In this post we give an overview of Kali River Rapids, a water rapids ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience before closing with an FAQ section. Read on to learn more!
Related Posts
This post is a quick guide to Kali River Rapids, but we have related content that dives deeper into topics. Our Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lane post covers Lightning Lane strategy in deep. The Animal Kingdom Rides and Entertainment Guide gives brief introductions to all the park’s offerings. For putting together your day at the park, we have a One Day Plan for Animal Kingdom.
Kali River Rapids Basics
Kali River Rapids is a water rapids ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Kali River Rapids:
offers rider switch
has a Lightning Lane as part of Genie+
does not have a single rider line
is about 4 minutes long
Disney warns that persons not in good health and expectant mothers should not ride. The ride is an intense roller coaster (more spoilers in the description below).
Where is Kali River Rapids Located?
Kali River Rapids is located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Asia land. Entering the park, it’s basically directly on the other side of the Tree of Life, to the right. You’ll go right past the tree, across the bridge into Asia, and make a quick right then left turn (not heading toward Everest). After passing a restaurant and small shop, you’ll get to the ride (and, near it, Maharajah Jungle Trek).
How to Ride Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids often opens later than the rest of the park, and in that case the easiest way to ride it is to try and get there just after it opens. This won’t always be possible if you’re dealing with other rides, though.
If you have Genie+, Kali River Rapids is a low priority pick. Without Genie+, it’ll usually make sense to stop at Kali River Rapids as you’re navigating the higher priority rides at the back of the park—Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris.
If you don’t visit it early, prepare for long midday waits, particularly on warm days since it’s a water ride.
Because it has a height requirement (38 in), it offers rider switch. If you choose to do a rider switch, the non-riders may want to visit nearby Maharajah Jungle Trek.
Kali River Rapids Ride Experience
This section contains spoilers.
The Kali River Rapids queue is quite good and maybe rivals Expedition Everest’s famed queue as far as detail goes—it’s filled with Indian (I believe) artifacts. Like Everest, the theme here si that you’re going on a tourist excursion, and that detail, along with the presence of loggers in the area, are explained in the queue, too. It’s a shame the ride really isn’t worth much of a wait, so we honestly barely ever spend time in the queue.
Kali River Rapids is, unfortunately, underwhelming. It’s rare that I ride it and don’t see guests being somewhat disappointed that it’s so short. Even at four minutes, the first minute or so is spent on the lift, and there’s only one “big” drop. You can view a video of the ride here.
You should assume you’ll get drenched because there’s a good chance of that. But there’s also a chance that you miss the big splash or two and you escape with only a few drops of water on you.
Besides the obvious river rapids experience, the story of the ride is that the area is being logged illegally. This is why you’ll encounter logging scenes, which at least twice when I’ve ridden has prompted guests to think there’s ongoing construction.
Personally our favorite thing about the ride is that just before the end there’s a bridge where other guests can make elephant statues spray water on you. I personally find the thrill of surprising other guests from the bridge to be more fun than the ride itself.
Kali River Rapids FAQ
Are there lockers available for Kali River Rapids?
There are lockers near the entrance of the ride. They are free for two hours.
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Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
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