World’s Tallest and Highest Roller Coasters

We love to go to amusement parks and of course, we love to experience different rides. There are bump cars, Ferris wheels, and other exciting rides but when it comes to thrill, nothing can beat the ride experience in a roller coaster.

Roller coasters can be fun, but some probably can be pretty scary, why? Imagine riding one and experience a drop from a height more than 400 feet. I am pretty sure all of us will scream and some may feel dizzy because of the speed and loops of the course. Hold on to your sit guys and let me guide you on the highest or tallest roller coasters in the world!

10 – Fujiyama

Still in Japan, Fujiyama holds the record for being the world’s tallest roller coaster in 1996, having the height of 259 feet. It is also the fastest roller coaster that time, with a speed of 81 miles per hour but it was surpassed by Tower of Terror in 1997. It was named after Mount Fuji, the term Fujiyama was derived from two Japanese words, one is ‘fuji’ which means king and ‘yama’ means mountain. Approximately, $40 million were spent to construct this chain-lift/launch hypercoaster designed by ‘Morgan’ which can be seen at Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Yamanashi, Japan.

9 – Thunder Dolphin

In Tokyo, Japan, the sixth tallest continuous circuit roller coaster in the world can be found. The 262 feet high roller coaster can be seen at Tokyo Dome City Attractions amusement park. This roller coasters course has a length of 3,500 feet, that’s more than a kilometer (1,100m)! Having a long course like this, Thunder Dolphin’s course was designed to pass through LaQua building and the Big-O which is the world’s first centerless Ferris wheel.

8 – Intimidator 305

This steel roller coaster built by Instamin was named and themed after Dale “the Intimidator” Earnhardt, a NASCAR driver. It has a height of 305 feet (as the name stated) and had a drop of 300 feet, as a matter of fact its overall height is higher than the Eiffel Tower’s observation platform. Intimidator 305 replaced Safari Monorail which was closed in 1993, its construction was completed in January 2010 and its first test run was on March 14, 2010. According to the riders who experienced the thrill riding it, the experience is like a combination of two well-known roller coasters, the Millennium Force and the Maverick which were both located at Cedar Point.

7 – Leviathan

This steel roller coaster can be found at Medieval Flaire area at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. The $28-million worth roller coaster was officially opened to the public on May 6, 2012. It is a steel-hypercoaster manufactured by Bollinger & Mabiliard and it is launched by a chain lift. On January 19, 2012, the first rider auction was held by Canada’s Wonderland. Bidders all over the globe compete to be included on the first ninety-six public riders on Leviathan. This event made them collect CA$40,000 and it was donated to the Hospital for Sick Children.

6 – Millennium Force

Another creation completed by Intamin and this time it is placed at Cedar Point amusement park, actually it is the fourteenth roller coaster built in that park. On its completion, it gained the record for being the tallest and fastest complete-circuit roller coaster but it was surpassed by Steel Dragon 2000 in August 2000. Being a complete circuit roller coaster it became as

• First ever to top (300 feet/91 m)
• Tallest, reaching (310 feet/94 m)
• Longest drop (300 feet/91 m)
• Fastest (93 miles per hour or 150 km/h)
• Steepest non-inversion banked turn on a roller coaster (122°) (Half Corkscrew)
• First roller coaster to utilize a cable lift system

5 – Steel Dragon 2000

This roller coaster was built by Morgan Manufacturing and opened by Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in year 2000. It gained the record for being the tallest complete-circuit coaster at that time but it lost its record when Top Thrill Dragster was opened in 2003. Steel Dragon 2000 has a peak height of 318 feet, a total length of 8,133 feet, a drop of 306 feet and an acceleration of 95 miles per hour. This ride is the tallest coaster which is designed with the traditional chain lift but building it costs a lot, $50 million was spent to complete it.

4 – Tower of Terror II

Steel – Launched – Shuttle
Intamin
Reverse Freefall Coaster
Linear synchronous motor
115 m (377 ft)
99.9 m (328 ft)
376.4 m (1,235 ft)
160.9 km/h (100.0 mph)
0
28 seconds
90°
0 to 160.9 km/h (0 to 100 mph) in 7 seconds
4.5
120 cm (3 ft 11 in)
200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Single vehicle seating 14 passengers in one row of 2 and three rows of 4.
206 metres (676 ft)

Tower of Terror II can be seen at Gold Coast, Queensland Australia in and amusement park called Dreamworld. When it was opened in January 1997, it was officially the first roller coaster in the world that reaches 100 miles per hour. Also in that time it gained the record for being the tallest and fastest roller coaster. Fourteen riders can get in the ‘Escape Pod’ and they will be launched at the top of the track which is built 90 degrees vertically. As the escape pod launches, the riders will feel weightless for about 6.5 seconds (3.25 seconds going up and another 3.25 seconds falling back down). By the way don’t forget to check your reactions before you exit, you can purchase photos and souvenirs at the Tower of Terror merchandise shop.

3 – Superman: Escape from Krypton

Steel – Launched – Shuttle
Intamin
Reverse Freefall Coaster
Linear synchronous motor
415 ft (126.5 m)
328 ft (100.0 m)
1,235 ft (376.4 m)
100 mph (160.9 km/h)
0
28 seconds
90°
0 to 100 mph in 7 seconds
4.5
1,050 riders per hour
48 in (122 cm)

It is originally known as ‘Superman: The Escape and it is another roller coaster built by Intamin. Superman coaster has the same technology used to Tower of Terror II, they both utilize Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) which makes them reach top speed. In 1996, people thought that it will be opened that year but it was delayed due to some issues on the launch system. But in 1997 it was officially opened to the public but in 2010 it was closed because it was planned to be transformed into ‘Superman: Escape from Kryptonite’ which was completed in March 19, 2011. The ride was faced backwards and it was decorated with the colors. By the way it reaches the height of 415 feet and has a length of 1, 235 feet, has an acceleration of 100 miles per hour in 7 seconds and a drop of 328 feet.

2 – Top Thrill Dragster

Another steel –launched roller coaster grabs another spot on this list. Manufactured by Intamin, the Top thrill Dragster was completed in 2003 and during that time, it was the first full circuit roller coaster that exceeds the height of 400 feet or 120 meters. The total cost for its construction was approximately $ 25 million. It has an acceleration of 120 miles per hour (in just 4 seconds) and has a total length of 2, 800 feet. For making the construction possible, they used a 480 feet crane; only four of these cranes were available in the United States. After completion, it gained four records that time, namely: World’s tallest complete circuit roller coaster, World’s tallest roller coaster, World’s tallest roller coaster drop, and World’s fastest roller coaster

1 – Kingda Ka

It was announced in September 29, 2004 that a park wants to build the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. Kingda Ka’s construction completed on January 13, 2005 and opened to the public on May 21, 2005. This roller coaster reaches a height of 456 feet or 139 meters, and accelerates 128 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. The breath-taking experience will last up to 28 seconds including the vertical angle it can reach during the ride. It snatched two records from Top Thrill Dragster but it lost its record for being the fastest roller coaster to Formula Rossa when it was opened in November 2010 at Ferrari World. This steel accelerator roller coaster hold s the title for being the world’s tallest roller coaster and the world’s second in terms of being the fastest.