In a recent visit to Busch Gardens Tampa, I brought my drone with me and took photos of the theme park from above, providing me with views of the park I have never before seen. Below is a selection of those photos.
Disclaimer: I am an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate-holding drone pilot following FAA‘s Small UAS Rule (Part 107). The drone was not flown over Busch Gardens Tampa property.
Busch Gardens Tampa Aerial Photos
I took my first flight early in the morning as the sun was still rising. Iron Gwazi’s towering steel lift structure greeted me. At the time, I had never ridden it before, so this upped my excitement to a level I did not think was possible.
Ascending above the Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) hybrid coaster better captures the scale of the mammoth coaster. Visible on the ground are many of the original Gwazi wooden coaster’s concrete footers.
Panning to the right, I could see the park’s Egypt area, home to Montu and Cobra’s Curse. On the left, Cheetah Hunt’s iconic “windcatcher tower” element is seen rising above the trees.
Zooming in toward the Stanleyville area of the park, the red and orange tracks of Sheikra (foreground) and Tigris (background), respectively, are a stark contrast against the green, lush tree canopy.
The park’s concert stage and seating for various events can be seen in the green space between Iron Gwazi and Sheikra.
Kumba, Bolliger & Mabillard’s (B&M) first sit-down coaster, features a sprawling coaster partially shrouded by trees.
A slightly different angle better shows the coaster’s vertical loop encircling the lift hill.
This photo reminds me that Falcon’s Fury is still the tallest ride at Busch Gardens Tampa, at a height of 335 feet.
Downtown Tampa is approximately six miles away and can be easily spotted from many of the park’s coasters (as well as my drone).
I returned later in the day to take more photos from the west.
Sheikra’s imposing layout steals the show in this shot.
Cheetah Hunt’s windcatcher rises above Moroccan Palace theater.
This view of Iron Gwazi shows the coaster’s 91-degree, beyond-vertical first drop.
Iron Gwazi isn’t the easiest to photograph from within the park, so I was excited to see the coaster from these angles.
Tigris may not be the largest or most exciting coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, but its wacky layout is definitely a sight to behold.
A Sheikra train prepares for the coaster’s second nearly-vertical drop.
A Kumba train rises to the peak of the coaster’s 143-foot-tall lift hill.
I thoroughly enjoyed spending two days at Busch Gardens Tampa, and seeing the park from above made this trip even more memorable.
What park would you like to see from my drone? Let me know in the comments section below.
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