Safari Skyway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Safari Skyway |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ride cars in 2012
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Ride statistics | |||||||||||
| Attraction type | Monorail | ||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides | ||||||||||
| Music | The Call to Adventure | ||||||||||
| Duration | 8:00 | ||||||||||
| Closure announced | January 2016 | ||||||||||
The Safari Skyway was a fun monorail ride. It opened in 1986 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort. The ride was in the Market Square area, which is now called Adventure Point.
A company called Mack Rides built the monorail. It gave riders a special tour high above the Chessington Zoo. In its first year, you could even see the new theme park being built! The ride ran for almost 30 years. It closed suddenly in late July 2015. In January 2016, the park announced that Safari Skyway would not reopen. This was because it had many problems and was hard to keep running.
History of the Safari Skyway Ride
Safari Skyway first opened in 1986. It was one of the very first rides at Chessington World of Adventures. The entrance to Safari Skyway was at the back of the Market Square area.
The monorail offered a guided tour. It showed riders the zoo, the big lawn, and the mansion area. As the ride got older, it became harder to keep it working well. It often broke down. For example, in 2009, the park lost power. This left the monorail cars stuck in the middle of the ride. People inside had to be rescued using a special lift called a cherry picker.
What You Saw on the Safari Skyway
The Safari Skyway ride lasted about 8 minutes. Riders needed to be under 1.96 meters tall. If you were under 1.1 meters tall, an adult (16 or older) had to ride with you.
The ride passed by many cool parts of Chessington Zoo. You could see Sea Lion Bay, Amazu, and the Trail of the Kings. First, it went past the smaller animals in the Children's Zoo. Then, it went behind the Sea Life Centre and near the Lodge Gate entrance. The ride continued past the gorillas, lions, and sea lions. Finally, it returned to the station after passing over parts of the theme park.
Gallery
-
Station building in 2015
-
Sealion Bay from Safari Skyway in 2006
