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Flight of the Hippogriff

Location: Islands of Adventure – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Height Restriction: 36”

Age Appropriateness: This is a great beginning coaster for the young adventurers in your group

Seat Description: Eight rows of two seats; single lap bar for the pair


Ride Description: If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to soar through the air on a Hippogriff, but you weren’t sure about facing those claws, Hagrid’s devised the perfect solution for you. Flight of the Hippogriff is a training course to prepare young witches and wizards for encountering their very own feathered beast.

The queue for the ride takes you past Hagrid’s hut on the way to your Care of Magical Creatures class. When you reach the ride, you’ll see that the cars have the shape of a Hippogriff but are clearly crafted of wicker to form a safe substitute for learning the basics.

As you take off, you can practice your bow, showing the Hippogriff respect, and Buckbeak is seen bowing back. From there you’re off on a short roller coaster ride. Though it’s designed as a kiddie coaster, Flight of the Hippogriff does have several steep (but short) drops and sharp turns so you’re whipped around quite a bit. The track itself is very smooth, however, so the worst you have to deal with is the dizzying action.

Though this coaster opened in 2010 in its current incarnation, you may find it shockingly familiar if you’ve visited the park before. In 2000 the same track was used for Flying Unicorn.

Getting Ready: Familiarize yourself with Hagrid and the first appearance of Buckbeak the Hippogriff in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” to fully appreciate the journey.

Worth the Wait: Since this is one of the smaller attractions in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, 30 minutes at most is good.

Ride Restrictions: You should not ride this attraction if you:

  • are expecting
  • have a heart condition or abnormal blood pressure
  • have neck, back, or similar physical conditions
  • are susceptible to motion sickness
  • have a cast
  • have had recent surgery
Guests in wheelchairs must be able to transfer into ride seating.

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