Yeah I remember seeing Katonga as a little kid with my family, those were definitely good days for BGT. Way more entertainment, more attention to detail and focus on theming/immersion, and much more diverse rides and attractions, ie not just coasters, coasters and more coasters. Rhino Rally is still the coolest ride BGT has ever built imo. Iceploration was a fantastic show as well, and that period in the early-mid 2010's when the park was trying to up their game on theming with Cheetah Hunt, Pantopia, and Cobra's Curse was very good as well. It's sad to see how things devolved from 2017 onward, but here's hoping we're entering a new chapter for the park post-iron gwazi. A new fireworks show that captures the essence of what made Katonga and Iceploration awesome would be a great start.
There are actually some promising signs this year, with various closed things (rides, shows, train stations, the top floor of Serengeti overlook) reopening and areas of the park getting visual updates. I read the email Screamscape posted and to me the fate of Kumba seems like a question mark still despite the park's semi-denial, though the fact that it's now in the concept art for the new gate makes me skeptical it's going away. Regardless, the possibly dubious source did say the replacement would be something unexpected, which I would think to mean "not a roller coaster," so hypothetically it'd be intriguing to see what that would be.