If you have been to the Walt Disney World Resort a number of times, chances are you enjoy experiencing NEW foods, restaurants, resorts, and/or experiences on your return visits. That’s true for myself & my family!
My husband & I decided to book a few tours during his 40th Birthday trip to Walt Disney World, in May 2019. The most exciting one of the trip was definitely the Wild Africa Trek, inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.
Because we had a tour that started before the park opened, we were one of the first ones in the park & had a special card to show the cast members who were inside the park. I LOVE the empty park pictures that are possible with prior to park opening breakfasts or tours. It seriously felt like we were the only ones here this early!
We were led back to Africa, got suited up with all of our gear, and met the rest of our tour group. The tour was a 3 hour long unique & exhilarating adventure that went behind the scenes around the Kilimanjaro Safari area. Any guest can experience the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction, but only the tours actually go behind the scenes (which is always the best part).
We started with a hike through the woods to the hippo habitat. We watched the animal caretakers feed them & learned about these beautiful creatures. It was amazing to see them up close, and hearing them chew was funny.
We also crossed a couple of rope bridges above the crocodile habitat. I’m not afraid of heights at all, and I consider myself a thrill seeker. However, I was the first one to cross the bridge. It was wobbly, high & above crocodiles…so it made me feel a little nervous. SO SO SO memorable though.
After these up close encounters, we hopped into a private safari vehicle to finish the safari, were given water, cooling towels, and also stopped at a beautiful boma for a snack. The nice thing about our tour was that the jeep could pull over if the guide wanted to tell us more about a certain animal, or if we wanted to grab some pictures. Along our journey, our knowledgeable guide shared insights about the majestic animals we were seeing, as well as the general operation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park and details about the park’s dedication to animal conservation. While one guide would talk to us, the other was taking professional pictures. All of the pictures were included with our tour.
In order to participate in this tour, there are some age, height & weight restrictions, along with other health warnings. During our tour, there was one woman who was feeling faint and had to wait for her family at the end of the tour…just to be safe. We chose the early morning tour time so that the Florida heat wouldn’t be as strong when we got started.
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At the time of writing this, the cost was anywhere between $139.00 – $249.00 per person, plus tax. However, they do offer discounts for annual pass holders & Disney Visa Cardholders…on the afternoon tours.
Would we do it again? We loved it so much, and I honestly probably WOULD do it again with someone who hadn’t. But, I do want to experience ALL of the other extras before repeating…so it might be a while before I get to do the Wild Africa Trek again.
Lisa loves ALL things Disney 