10 Can't Miss Things at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Here's a real challenge: Take your favorite park and then try to think of just 10 things people need to see, do, or experience! It's hard, but I think I've got a good list here. Disney's Animal Kingdom is by far my favorite Disney Theme Park. Perhaps I'm a little biased given that I worked there! I could spend days here and I've done every little thing here at one time or another. Here are the things I think you'll regret if you miss:
10. Oasis Exhibits
Before the park had major attractions like Expedition Everest and all of Pandora, the typical guest could enjoy a somewhat leisurely day, not rushing from attraction to attraction. The Oasis was specifically designed to aid the guest in getting into the mindset of wandering and looking around and enjoying nature. This lush part of the park has no straight paths, so you must wander without knowing what's around the corner (hint: animals or really pretty vistas).
To do the park as originally designed, you should plan to meander the Oasis without worry about rushing to some attraction. At park opening, you might even be lucky enough to spot Divine, a resident walking vine that lives there. So get your FastPass+'s in order to allow yourself some time to enjoy this serene entry that is so unlike any other Disney park.
9. Gorilla Falls Trail
This nature trail in the Africa section of the park likely has the most "wow factor" animals, including, of course, gorillas. You will see African animals on this trail, experience a walk-through aviary, and hit several Wilderness Explorers stops if playing the game. Since animals are the meaning of this park, you should definitely experience all three of the major trails (all are on this list).
8. Pandora at night
Is this where everyone in Animal Kingdom goes at night? Well, yes. And it will likely be that way for a while. But there's a good reason for it. It's gorgeous. Pandora is an alien planet full of bioluminescent plants, so the best way to experience them is at night. I recommend taking the walkway from Africa behind Festival of the Lion King into Pandora. As you approach, you will hear the Pandoran wildlife.
The best time to go is during Rivers of Light because more guests will be there and the crowds will lighten enough that you can move around freely in Pandora.
7. Na'Vi River Journey
This is just a nice "dark ride" on a river through the jungles of Pandora. It's incredibly well-themed and takes you through an alien landscape and once you are on the ride, you will never get the song out of your head. In a good way, though!
The real reason I recommend this ride is it is the current home to the most advanced audio-animatronic in the park. The shaman's movements are so fluid you will hardly believe it's not a real Na'Vi shaman.
Ride this during the daylight hours because during the nighttime, you should be outside in Pandora enjoying the scenery that comes to life much like that inside in this ride.
6. Satuli Canteen
This is easily one of the best quick service eateries in all of Walt Disney World, and the food looks exotic while tasting great. You can create a customized bowl (choose your meat, choose your grain, and choose your sauce) or you can order pods (bao). Both are super delicious. The bowls are more filling, but the pods are also delicious. Save room for dessert. The desserts are worthy of a fine table service restaurant and look put together by a pastry chef.
Bonus points if at some point you stop next door at Pongu Pongu and get a blooming nightflower. This place has both alcoholic and non-alcoholic slushies with boba pearls - delicious! We quickly settled into a routine of grabbing our slushies early in the day to take exploring through the rest of the park.
5. Listen to live music and talk to Cast Members
Disney's Animal Kingdom is not just a place of animals, but also a place where you can hear music and talk to Cast Members from places you might consider exotic. The most predictable spot to see live music is in Harambe (Africa) where a stage is set up and a band plays African music and dances, and invites children to join the dance. Adults can grab a drink at Dawa bar or a dole whip at Harambe market and then watch.
I've also encountered flutists playing South American sounding music on the path between Pandora and Africa, and various bands (steel drum, for example) on Discovery Island near Island Mercantile.
You may also find Cast Members with an animal that they wish to tell you about. I've seen Cast Members with snakes, birds, or terrariums with lizards or tarantulas. Sometimes you can touch the animal (I touched a tarantula! It was fuzzy!).
You don't have to make a point to find these things, but if you do, stop a moment and enjoy. One of the best ways to interact with Cast Members for kids is Wilderness Explorers. There is so much a kid can learn by playing even a few badges of this game.
4. Discovery Island Trails
Yes, more nature trails, but this is what this park is about. Here you will see many birds, otters, capybara and more. Make sure you take the trail to the right before the bridge to Africa. This goes right under the roots of the Tree of Life for amazing views of the park's centerpiece.
3. Maharajah Jungle Trek
This is the best themed nature trail in the park. It is absolutely gorgeous. You will see bats, tigers, and many exotic birds in a walk-through aviary. This is best experienced in the morning when the temperatures are a little cooler. One of my best experiences when I was in the College Program was walking through this and seeing the tigers frolicking in the early morning.
2. Kilimanjaro Safaris
The majority of Disney's Animal Kingdom is accessible only by safari vehicle via this attraction. These are free moving jeeps, driven by a knowledgeable cast member who will take you through the huge forest and savanna to view animals in vast, natural looking habitats, stopping when there is something good to see.
Because these are real animals, no two safaris are ever the same. I remember times I've gone on what I call the "bunny safari" where almost all we saw was bunnies. Everywhere. The cast member was even joking about it.
My most recent safari took my breath away when a crash of rhinos (I learned that's what they are called on this attraction) passed right in front of our ride vehicle heading from the forest to the watering hole, and I saw the baby elephant playing in the water.
There are very few experiences like this unless you go to Kenya and take an actual safari, so I strongly recommend not only doing this, but doing it several times on different days at different times of day to experience different active animals. To me, this is what the park is all about.
1. Avatar: Flight of Passage
At the time of writing, this is easily the best ride experience in all of Walt Disney World. Somehow this experience manages to be thrilling and serene all at the same time. This is why the ride draws wait times well in excess of an hour, and very often in excess of two hours.
Do not let the ride restraint system scare you. This ride is basically Soarin' on steroids, so it's not rough on your body, but it might be rough on your sense of balance. If you suffer motion sickness, take a non-drowsy dramamine before riding. I took one the first time, but my second and third times I did not need it. The reason it is marked as intense is because of the level of simulation. You really feel like you are in Pandora on the back of a banshee. The video is crystal clear, scents of exotic plants are piped in, and you can feel the air on your face and your banshee breathing beneath you. Other than that, though, this is just a gorgeous and serene (for the most part) flight. Every first-time rider in my family came off it with tears in their eyes from being in awe.
So. DO NOT MISS THIS. Use a FastPass+ to make sure you don't have to wait too long. In fact, my family joked that we would have used all of our FastPass+'s on this, which is almost true if it were possible. If you can't get a FastPass+, then arrive before park opening, rush to the ride first thing, and prepare to wait some.
I can't believe that's already 10 things! I've left so many of my favorite things off this list (Expedition Everest, Flame Tree Barbeque, Tree of Life Awakenings, Tiffins....) but I believe the ten above are the basics that I would feel bad if I missed.
So... agree? Disagree? Comment below!
