MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress Launches Back to Life at Knott’s Berry Farm

Return of a Legend

Four and a half years after the original Montezooma’s Revenge closed, the ride is back as the restored and reimagined MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress. MonteZOOMa quietly soft opened a couple of weeks ago, and this past weekend we attended the official media event ahead of the grand reopening on Sunday.

The park closed the historic ride in 2022, with plans for a major overhaul to restore it in a way that could keep it running reliably going forward. The timeline slipped, mostly due to supply chain issues coming out of Covid plus some construction complications along the way. But despite rumors and worries that it might not happen, the park always intended to see it through.

“This was such a beloved attraction for us for so many years,” Park President Raffi Kaprelyan told us. “For us to make a decision to take it out or keep it was easy. Keep it. And we wanted to make it as good as possible.”

Knott’s worked with KumbaK, a Dutch company specializing in the restoration of classic coasters, to handle the refurbishment. The biggest change was replacing the original flywheel launch (the world’s first when the ride opened in 1978) with a modern Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) launch system. New trains, an updated station and queue, and refurbished track and supports completed the overhaul.

The New MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress Experience

For longtime Montezooma fans, the most immediately obvious difference is the queue, which now includes detailed theming. The station has also been flipped, with the line running along the front of the coaster and trains boarding from the right side of the platform instead of the left (as we discovered when we started walking up the exit ramp for our rides). You also get lightning, sound, and smoke effects on the launch.

Jeff Shadic, Knott’s Berry Farm’s manager of park decor and visual display, described how theming was built essentially from scratch.

“The original ride didn’t have props, just a building and the ride,” Shadic explained. “So all of this was created for MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress…it was a really fun project to work on, especially with the storyline.”

That storyline centers on Armando de Loro, who owns the ruined temple site and has hired riders on as explorers searching for Montezooma’s treasure. You’ll hear his voice over the radio in the queue, and find references to him throughout Fiesta Village, including his office above the Papas Mexicanas restaurant.

The theming in the station tells the story of every expedition that came before yours, from conquistadors to French Revolution soldiers to 1940s and 50s-era explorers, each caught in a different trap. Shadic’s team even has an internal nickname for the first scene in the queue: “I Got a Rock,” a nod to the classic Peanuts Halloween special.

Does It Still Feel Like Montezooma?

As for the ride itself, they nailed it. I was genuinely impressed with how much the LSM launch manages to feel like the original flywheel, despite using completely different technology. The speed and acceleration feel closely match the classic experience, still hitting 55 mph through the 76-foot loop and up the 148-foot front spike before reversing back through the loop and up the 112-foot rear tower. It’s a little smoother, but it captures the essence of the original.

That’s not an accident.

“We wanted to make a like-for-like replacement for the ride,” Kaprelyan said, “so we worked really closely (with KumbaK) so they understood the ride.”

It’s worth noting the spikes themselves are actually original. Knott’s verified they were still structurally sound before the project moved forward, which makes the fact that the new launch recreates the same sensation even more satisfying.

The only clear difference in the ride experience is that the train continues through the station as it brakes, a much smoother deceleration than the jerk of the original. It then pulls back into position, but that pull-back is actually pretty quick and can catch you off guard. It’s one of the more distinctive features of the new system.

Just the Beginning

The park is keeping the current launch sequence for now, but the LSM opens up options they didn’t have before.

“Let’s give it a year or so and then as it becomes a bit more used, we’ll start to play around with it,” Kaprelyan said. “We have so many different options, so we’re excited about that.”

The reopening completes the redo of Fiesta Village that happened back in 2023. MonteZOOMa’s new color scheme and queue theming tie into the park’s plan to divide the land into distinct areas, with the ride sitting in the more remote Jungle section alongside Jaguar.

Overall I was really impressed with how well Knott’s balanced modernizing the ride, keeping it running reliably and efficiently, while still delivering something that feels like the original. I was worried the new launch would feel like a very different ride. It doesn’t.

“This project was about honoring the ride’s legacy while ensuring it continues creating memories for future generations of guests,” Kaprelyan said.

For me it hits all the right notes of nostalgia for a ride I loved, while giving it new life and new little details to discover. I’m excited to see what tweaks they make in the future, as long as it still sometimes feels like the original.

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress is officially open to the public, so head to the Knott’s website for park hours. Plus, their summer events, Ghost Town Alive and Summer Nights, are still running on select days through the end of August. Check out our video on our Ghost Town Alive experience if you haven’t seen it!