Finally! One Disney World ride has been closed for MONTHS, and we can’t wait for it to reopen.
Animal Kingdom
Disney frequently uses the winter months to work on refurbishments for outdoor water rides since those attractions tend to be less busy while the weather isn’t so hot. One ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been closed for over two months, but it’s finally reopening TOMORROW!
Kali River Rapids in Disney’s Animal Kingdom closed on January 8th, 2024, for a long refurbishment. When the ride initially closed, there was no reopening date announced. However, we started to see clues about its reopening a few weeks ago!
Disney’s website now shows that Kali River Rapids will reopen TOMORROW, March 15th, 2024.
Kali River Rapids
The ride lists opening times from 9AM to 8PM on March 15th and 16th, 9AM to 7PM on March 17th through the 23rd, and 9AM to 6PM on March 24th through the 31st. Throughout April, the ride will continue to be open from 9AM to 6PM.
Kali River Rapids
Make sure to take note of those opening times, because they’re not the same as the opening times for Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom usually opens at 8AM (an hour earlier than Kali River Rapids), and the park is currently listing closing times past when Kali River Rapids closes on some days (usually 7PM or 8PM, even when Kali River Rapids closes at 6PM). So you can’t count on the ride being open the entire time that Animal Kingdom is open.
Kali River Rapids
Part of the reason why Kali River Rapids opens late and closes early might be because you can get SOAKED on this boat ride, and people don’t usually want to be walking around in the early morning or late evening weather soaking wet (it’s just too cold!).
Keep that in mind no matter what time of day it is — when you see those warning signs letting you know you might get wet, they’re not joking! A good time to ride is mid-afternoon on really hot days, because then it’ll feel good to get splashed with cool water.
Kali River Rapids
Another ride that tends to close early in Animal Kingdom is Kilimanjaro Safaris. This safari ride is a must-visit, so we recommend going there early in the day so you don’t miss out or get stuck with a long wait!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
We’re super excited that Kali River Rapids will reopen soon, but we’re still waiting for one more long-term closure to end. Over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is still closed, and this ride isn’t listing opening times at all yet. Last year, when this roller coaster closed for a long-term refurbishment, it didn’t reopen until May 26th. We’ll be watching for more updates on that closure!
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on all the latest Disney news. And before you go to Disney World, need a new graphic tee for your trip? We’re always dropping new Disney-themed designs! Click here to see ‘em!
Disney recently dropped a hint about the Animal Kingdom Encanto expansion! Check out the details here!
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I love water rides. They give a refreshing break to a hot day. BUT… when is Kali River Rapids going to be a wet ride, not just a sprinkle? Maybe it’s me but I’ve been on that ride many times always hoping to get wet, even put my shoes in a locker, to find out I could have left them on 🙁 Disney needs to look at Bilge Rat Barge in IOA for a fun wet ride! Just my thoughts. Thanks for all the park updates really enjoy them.
In response to kaye, how wet you get on Kali River Rapids partly depends on the weight distribution on your raft. On my last trip, I rode Kali two separate times. Once was all grown adults with taller or larger builds, and we got fairly wet and splashed. The second time, half the raft was children, and we barely got splashed. So I guess your mileage may vary depending on how they load the boats.