Wanderlust World Wanderlust World As of early 2022, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's newest headline attraction is Iron Gwazi—a record-shattering hybrid roller coaster that transformed the park's former wooden Gwazi into a steel-track masterpiece. Opened February 11, 2022, it immediately claimed multiple world records and redefined expectations for hybrid coaster design.
Height: 206 feet (63 m) — world's tallest hybrid coaster
Drop: 206 feet at 91 degrees — world's steepest hybrid drop
Speed: 76 mph (122 km/h) — world's fastest hybrid coaster
Length: 4,075 feet (1,242 m)
Inversions: 12 — most on any hybrid coaster
Airtime: 12+ moments of negative-G "floating" sensation
Iron Gwazi utilizes RMC's patented I-Box steel track mounted on the original wooden support structure. This technology preserves the wooden coaster's characteristic lateral vibration and "wild" feel while enabling steel-track capabilities: extreme banking, inversions, precise profiling, and reduced maintenance. The original Gwazi (1999–2015) was a dueling wooden coaster plagued by roughness; Iron Gwazi retains its footprint but completely reimagines the ride experience.
Launch from station into immediate 91-degree drop → massive overbanked turn → "wave turn" → zero-G stall → series of airtime hills, inversions, and directional changes → final brake run. Duration: ~2 minutes. Theming references Florida's crocodiles ("Gwazi" = crocodile in Swahili) with rocky terrain, water elements, and a massive crocodile statue at the drop.
Amusement parks frequently add attractions. For the absolute latest, check Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's official website, social media, or coaster enthusiast sites (RCDB, CoasterForce) which track new installations in real time.