World’s Top 10 Roller Coasters: This is as Wild As it Gets!

It has been 200 years since the world got its first roller coaster that opened in Parc Beaujon, Paris, on July 8, 1817. Ever since, the human penchant for thrill-seeking has constantly pushed creators to present innovative ‘joy rides’ in bigger, faster, taller and scarier avatars. And sure enough, the roller coasters as we know them today have come a long way from yesteryears’ rickety wooden rides. If you enjoy a good stomach-churning rush of adrenaline, here are 10 of the world’s scariest, hair-raising roller coasters to add to your bucket list:

1. Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ

Kingda Ka is the world’s tallest roller coaster, plummeting down a whopping 456 feet at a breathtaking 128 miles per hour. It boasts of an acceleration rate that can put to shame even the speediest cars in the world, going from 0 to 60mph in just two seconds. With an illusion of fragility and element of surprise thrown in the mix, it sure makes for a scary experience that will stay with you for a long time.

2. Formula Rossa, Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi

Set in Ferrari World, an amusement park inspired by race car driving, the Formula Rossa presents the thrill of car racing with vertical twists. Dubbed as the fastest roller coaster in the world, this ride takes you through a 1.3 mile distance in just 90 seconds, scaling a top speed of 149 miles per hour. This blink-and-miss ride makes for a memorable, heady journey.

Read more: Abu Dhabi Quick Travel Guide 

3. Takabisha, Fuji-Q Highland Theme Park, Japan

The word ‘takabisha’, meaning domineering in Japanese, is befitting of this stomach-churning ride that boasts of the world’s steepest drop. The roller-coasters takes riders to a height of 141 feet, and plummets them down a steep vertical drop at an angle of 121 degree going at 62.1 mph. It is going to be scariest, longest 1.52 seconds of your life!

4. Gravity Max, Lihpao Land Discovery World, Taiwan

The Gravity Max roller coaster at this popular Taiwanese park slowly takes you up a 114-feet high lift and stays perched there for a few seconds, giving you a chance to take in the panoramic view and feel butterflies unleashing in your stomach before going down a 34-storey vertical drop aligned at an angle of 90 degrees. Oh and, it tilts on the way down, earning the distinction of being the world’s only ‘tilting’ roller coaster of its kind.

5. Nitro, Imagica, India

This floorless ride at the Imagica Theme Park on the outskirts of Mumbai is the country’s wildest and biggest roller-coaster with a track running a whopping 2,800 feet. It perches to a maximum height of 132-feet before taking a hair-raising free fall. There are enough spins, twists and turns along the way to leave you with a heady feeling and a thudding heart at the end of the 150-second-long trip.

Adlabs Imagica is also home to the thrilling ride ‘Deep Space’, known as India’s first dark roller coaster ride! The rides launches you into space, where you zip through visuals of galaxies, planets and meteors. Built inside a massive dome, the ride is a high-speed adventure right from the start and is undoubtedly a must-try! 

Read more: 10 Things about Imagica that Will Make You Want to Go There Right Now

6. Full Throttle, Six Flags Magic Mountain, California

Standing at 160-feet, Full Throttle is the world’s tallest vertical loop sporting a modern, stark-white steel look. True to its name, the ride literally goes full throttle right at the onset, launching at a crazy 66 miles per hour and entering the head-spinning loop within the first 5 seconds.

7. Colossos Coaster, Heide Park, Germany

The Colossos coaster in Germany’s Heide Park is the highest wooden roller coaster in the world. Don’t let its wooden structure fool you into mistaking it for a wobbly old ride. Reaching a high of 197 feet, the Colossos Coaster takes you through a line-up of crazy drops. The great view of the German countryside—if you have the grit to keep your eyes open that is—is a definite added bonus.

8. Tower of Terror II, Dreamworld, Queensland, Australia

The Tower of Terror II takes riders to the summit of a gigantic tower offering a bird’s eye view of the entire amusement park. Living up to its ‘Face Gravity, Face First’ tagline, the rollercoaster goes shooting down a tunnel at an insane 100 miles per hour, only to go rocketing back all the way up to the highest point of its gigantic tower. The electro-magnetic cars, or Escape Pods as they are called, add in a sense of weightlessness, making the experience all the more surreal.

9. Millennium Force, Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

One of the two most popular coaster rides at the Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio, Millennium Force boasts of a height of 310 feet. At its apex point, the coaster offers a panoramic view of Lake Erie before taking riders down a scream-inducing lurch. The ride begins with a slow uphill crawl and then plummets down a 300-feet drop at a phenomenal speed of 93 miles per hour.

10. Steel Dragon 2000, Nagashima Spa Land, Mie, Japan

The Steel Dragon 2000 has the distinction of being the costliest roller coaster in the world, built at a cost of $50 million. This speed beast is definitely the star attraction at the Nagashima Spa Land. It scales a maximum height of 318 feet before making the first drop at 95 miles per hour. The curved steel frame silhouetted against the sky lends it the appearance of a modern-day monster.

These speedy rides could well be a whole new way of planning your future travel itineraries. Start closer home with the Nitro and Deep Space at Imagica to put your thrill-loving potential to test. 

Read more: Get Japanese Food Home Delivered in a ‘Cool Box’ Straight from Japan!

Featured Image Courtesy: Adlabs Imagica