Get your camera ready for one of the most unique rides in Disney World
Avatar Flight of Passage might be the most popular ride in Animal Kingdom, but Kilimanjaro Safaris is by far the most classic. It’s also one of the most unique and original rides in all of Disney World. It’s not everyday, after all, that you can board a Safari truck and snap pics of animals all around you. I can only think of Busch Gardens in Tampa that offers a similar experience, but I’d put Kilimanjaro Safaris above that one.
As the name implies, this is a safari located inside the theme park, where you board a real safari truck, have a real human driver and spot real animals! Yep, everything is real here, no animatronics or anything like that. You can see specimens that range from hippos and rhinos all the way to lions, cheetahs and elephants. In total, there are around 27 different animal specimens in this area, which doesn’t mean you are going to see all of them the first time you come here. Or the second time. Or the third time.
It’s very hard to actually give a score to Kilimanjaro Safaris. You might get lucky and spot every kind of animal during your brief journey, or the animals might just be having a lazy day and decide to sleep the entire week while settling down behind trees. Still, you should definitely try your luck here, since this is one of the most original and unique experiences that Disney World has to offer.
It’s also cool that every time you come here you will have a different experience. Some of the animals are freely walking around you, and it’s hard to know what they are going to do. In fact, one time I came here and a rhino decided to sit down in the middle of the track. The driver had to call a park operator and, after a few minutes, a truck appeared with a guy throwing food to the rhino to make it move away. There was also a time that a family of giraffes appeared next to my truck and got super close for some amazing selfies.
This also means that this ride is incredibly re-rideable. You never know what you are going to find here. Sometimes the lions might be sleeping, and sometimes they might be walking around their special island and watching you from afar. Sometimes a rhino will stare at your vehicle and decide to follow it, and sometimes it will just lay down and sleep.
I will say one thing, though: ride early to increase your chances of encountering different animals and species. Try to visit Kilimanjaro Safaris before 11:30 am. The exotic wildlife tends to be more active during the morning, so come here before they decide to have lunch and head to bed right past noon. Now I’m jealous.
Kilimanjaro Safaris is pretty cool for the whole family. The whole expedition takes about 20 minutes or so, which is the perfect time for a fun and chill adventure in the jungle. Each safari truck is conducted by a park operator who explains a bit about each spotted animal and warns all guests to stay inside the vehicle at all times - yes, don’t even think about jumping out if your phone falls off the truck, by the way. There's a true story about a guy who jumped out to retrieve his phone that fell from the truck, and as a result, he was kicked out of the park.
Let’s hope you are lucky and that you can take pictures of lions, hippos and, of course, the beautiful, giant hippos. You can always come back here later to roll the dice and try your luck once more, since the experience will probably be very different.
Will Kids enjoy it?
Oh, definitely. This is a safari with real animals that our kids have never seen before, after all! Of course that kids will love this. You will also love this. They get super excited spotting all the different specimens and coming face to face with so many creatures that are usually only seen in Africa.
Do keep in mind that ride operators often request that your kids sit in the middle seats of your row, typically between the father and mother. This arrangement makes sense as it keeps them away from the doors.
