Montu, Steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Florida
Montu is a steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida where riders sit suspended beneath the track with their feet dangling freely. The ride features seven inversions across a total length of roughly 1214 meters (3983 feet) and reaches considerable speeds.
Planning for Montu began in early 1995, and Busch Gardens Tampa announced its new 7-acre Egypt section on August 23, 1995, naming the coaster on October 30. Montu opened on May 16, 1996 as the world's tallest and fastest inverted coaster, a record passed to Alpengeist the next year. It was the first inverted coaster with seven inversions and the first coaster with an Immelmann loop.
The ride takes its name from an ancient Egyptian war deity and carries this theme through the station design and surrounding area. Visitors notice Egyptian motifs in the architecture and overall appearance of the entrance zone.
Riders must be at least 137 centimeters (54 inches) tall and should expect forceful movements throughout the experience. Trains hold up to 32 people, which generally keeps wait times manageable during most visits.
Montu was the first roller coaster anywhere to include an Immelmann loop, the 90-foot (27 m) element that follows the first vertical loop and passes close to a pylon. It also shares the record for most inversions on an inverted coaster, seven, with Banshee at Kings Island.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,257 contributors worldwide.