Zufari: Ride into Africa! facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ZUFARI: Ride into Africa! |
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| Ride statistics | |||||||||||||
| Attraction type | Safari Trail | ||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Merlin Entertainments | ||||||||||||
| Theme | African Conservation | ||||||||||||
| Capacity | 1,120 riders per hour | ||||||||||||
| Vehicles | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Rows | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Riders per row | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 8 minutes | ||||||||||||
| Height restriction | 100 cm (3 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||
 Fastrack available |
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 Wheelchair accessible |
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ZUFARI: Ride into Africa! is an exciting jeep safari ride. You can find it at Chessington World of Adventures in London. This park is both a zoo and a theme park. The ride is in a special area called Zufari. This area looks like a real African reserve. It's huge, about 22 acres! Here, you can see amazing animals. Look out for giraffes, white rhinos, ostriches, blesbok, and nile lechwe.
Contents
The Story of Zufari: Ride into Africa!
How the Ride Was Built
In 2009, Chessington started planning for the future. They wanted to make the park feel like a 'Wild Adventure'. This big plan would happen between 2010 and 2015. It included building a safari attraction behind the hotels.
First, a new area called Wild Asia opened in 2010. Two years later, in 2012, the ToyTown area got a new look. Then, plans for Zufari were sent in and approved. Building the African landscape for Zufari began in September 2012.
As part of this project, the Flying Jumbos ride was moved. This helped add more fun attractions to the new themed land.
The Zufari area actually started with the Wanyama Reserve. This African-themed zoo opened in June 2010. In March 2013, Chessington officially opened the full Zufari area. This joined the Wanyama Reserve and Zufari into one big African adventure!
Getting the Word Out: How Zufari Was Promoted
Zufari was the main new attraction at Chessington in 2013. You could see adverts for the ride on TV all season long. While it was being built, a special mini-website was launched. It showed what the ride would be like and which animals would live there.
Before the ride opened, during an "African Adventures" event, one of the safari jeeps was on display. Signs told guests to "embark in 2013". Videos about moving the animals and building the landscape also appeared online.
In summer 2013, Chessington did something funny to get more attention. They pretended to ban animal print clothes on Zufari! This stunt worked well. That summer was one of the busiest for the park since 2008. Don't worry, the ban was not actually enforced!
What Happens on the Ride?
The ride tells a story about an African Conservation team. They are called A.C.R.E, which stands for 'African Conservation Research and Exploration'. This team has found a new area in Africa, and they named it 'ZUFARI'.
Your jeep takes you through the Zufari reserve. You'll see all the amazing animals that live there. A researcher named 'Chase Van-Driver' gives you commentary. He tells you all about what you're seeing.
Towards the end of the ride, near the rhinos, a tree blocks your path! This means your jeep has to take a different route. You'll go through a "dangerous cave" with cool water effects. The vehicle even drives through a waterfall! The jeeps have a roof, but if you sit on the edges, you might get a little wet!
Images for kids
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Scimitar Horned Oryx on Zufari
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Flamingo enclosure landscaping
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Giraffe Enclosure
