Montu (roller coaster)

Montu
Company type	Steel inverted roller coaster
Industry	Amusement ride
Founded	May 16, 1996; 30 years ago in Tampa, Florida, United States
Headquarters	Tampa, United States
Parent	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Montu is an inverted roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. Crafted by the Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, it represents the park's second collaboration with this company, following the earlier success of Kumba, which debuted three years prior. Opening its gates on May 16, 1996, Montu held the distinction of being the tallest and fastest inverted coaster globally at that time, a title later overtaken by Alpengeist at Busch Gardens' sister location in Williamsburg. The attraction rises to a height of 150 feet and achieves top speeds of 60 miles per hour.

History

The idea of an inverted roller coaster featuring inversions was pioneered in the early 1990s by Jim Wintrode, then-general manager of Six Flags Great America. Wintrode teamed up with Bolliger & Mabillard and engineer Robert Mampe to develop Batman: The Ride, which launched in May 1992.

In 1995, Busch Entertainment (currently United Parks & Resorts) initiated plans to introduce Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, collaborating once again with Bolliger & Mabillard. Montu premiered in 1996, followed by the openings of Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio in 1997.

On August 23, 1995, Busch Gardens Tampa revealed plans for a new Egypt-themed zone covering seven acres, with Montu as its main attraction. This coaster was the first inverted model to feature seven inversions and brought innovations such as the Immelmann loop and a boomerang element—previously exclusive to Orient Express at Worlds of Fun. This development marked the largest and most costly expansion in Busch Gardens Tampa’s history. When it officially opened on May 16, 1996, Montu set records as the tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster worldwide.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Montu underwent a repainting process that introduced a darker navy blue track complemented by yellow support structures.

Characteristics

Montu reaches a height of 150 feet with a corresponding drop and attains speeds up to 60 miles per hour. The ride incorporates seven inversions: two vertical loops each standing 104 feet tall, an Immelmann loop, a zero-g roll, a batwing, and a corkscrew. It holds a joint record for the highest number of inversions on an inverted coaster alongside Banshee at Kings Island. Riders experience forces up to 3.8 Gs throughout the approximately three-minute duration. Montu operates with three trains made from steel and fiberglass; each train consists of eight cars with four riders per row, allowing for 32 passengers per train.

The ride debuted concurrently with Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's Egypt area, which was developed with an estimated investment of US$20 million. Montu’s theme draws inspiration from Egyptian mythology, named after Montu—the Egyptian war deity often depicted with a hawk’s head. Originally, a Nile crocodile habitat was situated beneath the coaster’s initial turn but was subsequently moved to the park’s primary animal enclosure.

Queue

Visitors enter through a queue designed to resemble an Egyptian temple, featuring outdoor switchbacks, multiple route options, and an area designated for observing the ride. The line continues into a hallway decorated with Egyptian-themed murals before arriving at the boarding station. Occasionally, an additional switchback section is utilized to facilitate access to front-row seats.

Layout

The experience begins as the floor retracts and the front gate swings open. The train departs from the station, immediately encountering a slight drop and a turnaround before climbing a chain lift hill. Upon reaching the peak, riders plunge down a left-turning drop into a vertical loop, accelerating to speeds of up to . The track then leads through a tunnel into a towering Immelmann loop, which incorporates a footchopper effect near the pylon. Following this, the train enters a zero-g roll that induces a sensation of weightlessness, then proceeds into a batwing element that dips into a trench between the two inversions. After exiting the batwing, the train ascends to the mid-course brake run. Beyond this second brake section, the track veers right, plunging into another trench for a second vertical loop, followed by a three-quarter clockwise curve. It then passes beneath the zero-g roll, turns left above the exit of the initial vertical loop, and dives once more into a trench for a corkscrew inversion before curving right onto the final brake run.

Reception

Montu has garnered widespread praise. Tom Buckingham from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune commended Busch Gardens for its efficient ride layout that reduces waiting periods, observing that riders are "generally on the ride and screaming" in short order. Sabrina Rojas Weiss of the Lakeland Ledger remarked on how the coaster’s intense twists "seriously confused my senses." The Los Angeles Times recognized Montu among its "high rollers" list of standout coasters from 1996. In 2012, Montu appeared on Travel Channel's Insane Coaster Wars in the "Hang 'em High" category; although it was ultimately bested by Aftershock at Silverwood Theme Park, coaster expert Robb Alvey preferred Montu over contenders such as Manta and Alpengeist.

Within Amusement Today’s yearly Golden Ticket Awards, Montu has consistently achieved top rankings among steel roller coasters. It debuted at third place in 1998, climbed to second in 1999, and maintained high positions for several years before gradually slipping to number 39 by 2024.

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