There’s a lot to like about Lost Island Themepark, including an excellent launch coaster and interactive dark ride. I recently made the five-hour drive from St. Louis, Missouri to Waterloo, Iowa and spent a few days at Lost Island. During that time, I experienced 13 of the park’s 24 attractions. The ones we skipped either were designed for little kids or flat rides with too much spinning. I can only handle so much on that front.
In this article, I’m rating all the rides that I experienced at Lost Island Themepark on a 10-point scale. My basis is how well the attraction does what it’s trying to do, so I’m not attempting to compare a high-tech ride to a basic spinner. I also take into account that we’re at a regional theme park that doesn’t have the same budget or audience as Disney or Universal. We really need to spread the word about this cool park!
Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol
Type of Ride: Sally Corporation Dark Ride
Location: Mura Fire Realm
Highlights: Several animatronics, physical sets
Rating: 9.5/10
Let’s start with the superstar. It’s incredible to have an interactive dark ride this good at a regional park! Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol shines because it goes beyond what you expect from this type of Sally dark ride. It contains a pre-show that explains the premise, an excellent animatronic Shaman in the queue, and no pre-existing IP. The outside structure in the Mura Fire Realm is also so well-themed!
All that wouldn’t matter if the ride wasn’t great. What makes Volkanu stand out are the physical enemies that you encounter when you aren’t facing the screens. You can even gain points by shooting them. Our Shaman friend returns within the ride to warn us, and we pass by large physical sets as we enter the temple. Yes, we’re still shooting at screens, but the added touches make this ride shine. You’ll want to experience Volkanu a bunch of times during your visit.
Matugani
Type of Ride: Intamin Accelerator Coaster
Location: Yuta Earth Realm
Highlights: Punchy launch, slow heartline roll
Rating: 8.5/10
The one big draw at Lost Island for coaster enthusiasts is definitely Matugani. This launch coaster originally opened in Sweden’s Liseberg park as Kanonen. Its stats don’t seem that impressive, but there’s more to this ride than you might expect. The punchy launch takes you from 0 to 47 miles per hour in two seconds, and it gives you great airtime with a 79-foot top hat. I also really loved the slow heartline roll, which is the second of two inversions. Matugani provides a smooth ride and several fun elements within its short ride time. It should be your top priority after Volkanu on a visit.
Yuta Falls
Type of Ride: Interlink Super Flume
Location: Yuta Earth Realm
Highlights: Cool theming, having two drops
Rating: 7.5/10
I love water rides, especially log flumes where the anticipation builds for the big drop. Yuta Falls is a mix of a shoot-the-chute ride with a more typical log flume layout. The queue and big drop are well-themed, and that makes it feel different than the normal flume. After getting in the boats, we quickly experience a smaller drop before reaching the higher lift hill and drop. I actually got wetter on the first dip, but the final moment is a lot of fun. I’d place Yuta Falls in the upper tier of Lost Island rides, especially on a hot day. I’m just relieved it survived the fire in 2022.
Kukui Station
Type of Ride: Spin Zone Bumper Cars
Location: Yuta Earth Realm
Highlights: Cars spin in unison
Rating: 4/10
Ready to enter the Spin Zone? I’m not sure that I was ready when all the cars started spinning in unison. Kukui Station was actually our longest wait at Lost Island, though it was only about 15 minutes. This variation on bumper cars feels more like something you’d experience at a local indoor entertainment center. There’s a nice view of Yuta Falls nearby, but it’s pretty forgettable. A lot of the vehicles were broken during our visit, which also lowered the ride’s capacity.
Eeki Eeki Escape
Type of Ride: Zierer Flying Gondolas
Location: Awa Water Realm
Highlights: Colorful look to the ride vehicles
Rating: 6/10
We’ve reached a spinner in the Dumbo mold, but this one puts you inside magical fish while trying to avoid a one-eyed squid. I’ll admit that I didn’t completely realize this while riding it. I enjoyed the bright orange, blue, and purple colors of the vehicles, which are easy to guide up and down. I don’t want to over sell it, but Eeki Eeki Escape offers a pleasant ride near the back of the park.
Alzanu’s Eye
Type of Ride: SBF Visa Ferris Wheel
Location: Awa Water Realm
Highlights: Awesome views of the entire park
Rating: 7/10
I enjoy rides that give you different views of a park especially when you’re above it. I love Ferris wheels when they have an open view. Alzanu’s Eye checks both of those boxes and allows you to basically see everything in Lost Island 100 feet in the air. We experienced it twice in a row since no one else was riding at the time. For a park with a lot of cool spaces like this one, a Ferris wheel like Alzanu’s Eye is a must.
Awaati Water Battle
Type of Ride: Interlink Splash Battle
Location: Awa Water Realm
Highlights: Battling with fellow guests on a hot day
Rating: 5.5/10
I’ve grown to enjoy the water battles, which are a fun way to interact with my family and other guests. A great example is Tom and Huck’s River Blast at Silver Dollar City. The Awaati Water Battle is less exciting because it doesn’t include fun effects or theming. Instead, you’re just there to battle another boat. Unfortunately, there were no other guests around when we rode it. So we just floated casually and exited without much happening. I didn’t consider that too much in my rating, as Lost Island did not plan for empty boats. Even so, it made for a ho-hum ride because there was nothing to do. One other note is that one of our water guns wasn’t working, and you aren’t allowed to move. So they really can’t have boats with broken parts.
Sea Swell
Type of Ride: SBF Visa Swinging Pirate Ship
Location: Awa Water Realm
Highlights: Fun theming and long ride time
Rating: 6/10
It’s been many years since I rode a swinging pirate ship; the one at Six Flags St. Louis has been closed on our past few visits. So I was excited to board Sea Swell; it also wasn’t as intense as some other flat rides. What surprised me was realizing that my stomach doesn’t enjoy the repetitive motions of this type of attraction. I didn’t penalize Sea Swell at all for that fact. It has good theming and a surprisingly extended ride time if you’re able to handle the motion.
Nopuko Air Coaster
Type of Ride: Vekoma SLC with Extended Helix
Location: Udara Air Realm
Highlights: Extra helix at the end, bright purple colors
Rating: 3/10
There are only three coasters at Lost Island, and one is a kiddie coaster. So I really don’t want to talk poorly about the park’s largest one. I just can’t recommend the Nopuko Air Coaster to anyone but enthusiasts that want the coaster credit. It’s a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC), and that ride type does not have a good reputation. This one does have an extra helix from the standard model, and the bright purple colors bring a great look that fits well in the land. Nopuko is just too rough, however. The main reason is one spot after the first drop as you reach the opening inversion. This element slams your head violently forward, and there’s almost no way to avoid it. Fixing that moment is a necessity to make this coaster rideable.
Dream Spinner
Type of Ride: Zamperla Midi Family Swinger
Location: Udara Air Realm
Highlights: Good mix of a little thrills but not too much
Rating: 6.5/10
I also really enjoy swings especially when they aren’t just the kiddie versions. Dream Spinner also has a cool look that fits well in the attractive Udara Air Realm. It’s mostly good for anyone to ride beyond those with severe motion sickness. Dream Spinner also sits nicely across from the Skyborne drop tower and Nopuko Air Coaster, which add a lot of kinetic energy to this land.
Amara Aviators
Type of Ride: Gerstlauer Sky Fly
Location: Udara Air Realm
Highlights: Unique ride system, ability to control flips
Rating: 8/10
If you’re looking for an early preview of Universal’s Epic Universe park, you should definitely check out Amara Aviators. The Isle of Berk land will include a Gerstlauer Sky Fly called Dragon Racer’s Rally that will be twice the size but similar to this ride. It provides the sensation of flying in such an interesting way and gives you the option to choose more thrills by flipping your seat. I declined to make that attempt and enjoyed a more relaxed ride on Amara Aviators. I love the way you can choose the intensity here, and it’s rare to have this model in North America.
Skyborne
Type of Ride: S&S Turbo Drop
Location: Udara Air Realm
Highlights: Themed queue and whimsical pre-show
Rating: 7.5/10
I love the fact that Lost Island added both a themed queue and a full pre-show to their drop tower. It’s awesome to see those extra touches, which are set within a well-themed structure that fits comfortably inside the land. The whimsical pre-show video has a fun vibe that doesn’t take itself too seriously and enhances the ride. Skyborne is also really smooth and provides amazing views of the entire park from 180 feet above the grounds. Don’t skip this one!
Lokolo
Type of Ride: SBF Visa Wacky Worm
Location: Tamariki Spirit Realm
Highlights: A good starting point for younger riders
Rating: 5/10
I appreciate it when parks have kiddie coasters, which can be a great way to start young enthusiasts out on the right path. They’re usually a step above of the typical flat rides in kids’ lands and can sometimes be fun for adults. Lokolo is similar to many wacky worm coasters, but it felt quite rough even for a ride of this type. I also made the mistake of riding Lokolu right after Nopuko, and that was unwise. So I may be grading this one a bit harsher because of that progression.
What do you think of my ratings for the Lost Island attractions? Leave your thoughts in the comments section!
What’s Next for Lost Island?
During our visit, I spotted this sign in the Mura Fire Realm between Volkanu and Matugani. I wondered what would be there, and rumors involved Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). Last week, Lost Island officially announced Fire Runner, a new single-rail RMC Raptor coaster. It will open there next year and include three inversions, with a top speed of 52 miles per hour. RMC confirmed it would be a clone of Stunt Pilot at Silverwood, but with two more rows.
This is great news for a park that desperately needs to find new ways to draw more guests. Coaster enthusiasts should flock to Lost Island in 2025, especially if they haven’t visited so far. It’s more than I expected from a fairly limited amount of space. A Raptor does work better within a smaller location than a lot of other models. I hope that Fire Runner will bring more guests to Lost Island and help it to grow more in the future.
Watch my vlog trip report from Lost Island ThemePark and on-ride POV of Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol on the Tomorrow Society YouTube channel. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the other videos and subscribe!
Related Articles: Lost Island Themepark
Episode 238 of the Tomorrow Society Podcast: Lost Island Themepark Trip Report
Ranking the Roller Coasters at Silver Dollar City
Rating the Rides I Experienced at Kings Island
Ranking the Roller Coasters at Six Flags St. Louis
Learn more about the Lost Island Themepark at their official website.
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