Located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
has come to be known as one of the preeminent zoological theme parks in the world.
Much more than just Disney’s take on the traditional zoo, the theme park offers a wide
variety of attractions related to wildlife and the natural world that can provide thrills
for park-goers of all ages.
From exploring the alien world of Pandora to taking a full-blown African safari, join
ViewCation as we take a look at the best things to do at Animal Kingdom.
Get Your Picture Taken Next to the Tree of Life
The Tree of Life sculpture located in the center of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme
Park has become the theme park’s symbol, and for good reason!
The sculpture looks to be a giant tree, but stepping up closer reveals a series of intricate
carvings woven into the roots, revealing that what you’re looking at is, in fact, a sculpture.
The tree doubles as a house for the show It’s Tough to Be a Bug!, which is based on the
Pixar film A Bug’s Life.
At night, an experience by the name of Tree of Life Awakenings occurs where the sculpture
is lit up with a plethora of pretty lights.
Of all the many landmarks within the Animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life offers one of the
park’s best photo opportunities.
Visit Pandora A recent addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Theme Park has been the alien world of Pandora, inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar film.
The area of the park goes all-out in trying to convince park-goers that they’re on a
different planet, with a stunning array of both fake and real plants being utilized to
create the illusion of an alien environment.
There are a great deal of things to do within Pandora, including rides, a gift shop, and
two places to eat.
The park’s main ride is Avatar Flight of Passage, which allows park-goers the simulated
experience of riding one of the fictional creatures from the fantasy film.
For food, you can stop into the Satu’li Canteen or the Pongu Pongu Lounge.
The main draw of Pandora is the atmosphere, as Disney truly has spared no expense in making
the Pandora area of its Animal Kingdom a mesmerizing experience to visit.
Patented Disney Imagineering tricks have been utilized to make it seem as if floating mountains
surround the entire area, and there are also scents sprayed around the area to make it
seem as if you’re smelling something new.
As with the Tree of Life, Pandora truly comes alive at night when the whole area is overtaken
by a series of colorful lights.
Go on the Kilimanjaro Safari The Kilimanjaro Safari is a ride located within
the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and the ride is true to its name!
The ride offers park-goers the chance to experience a full-blown African safari, complete with
all of the wildlife that one would expect.
Guests are loaded into trucks resembling safari Jeeps, and they are taken to various areas
filled with stunning wildlife.
Given the nature of wildlife, the ride can be a unique experience each time you ride!
This is especially true when you ride at night, as Disney has incorporated a variety of nocturnal
animals into the ride that only comes out when the sun goes down.
Go on the Maharaja Jungle Trek The Kilimanjaro Safari is far from being the
only opportunity at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park to see a wide variety of interesting
wildlife from around the world.
The Maharaja Jungle Trek may not be as advanced as the aforementioned attraction, but it includes
a similarly glorious array of wildlife.
The attraction consists of a winding path that allows park-goers the opportunity to
see several different types of exotic animals, including tigers and bats.
Of all the attractions at the Animal Kingdom, the Maharaja Jungle Trek is the closest to
a traditional zoo.
However, it has that added touch of Disney magic that you’d expect!
Experience the Festival of the Lion King As one might expect, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Theme Park is home to a wide variety of different shows.
In addition to the aforementioned, It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
located within the Tree of Life, one of the best shows at the theme park is the Festival
of the Lion King.
The Festival of the Lion King is located within the Africa section of the Animal Kingdom and
is an extravagant show filled with acrobatic performers and giant puppets.
As one might expect, the show follows the plot of the movie The Lion King and incorporates
that film’s hit songs.
The show is a fairly immersive experience, with performers coming onto the stage from
all over the place, including behind the audience.
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Explore DinoLand U.S.A.
One of the areas of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is known as DinoLand U.S.A., and
exploring the area is going to take up a lot of time for most guests visiting the park!
The area is home to a couple of incredible rides, including a thrilling dark ride by
the name of Dinosaur.
The ride takes you back in time as you are sent on an expedition with scientists to go
back and collect a living dinosaur sample from the time just before their extinction.
The ride is an incredible amount of fun, though it can be a little intense!
Another great ride located within DinoLand U.S.A. is the Primeval Whirl.
The Primeval Whirl is a steel rollercoaster, offering some of the purest old-school thrills
at the park!
If you get hungry while you’re walking around DinoLand U.S.A., you can stop into the Restaurantosaurus,
which is an aptly named café that serves American cuisine.
Explore Asia Besides DinoLand U.S.A., another area of Disney’s
Animal Kingdom Theme Park that is home to some of its most thrilling attraction is the
Asia-themed area, appropriately dubbed “Asia”.
In addition to plenty of Asian plants and wildlife to take in, the area offers Expedition
Everest and the Kali River Rapids, two of the most thrilling rides at the park!
Expedition Everest is a steel rollercoaster that purports to take you on a trip up and
down Mount Everest.
However, the trip doesn’t go according to plan, as there’s a Yeti waiting for you
at the top!
The rollercoaster is similar to the classic Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, right down
to the Yeti!
However, Expedition Everest is just a tad bit more intense than its older cousin across
the country.
Once you get to the top of the mountain and find the Yeti, you are sent falling back down
the mountain as the car plummets down the track in reverse.
Once you’ve tackled Mount Everest, you can make your way over to the Kali River Rapids.
That is unless you hate getting soaked from head to toe!
The Kali River Rapids is a raft ride that takes park-goers on a ride through the Kali
rainforest.
Although the waters start out calm, the riders’ raft is soon being sent hurtling through twists
and turns that cause them to get soaked.
If you don’t want to spend the rest of your day at the park drying off, you may want to
avoid this one!
However, those that are prepared to get soaked may have the time of their lives.
There are compartments in the middle of the raft where riders can store their valuables
in to keep them from getting wet, though riders still have their clothes to worry about!
Some people suggest bringing a different pair of clothes to change into after the ride is
over, or even bringing a swimsuit!
Visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station
Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station act as the veterinary headquarters of Disney’s
Animal Kingdom Theme Park, but it also functions as a petting zoo for guests!
The area of the park is only accessible for guests by the Wildlife Express Train in the
Africa area of the theme park.
Besides petting animals, there is a wide variety of family-friendly and informative activities
for guests to engage in at Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station.
Grab a Bite to Eat!
Of course, a visit to any Disney theme park isn’t complete without stopping into some
of the interesting eateries.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park has plenty of fine places to stop in and grab a bite
while you’re patrolling around the park, with some of the most notable eateries being
the Tusker House Restaurant and the Harambe Market, both of which are located in the Africa
area.
The Tusker House restaurant makes good on the promise of its Africa-themed location,
offering an African buffet that consists of salads, pastas, fish, and carved meats!
Meanwhile, those looking for a quicker bite to eat can venture out to the Harambe Market,
which offers street foods.
The cuisine is similarly themed to the Tusker House Restaurant, but with quick-service options
for park-goers that are in a hurry or simply don’t want to sit down inside to eat.
There’s also Jiko - The Cooking Place, serving South African cuisine and located in Disney’s
Animal Kingdom Lodge.
With all of the incredible aforementioned attractions and eateries, it’s no wonder
that Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park has come to be known as one of the preeminent
zoological theme parks the world over.
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme
Park allows park-goers to go on an all-out African safari, and that the Tree of Life
at the center of the park isn’t actually a real tree?
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if you’d like to be among the first to know when more informative ViewCation videos are
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