Gwazi - Tiger/Blue

Opening on June 18, 1999, Gwazi was a monumental wooden dueling roller coaster that served as the centerpiece of the Jungala (formerly Timbuktu) area at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for over 15 years. Manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) and designed by Great Coasters International (GCI), it was the largest dueling wooden coaster in the Southeastern United States, featuring two distinct tracks—Lion and Tiger—that “battled” through six high-speed fly-by maneuvers. Standing 105 feet tall and reaching a top speed of 51 mph, the ride was famous for its “curved drop” and a relentless 3,500-foot layout of banked turns and airtime hills. Despite its initial popularity and the addition of smoother GCI “Millennium Flyer” trains in 2011, the ride’s increasingly rough experience led to the closure of the Tiger side in 2012, followed by the permanent closure of the Lion side on February 1, 2015.