Kali River Rapids Review

Kali River Rapids is one of the most popular attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Wait times can easily max out to 120 minutes on a hot summer day. So dive into this review of the only rapids ride in Walt Disney World! Also, no photos or videos are mine. If you want them taken down, then I will do so.

You may get wet

Queue:
The queue for Kali River Rapids can be categorized into three parts: the rocks/forest, the temple, the shop, and the expedition offices. The forest section includes rocks, small statues, plant life, and small views of the expedition. This area begins where large rocks are positioned for leaning on. If your line starts in this area, than be prepared for waiting. You soon continue into the forest where small statues sit. This section of the line when filled up takes about 40 minutes to get through.

Small statue in the forest area

The next section of the queue is the temple. In the temple there are many unique and real artifacts from many Asian countries. Some are red and gold ribbons representing prayers from passing travelers. Others are masks from ancient plays. But the largest of them all is a statue of a tiger.

Masks from ancient theatre in Asia

More Statues

Large statue of a tiger in the temple

Here is the bike of a local vendor, he has probably gone to the temple to sell his product and pray

There is even more to explore in the temple. They have fountains of snakes which in Hinduism are considered to be the protectors of water. Next to the fountain there is a water fountain. Clearly this water has not been overlooked by the snakes because it is metallic Florida water.

Snakes are the protectors of water in Hinduism

The final room in the temple is a small room with a winding queue. It may seem very boring and empty on the ground, but on the ceiling there are detailed paintings. Note: this section only opens up if it is very crowded

Magnificent paintings on the ceiling

You leave the temple and enter Mr. Panika's shop. Here there are numerous pans/plates, tabletop sculptures, masks, birdcages, and expedition gear for sale. Note: this section only opens up if it is really crowded

Some of the things on sale at Mr. Panika's 

In the end of the queue you finally leave the shop after seeing the offices of Mr. Panika's for a brief moment. You enter the office for the Kali River Expedition. Here they have paintings of some of the many rivers you will travel down. 

Painting of the Sherpa Surfer rapids

They also have tea brewing for the staff, and listen for the sound of chainsaws in the distance. 

Your tea is ready, or is that the sound of deforestation ahead

Overall the queue is very detailed and I would not mind waiting 70 minutes in it again. The queue is just as much an experience as the ride. I have not braised the surface, for there is much more out there and spending time in a 45 minute queue for this is not really bad. This is one of the best queues of all of Walt Disney World! Queue: 9.5/10!

The Rapids:
What matters when scoring a water attraction are how wet you get, the intensity of the rapids, and the length of the attraction. I will give each category out of ten, and then I will give my overall opinion of the ride.

I will start off with a summery of the ride. The ride begins when you board a twelve person raft. You then travel off onto a large conveyer belt that appears to be made of wood. During your ride on the lift, your raft sees many statues of Hindu symbols. They are all old and deteriorating. Once you are at the top of the hill you slowly move down and you hit a large geyser.

The first wet part of the attraction

This geyser does not soak many, if not no people in the raft. You then turn right into the lush and forest. 

The lush forest

The raft begins to spin with some intensity, and rapids are getting choppier. The only problem is no water comes on board, leaving many disappointed. Your raft soon turns around a bend and become aware of the effects of deforestation. 

Deforestation

The muddy banks are covered with dead trees that were once full or life and providing to the ecosystem. Illegal deforestation has taken place and it has ruined that beauty of the forest. Mother Nature has fought back and lit some of the dead wood on fire, and halted a truck full of wood. 

The forest fights back

The theming in this area is very detailed and what amazed me was the scale of this scene. The forest decides to fight back with water. So the largest most loved element begins. This 31 foot drop brings the raft down at high speeds and plenty of air time. 

A huge wave of water summons and it drenches a variable amount of people. In the winter, only a few people get wet. But when it is hot in the summer there are the soaked and the super soaked. This one element singlehandedly makes turns this from a sub-par water ride to an amazing attraction. 

After the drop there are more rapids. They shake up the boat, but no water joins your crew. You then complete you Kali River Expedition. This ride is not that long, so hopefully you get soaked on the drop.

The Verdict (Overall Experience):

Theming: This ride has so much theming in the queue that the ride does not even need it. But the theme on the ride combined with the queue make this one of the most detailed attractions. I think the detail in the queue is far superior than in the attraction. While the ride may not be up to the Disney par or detail it is still good. Queue: 9.5/10, Ride: 4.5/10, Overall: 7/10

Quality of the Rapids/Elements:

Out of all the rapids rides I have been on, the rapids on this ride are some of the worst. They may shake the boat a little bit, but I did not wait in line for the shaking, I waited to get soaked on a hot day. On the other hand, I did love the drop. When I rode it in the winter, I did not get a drop on me because I was on the side opposite of the splash. When I rode it in the summer I was in the same position, but the water shot over the raft and all over me. This one element makes this so popular. If it was not present, than the ride would be disliked. Rapids 3/10, Drop 8/10, Overall Elements 5/10

Length:

The biggest complaint about this ride is it is to short. This one complaint brings down the score a lot. The lift to the top is a little longer than the ride itself. Length: 2/10

My Overall Experience:

I think Kali River Rapids does not live up to my expectations. I think one good element does not make a fantastic ride. Because of this, many say it is overrated. The queue is so beautiful and it makes me feel like there is so much beauty in Asia. The ride is very fun, but it does not consistently get you wet nor last a long time. I definitely recommend getting a Fastpass+ because this is the longest line at Animal Kingdom (but not in winter). Because Animal Kingdom does not have many rides, this is a must do. I would not wait more than an hour again, unless it is over 95 degrees. It is refreshing, but sadly not a great ride. 5.5/10

I hope you enjoyed my review of Kali River Rapids. I have another review of Peter Pan's Flight on my blog. Please continue reading for histories and other fun articles. Please comment what I should write about next. Thank you!