Iron Gwazi Coaster To Open In March At Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

TAMPA, FL — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced Monday that its record-breaking Iron Gwazi roller coaster will open in March.

The crocodile-themed Iron Gwazi will be the tallest hybrid coaster in North America and the fastest and steepest hybrid coaster in the world, according to a news release. It will be a hybrid steel-wooden roller coaster.

The newest coaster at Busch Gardens "will take thrills to new heights, plunging riders from a 206-foot-tall peak into a 91-degree drop and reaching top speeds of 76 miles per hour," the park said in a news release. "The journey will include a dozen airtime moments, including three inversions, as it races along more than 4,075 feet of purple steel track. With a 48” height requirement, Iron Gwazi will be an exciting attraction that thrill-seeking families can take on together."

Iron Gwazi was designed and built by Rocky Mountain Construction. Andrew Schaffer, project manager for the coaster, told Coaster 101 in 2019 that Iron Gwazi contains some of the original wooden structure of the former Gwazi coaster.