapids.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 08, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.