Opened in 1995, the Indiana Jones Adventure is a fantastic reason to visit Disneyland. The adventure is a combination project between Disney’s imagineers and Lucasfilm Ltd. If you’ve never experienced this ride, it’s a thrilling adventure for Disney guests of all ages. The adventure comes to life as you take an expedition through the fabled Temple of the Forbidden Eye in the depths of India’s dense jungles.
Guests are loaded onto World War II troop transports for an archaeological tour of the temple. The temple was rediscovered by Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. and his team. Mara, the deity the temple is dedicated to, could look into the ‘soul’ of the supplicant and grant those who were ‘pure of heart’ with a magical gift (eternal youth, foresight, wealth). The legend of Mara comes with a warning, however, for those who journey to look into the eyes of Mara, a terrible fate awaits.
Sallah, Dr. Jones old friend (see Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for more details), warns visitors that they should not look into the eyes of Mara. He also asks guests to keep an eye out for Dr. Jones. Indiana went into the temple, but has not come back.
Inside the Temple
The journey takes a thrilling twist when guests gaze into Mara’s eyes. Guests will roll into clouds of smoke, lava pits, steam vents and even a face to face confrontation with Mara. There are all kinds of scary things that may pop out during the voyage down, so be careful with younger children.
What’s fascinating about this ride is there are a number of possibilities and places the ride can go from the Hall of Promise to the Chamber of Destiny to the Gates of Doom. The ride is very different from other Disney attractions as guests never get the exact same ride twice in a row.
Disney guests at Disneyland Tokyo can visit the Temple of the Crystal Skull (not to be confused with the 4th film now in release) where the attraction is set in the Lost River Delta, somewhere in South America.