We recently enjoyed some incredible experiences at the Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World, and my amazing stories and pictures will help you to imagine yourself enjoying this updated theme park! And by updated, will share about the new evening hours and what additions there are for you to enjoy, and the world of Pandora, an entirely new part to Animal Kingdom! Plus all the other great stuff to do, all day long!
Yes, it’s a theme park, and also part of a vast animal conservation effort that reaches worldwide. There will be more on that to follow!
I had the opportunity to go on the Wild Africa Trek. If you have ever been on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride to see all of the animals, then you might have seen folks in the distance walking the trail that you were riding. That was us! We had a birds eye view of the animals and walked through some adventurous terrain! We then got to enjoy the rest of the trip like you would have on the Safari mobile.
Does it look like I was holding on for dear life? This rickety old bridge is only made to look dangerous, in reality we were holding onto steel cables and the bridge was more than secure and all the broken slats on the walkway are just there for show! You are also harnessed in, so there is 100% safe. I knew that the chances of falling into the hippo pool, or into the crocodile area were zero, so I could strike a pose!
The guides on the Wild Africa Trek are all about safety and guidance. They were incredible and made sure our group was comfortable and knew that no matter how close we were to the wildlife, we were always 100% safe. These experts worked hard during our three hour tour. Click here for booking info!
And Trekkers help give back to the animals, too. Disney makes a contribution on behalf of tour participants and each trekker gets to choose where the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund will direct those funds: to help
rhinos, big cats or elephants: you get to pick at the end of the walk!
Another new park attraction, thanks to the newly added evening hours at Animal Kingdom, is the Kilimanjaro Safar ride continuing into the evening hours. We rode the Safari at dusk and the animal viewing experience was amazing.
We saw many other animals that evening, and one of the giraffes practically joined us in our vehicle she was so close!
We also enjoyed a show, The Festival of the Lion King! This was a once in a lifetime experience as you can see, in the audience was Ernie Sabella, the voice of Pumbaa in The Lion King movie!
There are also two nighttime shows at Animal Kingdom:
The theme park’s iconic Tree of Life undergoes extraordinary “awakenings” throughout the evening as the animal spirits are brought to life by magical fireflies that reveal colorful stories of wonder and enchantment. High-tech projections of nature scenes take on a magical quality as they appear to dramatically emanate from within the Tree of Life.
The technology is similar to the Magic Kingdom show that is projected on the castle. This one is also stunning to watch as the animals dance by in front of you. This is one of my favorite shows.
And, The Rivers of Light
This new nighttime show takes guests on a magnificent journey with a mix of water, fire, nature and light choreographed to an original musical score. Continuing the park’s transformation from a day-into-nighttime experience, the amazing after-dark experience on the banks of Discovery River celebrates the majesty of nature and the connection between animals and humans in the world.
FYI, this has stadium type seating, there should be room for everyone to see this gorgeous show on the water!
Last, but certainly not least, was our visit to Pandora! This land from the Avatar movie just opened this year and it is absolutely stunning. Each time I write about Disney, whether it be their movies or theme parks, I am going to share that the attention to detail that goes into all of their work is phenomenal. I have been on press trips where the depths of research are shared with us and it is amazing. And we benefit. Pandora is visually stunning, and even more impressive in the evening hours when the area is practically lit up by bio luminescence to make you feel like you are on another planet!
Here is a little taste of Pandora at Animal Kingdom:
Visit Now!
Disclosure: Disney invited me on this press trip and paid all of my expenses. No other compensation was received. All opinions are always 100% my own and honest.
I loved animal kingdom when we visited years ago. I’d love to take the evening Kilimanjaro Safar ride .