Black Mamba at Phantasialand is one of the most unique Bolliger and Mabillard inverts.
This roller coaster features a solid layout on its own, but what stands out most is the
landscaping and theming.
Black Mamba is part of the immersive Africa section of the park and the coaster winds
its way through a hotel, around rockwork, and through several tunnels.
But does this theming make it a top tier invert?
Find out in this review of Black Mamba.
In the mid-2000s, Phantasialand wanted a signature new thrill coaster.
But there were two obstacles.
One, land.
Phantasialand is among the most landlocked parks in the world.
In order to fit this new attraction, they would need to place it on a former parking
lot that was adjacent to a roadway.
Two, noise.
Phantasialand’s town levies strict noise restrictions on the park.
This is why many of the park’s older attractions are indoors.
But for a highly themed thrill coaster, Phantasialand realized it was economically unviable to build
such a ride indoors with their budget.
So they looked at alternatives.
And they had the perfect case study.
Alton Towers in the United Kingdom may have more land than Phantasialand, but they have
a super strict height restriction.
They cannot build above the treeline.
So when they wanted a B&M invert in the early 1990s, they dug downwards.
Nemesis stands just 43 feet or 13 meters tall, but it features an intense, action-packed
layout.
The coaster hugs the ground and dives into countless trenches.
What originally was a limitation is now arguably the ride’s biggest strength.
These trenches enhance the ride’s sense of speed.
Phantasialand looked to do something similar at their park.
Black Mamba would stand 85 feet or 26 meters tall, but the coaster was cleverly designed
to minimize noise.
The track was filled with sand to minimize the signature B&M roar in a similar noise
mitigation technique to what other parks have done.
Roughly 2/3 of the layout would take place at or under ground level.
And then sound barriers were erected on the outskirts of the attraction.
But in typical Phantasialand fashion, these turn into thematic elements.
The park constructed the luxurious Hotel Matamba around the coaster’s lift hill and vertical
loop and then the junior Immelmann wraps around some rockwork.
The ride opened in 2006 and guests couldn’t believe they were standing on a former parking
lot.
The Deep in Africa section was incredibly immersive with the traditional African village
and lush landscaping.
You feel like you’ve been teleported to a different continent, but in reality, you’re
mere feet from the roadway.
It really is mind-blowing to see how close Black Mamba gets to the road since you have
no idea while you’re inside the park.
That’s how good the theming is!
Based on the positive reception of this ride, Phantasialand later go on to add two more
thrill coasters using similar building techniques to Black Mamba.
Taron and Klugheim opened in 2016 surrounded by elaborate rockwork.
And then F.L.Y. and Rookburgh opened in 2020 surrounded by a beautiful hotel on all-sides.
But back to Black Mamba.
It can be a little tricky to find this coaster’s entrance.
Black Mamba’s striking black track winds its way all through Africa and the station
is hidden underground.
Plus, it’s easy to be distracted by all the land’s theming.
And that theming continues in the ride’s queue line.
You have this narrow pathway that feels sort of like a walkthrough attraction between the
close quarters, natural beauty, and tunnels.
Black Mamba typically has a shorter wait than the park’s two newer thrill coasters.
During peak summer days, Black Mamba typically has a 20-30 minute wait.
This coaster runs two trains, each seating 32 riders.
And the crew dispatches trains at a relatively steady rate to keep the line moving.
If you want the front row, there’s a dedicated queue once you reach the station and you may
have to wait several more trains.
While the front has the unobstructed view of the ride’s theming, my favorite seat
by far is the back.
I recommend trying the front seat at least once for the views, but I found Black Mamba
underwhelming in the force department up front, but it delivered some nice forces in the back.
Black Mamba’s station is super dark and once dispatched, tribal beats intensify.
You slither out of the station and ascend the lift hill.
This lift rises out of the ground and pierces through Hotel Matamba.
The visuals on-ride are stunning.
This tunnel is lined with eerie bones and when you emerge into the daylight, it feels
like you’ve been transported into one of those overthemed Planet Coaster recreations
that couldn’t possibly exist with the hotel and additional theming.
But it’s very real.
Once you reach the top, you navigate a short pre-drop and then twist to the right down
an 89 foot or 27 meter tall drop.
In the back, this drop offers some great whip.
That leads into the first inversion, a 66 foot or 20 meter tall vertical loop.
This loop is pretty forceful in the back, especially since the car is abruptly pulled
through the second half of the element.
I frequently get a little greying on the subsequent pullout.
Black Mamba then rips through a shockingly small zero-G roll.
This element is super floaty regardless of where you’re sitting, but if you’re in
the back you’re whipped downwards into a trench afterwards.
This is followed by my favorite visual on the ride.
You navigate a junior Immelmann that wraps around some beautiful rockwork and over a
waterfall.
The near-misses are world-class, but the element itself isn’t too forceful.
Immelmanns are traditionally my least favorite inversion on B&M inverts and the junior Immelmann
just feels like a less banked version.
After whizzing through a tunnel, Black Mamba surprises riders with the first of two corkscrews.
This one has amazing visuals up front and good whip in the back of the train.
Since you can’t see the element coming, it’s quite disorienting rapidly flipping
360 degrees.
You then navigate an ok turnaround above the first drop, dive back underground, and hurtle
through the second corkscrew.
This one is a little slower and less snappy than the first, but it still offers some decent
whip towards the back.
Most B&M inverts finish with a corkscrew and maybe one additional turn.
However, Black Mamba still has a lot of ride left.
The final corkscrew finishes on the backside of the attraction, so you need to snake your
way back to the station.
You fly around a decently forceful turn that grazes against the rocks before diving below
the pathway.
Black Mamba then navigates a 270 degree upwards helix that offers good sustained Gs throughout
the train.
You then dive through a building and navigate a 360 degree downwards helix.
This one doesn’t have much power up front, but those in the back get some good Gs as
they’re pulled through it.
You then have one more forceful turn that goes underground and then the ride hits the
brakes.
And I hope you aren’t afraid of the dark because this brake run is creepily dark.
It’s pitch black in a windowless room and there’s a doorway blocking the station.
The sensory deprivation after the twisting layout will have your head spinning.
Once the train ahead of you is ready to go, you return to the station, ending the 2519
foot or 768 meter long coaster.
Even after a decade and a half of operation, Black Mamba is glossy smooth.
I could ride it all-day.
The first time I rode Black Mamba, it was during an ERT session and I rode it for an
hour without getting off.
In terms of pacing, Black Mamba is pretty good.
The abundance of theming and constant near-misses augment the coaster’s sense of speed.
And most elements deliver in the back.
The only two that were subpar in the force department back there were the junior Immelmann
and turnaround.
So what would I rate Black Mamba?
I would give this exciting B&M invert an 8.5 out of 10.
The elite theming and interactions are what make this coaster special.
Very few thrill coasters offer a themed package like this.
While Black Mamba may not have the same force of the older inverts up front, my back row
rides were very satisfying from a force perspective.
Most inversions were snappy there and then most turns and helixes piled on the positive
Gs.
Black Mamba is in the upper-half of the B&M inverts and really neat ride that should be
on every coaster enthusiast’s bucket list.
So those are my thoughts on Black Mamba, the African-themed Bolliger and Mabillard invert
at Phantasialand.
What are your thoughts on this coaster?
Do you think it’s one of the best inverted coasters?
I would love to hear your thoughts about this coaster down in the comments.
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