Kali River Rapids Will Have a LONG Closure in Disney World

We MUST know your thoughts — is January “too cold” for water rides (where you actually get wet) in Disney World or totally fine? For many, it depends on what temperatures they’re used to and whether they’re willing to get soaked!

Animal Kingdom Entrance

If you’re looking for a way to get on the water rides with shorter waits, some of those winter months in Florida can be great, as native Floridians avoid the colder water. But getting on water rides in the winter can also be a challenge.

Disney has revealed that Kali River Rapids, a water attraction in the Asia portion of Animal Kingdom, will be temporarily closed starting January 8th, 2023. The Disney calendar stops showing operating hours for the ride on that date.

©Disney

At this time there is no scheduled reopening date. The ride continues to show “no times available” through the end of the current calendar — which is February 14th, 2023 as of the date of this post.

This is not totally unexpected. Disney often temporarily closes water rides in the winter to do some refurbishments and maintenance during the times when the ride would likely be a little less popular due to the cooler temperatures (then again, it is Florida so the definition of “cooler temperatures” is a little flexible!).

In 2021, the ride closed for refurbishment in late November and reopened in January 2022. In 2020 the refurbishment was scheduled for January through late March. We’ll be on the lookout for updates about when the 2023 refurbishment could end.

This just adds to a long list of ride closures for the new year. Big Thunder Mountain is also closing for refurbishment on January 9th, while fans will have to say “goodbye” to Splash Mountain forever later in January as it is converted into the new attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. In addition to that, the Walt Disney World Railroad is also still closed!

The ride will close on January 9th, 2023

While it may feel like everywhere you look there’s another closure or refurbishment happening, there is still plenty to do in the parks. You can check out our cheat sheet to Animal Kingdom below; it’s a free printable that lists EVERYTHING there is to do, from rides to shows to food and more!