Animal Kingdom for us does so much more than it says on the tin. Yes, it is the perfect theme park for animal lovers but it also offers a wonderful colourful world with hidden pockets that contain some incredible rides.
Animal Kingdom feels almost modest compared to the other parks at Walt Disney World, when I say this I mean it is so understated, yet so beautifully natural and so much fun.
We set our FastPasses for Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and Kali River Rapids, another priority for us was Kilimanjaro Safaris.
However if you arrive at the park for opening time and make your way straight to the back of the park you are able to board the ride with minimal queuing. This saves you using a FastPass selection, but the key is to get there early.
On the times we have joined the safari in the morning the animals seemed to be more alert and present than in the afternoons, when they all seemed a bit more lethargic, no doubt due to the hot mid-day sun. Apart from the Lions who are asleep every time we visit
From here take the time to wander round the Pangani Forest Trail. We did this for the first time on our recent visit and were blown away by how close we got to the gorillas and chimpanzees and many species of birds. We were able to watch the baby chimps feeding and spent quite some time watching the absolutely stunning gorillas.
If you plan to ride the Kali River Rapids book them early
You have a 50/50 chance of getting soaked which I did but I soon dried out in the hot midday sun.
Visit the Tree of Life and watch its Tough To Be A Bug.
We have seen this show many times but never get bored with it, and the tree is just stunning. It is worth taking your time outside the tree looking at all the breathtaking carvings that surround it.
Ride the Dinosaur Ride
Omg it is amazing. It looks really tame but it is not as tame as it seems and a brilliant ride for the whole family.
For ultimate thrills don’t miss Expedition Everest, not only is it the most gripping of rides.
In fact Jack has labeled it as his favourite ride ever. (He got to ride twice as we did the parent swap. It was a little too big for Joe’s liking) It is also just breathtaking to look at, it almost feels like a real mountain with the little flag strewn shops at its feet. It is so so pretty.
To cool down in the afternoon visit The Boneyard.
The Boneyard is a fantastic play area, which is quite sheltered, great to let the kiddies’ run of some steam whist the adults sit and cool off. There is an area you can dig for dinosaur bones which is really cool. We sat here for quite some time cooling our feet in the cold shingles whilst Joe happily unearthed a Trex skull.
And lastly take in the surroundings, Animal Kingdom is just breathtaking, the vibrancy of the theming is just stunning.
Check out what we loved, and our top tips for Magic Kingdom and Epcot
Save the pin for later.
Bringing back so many memories! Although we have visited Florida many times, we haven’t been to Disney since the children were small (I think they were 3 and 5 the last time we went, they are now 7 and 10). Another thing we did was book breakfast at Tusker House – the food was really good with probably one of the best selections we found on site, and then we were one of the first in the park to get on the rides before the crowds. We also managed to get some great photos without lots of people in them!
I know Clara it is so great there if you drive early isn’t it?
This looks amazing; we’ve never been to Florida but it has always been on our bucket list. We will definitely have to make time to visit Animal Kingdom whilst we are there…it just looks incredible. #mondayescapes
Jess it is a fantastic day out, lots of beautiful wildlife too see and some fantastic rides x
Animal Kingdom looks like a different world altogether! Sounds like we would need to be organised though to make sure we don’t miss anything. We can’t wait to go to Florida when I’m a bit older to really enjoy it x #MondayEscapes x
Thank you, do you know it is great for any age we took out two for the first time when they were 2 x
I think Animal Kingdom was my favourite park at Disney World 😀
It’s sooo much fun indeed!! Though, next time I go I will get the fastpass!
Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes
Yes planning ahead with Fastpass is so great and helps you plan your day more effectively, I love it x
I think my girls are going to just LOVE Animal Kingdom, I can see us visiting a couple of times! #mondayescapes
Oh Karen they will it blows your mind a it is just so beautiful x
Love the picture of the lion just lazing around lol. Did you catch The Lion King Show ? That’s a great show for the late afternoon when you really need to rest your feet. Everytime we have been on the rapids we have all got completely soaked, which is very much needed on a boiling hot day. And oh my god Dinosaur…… never again !!!! x
I know Tracey they are so lazy aren’t they, every time we have been the lion has been asleep in that exact spot, we saw the festival of the Lion King last time we visited, yes I always get soaked too, Jack got away scot free! And Dinosaur what a shock but we all loved it x
It’s literally out of this world. When I was in Florida way back when I don’t think they had the Animal Kingdom. I wish they did – they’ve really created the whole safari atmoshphere so well. Gosh, we would love it here! Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
Ting we have been 3 times now and loved it every time, it is so different to the other parks more reserved but we love it x
Great pics again. I missed so much at AK last time, can’t wait to go back again.
Angela it is one of those places you really need to have your eyes open isn’t it? It has such an amazing feel about it, so different form the other parks yet so Disney too x
Is the pangani trail easily accessible. I really want to see it when we visit wdw but I have limited mobility and am planning on renting a scooter for touring the parks. I am really looking forward to animal kingdom. I think it will be by far are favourite as we are older adults.
Hi Mig I have just checked on the resort map and yes it is accessible, we walked around it and it was beautiful and great to get so close up to the animals. Have a great time x
Thanks for checking into that for me
You are welcome, have an amazing time x