Happy Earth Day, y’all! In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to talk about my favorite Walt Disney World theme park: Animal Kingdom.

I know. You’re probably saying, “Really, Jasmine? Animal Kingdom? But you have kids. Aren’t you Magic Kingdom all day, everyday?”

Don’t get me wrong, Magic Kingdom is great, but Animal Kingdom will always have my heart and is one of my favorite places to take the kids! I think it gets a bad rep sometimes, but today, we change all that….

1. The Rides

Animal Kingdom is first and foremost a Disney theme parks, so we HAVE to talk about the rides! As far as kid-rides are concerned, Animal Kingdom does have fewer than the other parks. However, they are great rides, and it just leaves more time for all the other fantastic attractions and adventures available!

The kid-friendly rides include:

  • Na’vi River Journey*
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris* {Note: Pregnant women are advised against riding this attraction}
  • TriceraTop Spin

Those three are the “ride rides” that do not have a height requirement. I put an asterisk on Na’vi River Journey and Kilimanjaro Safaris because both are extremely popular and are “rope drop activities” in my opinion, so I recommend choosing which one is the priority for your group and do that first. We always prioritize Kilimanjaro Safaris because it’s a longer attraction; the kids love the animals, and it’s wait time rarely ebbs and flows during the day {usually only gets longer}. Na’vi River Journey, on the other hand, has more of an ebb and flow during the day, so if you watch the wait times, you can often find this one down to a 30{ish}-minute wait time.

  • Na’vi River Journey
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • TriceraTop Spin

2. The Trails

Honestly, this is my favorite part about Animal Kingdom: the animal trails. The trails make it the most unique Disney park and gives you two awesome kid-friendly activities {theme park + zoo} for the price of one.

The main animal trails include:

  • Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
  • Maharajah Jungle Trek
  • Discovery Island Trails

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. Gorilla Falls can be found next to {or at the exit of} Kilimanjaro Safaris. It’s a great addition to see more animals right after riding Kilmanjaro Safaris, or the perfect alternative for those wanting to skip the bumpy truck ride. Here, the main attraction is the Gorilla Falls area {obviously haha}, but you can also spot Meercats, Zebras, African birds, Invertebrates, and other animals indigenous to Africa.

Maharajah Jungle Trek. This is my favorite trail. I love visiting the bats {specifically the Malayan Flying Fox} and the tigers, especially when there are babies out and about! This area is really beautiful and such a fun place for kids {and adults!} to explore and experience the animals, and if you’re like me, it is also a FANTASTIC spot to snap a few pictures. 😉

Side Note: This area was actually one of the photos stops during our wedding photos at Animal Kingdom {And yes, I chose Animal Kingdom as the park for our wedding photos. I wasn’t kidding that Animal Kingdom is my favorite park. haha}.

Discovery Island Trails. Okay, talk about photo spots…this is the place to go. These trails are dab smack in the center of the park at the Tree of Life. The paths wind in and around the tree, with animals tucked into the nooks and crannies {large one, don’t worry}. The roots of the tree that curve and branch through the area are beautifully carved with animals from the entire Animal Kingdom. Exploring the tree alone is such a fun and rewarding activity with the kids. Beyond the tree, the animals there are so fun! There is an otter grotto, a flamingo flamboyance, vulture committee, fish friends, kangaroo mob, and so much more. Highly recommend visiting this area and just letting the kids run free {Added bonus: this area is usually pretty quiet on the crowd front}.

Side Note: This area is where we took pictures to announce that I was pregnant with W. 🙂

3. The Secrets

Well, these aren’t so much secrets as they are areas/experiences that often get missed or skipped, and it’s such a shame {they deserve more credit}! The three that I want to highlight are Wilderness Explorers, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and Fossil Fun Games {additional cost}.

Wilderness Explorers. This is a must do for us when we go. It is based on the Wilderness Explorers {similar to Boy/Girl Scouts} from the Pixar movie Up. For this experience, you to take the oath of the Wilderness Explorer and then go out and explore that Wilderness! The concept is that you are given a Wilderness Explorer guide book at Headquarters {at the front of the park}, and throughout the park, you can stop at Wilderness Explorer stations {there are signs to signify a location and all are searchable in the mobile app} to learn about animals and the wilderness in general and earn badges {i.e. stickers} to place in your handbook. We always grab one {or bring the ones from previous trips} and earn a couple of badges each trip. The kids enjoy learning and earning those stickers, and again, it’s another option that is a little less crowded, which I appreciate.

Side Note: Our littles are young {3 and 1}, but I will say the CMs do a great job of gauging their audience and will adjust the lesson based on the age of the kids.

Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I kind of get why this one gets skipped; I used to be a skeptic too. It can take a good amount of time to get there and back and seems like little gain. BUT after having kids, it is one of our go-tos. First, there’s a train ride {Bonus ride!}, which both of my kids absolutely love. Next, once you arrive, there’s room to explore, Wilderness Explorer badges to earn, and more animals to see {usually a petting zoo but the petting aspect has been closed during the pandemic}. And then lastly {but far from last}, Conservation Station. Conservation Station is part lab/veterinary facility {have seen a surgery on a turtle there before!} and then part drawing fun! The Animation Experience at Conservation Station is one of my favorite Disney experiences ever. I love learning to draw different Disney characters, and the animators do such a great job that it is rare to leave with an unsatisfactory drawing. I will admit, I have not taken the kids there before. It’s usually a treat for myself, but they do set aside a couple of smaller tables for the younger artists to keep them more engaged.

Fossil Fun Games. Unpopular opinion alert: I love Dinoland. I think it’s so fun, and I just love the old-timey carnival feel and all the dinosaurs. And I love spending time with my kids there. I enjoy bouncing between TriceraTop Spin and the Fossil Fun Games and will be the first to admit that I have spent way too much money on the Fossil Fun Games {#noregrets}. The Games are typical carnival games and for years I never paid them any mind, but with the reopening in 2020 during the pandemic, the prizes were updated to these SUPER CUTE dinosaurs, and now, I’m obsessed {as are my kids}. There are 3 games – one is complete chance {toss a ball – L has won as much as I have on this one haha}, one is a group game {the classic water gun game}, and the last requires skill {basketball}. The first is perfect for littles, and our kids love playing. Bonus: it’s really great practice for working with kids on how to handle not winning a prize. The one downside is that it is an extra cost. It’s $5/ticket, but, especially if you win, I think it’s a fair price.

4. The Shows

Normally, this would be at the top of my list. However, with COVID, some of the shows were suspended until they could reopen safely, and while the remaining shows are great, they aren’t as phenomenal as the closed ones {looking at you Lion King & Nemo}. However, Festival of the Lion King is slated to reopen in May {hooray!}, so I wanted to touch on these since more will be an option soon!

The Shows:

  • Feathered Friends in Flight*
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug*
  • Festival of the Lion King
  • Finding Nemo – The Musical

*currently available

Starting with the two currently available: Feathered Friends in Flight and It’s Tough to be a Bug. Feathered Friends in Flight is an exotic bird show and a great way to see, learn, and experience our bird friends strutting their stuff. It’s Tough to be a Bug takes you into the world of insects, where you adventure with Flik and his friends {and possibly some of his enemies}. {I personally hate It’s Tough to be a Bug, but that is from a traumatizing experience when I was younger}.

Now for the two currently unavailable {and the best shows on property, in my opinion}: Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo – The Musical. Both are pretty self-explanatory on their content {one is about Lion King and the other Finding Nemo}, and they are amazing. Both have outstanding performers, unforgettable musical numbers, amazing theatrical puppets {and special effects, in general}, and are just spectacular overall. They are on the longer side {30 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively}, but we’ve never had an issue with the kids sitting through it. They stay engaged the entire time.

5. The {Loose} Schedule

I wanted to end with sharing what our typical Animal Kingdom day looks like to give an idea of how to easily hit all the highlights with littles. First off, Animal Kingdom has the earliest opening time, which is GREAT for the kids. The park opens at 8AM, but Disney has been letting Guests in up to an hour early so recommend getting there at 7AM. Early time means we can do more before nap time hits, and we peace out. haha. Anyway, here is our loose Animal Kingdom schedule:

  • 7-8: Enter the park and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safari
  • 8-9: Either hit some trails or ride TriceraTop Spin, depending on what the kids are feeling
  • 9-10: Rafiki’s Planet Watch {train time!}
  • 10-11: Wilderness Explorer badges
  • 11: Eat lunch
  • 11:30 – 12:30: Either ride TricerTop Spin again, play a Fossil Fuel Game, or explore some trails
  • 12:30: Head home for nap time 🙂

Side Note: Don’t forget the character appearances! Characters ride around Discovery River in boats so make sure to keep an eye out as you travel the park!

That’s all for today! Thanks for reading and hope you have a spectacular Earth Day!

Until next time…

Stay Magical!

Jasmine

*Disclaimer: All opinions shared are in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company. They are completely my own and shared from a Disney guest perspective.