Animal Kingdom joined the Disney Theme park family on April 22nd 1998. Whilst the aim of any theme park should be to entertain the visitor, Animal Kingdom also has a strong ethos of promoting the parks worthwhile conservation activities.
Opinions are divided as to whether Animal Kingdom is really worth the entrance fee or a visit to the park can fill a full day, I’d have to say that I’ve never had a problem filling my time when visiting. It’s fair to say that if you’re looking for white knuckle rides then the Animal Kingdom may not be for you, although Disney have added the likes of the Expedition Everest coaster for thrill seekers. You only need to look around the park to see the effort the Disney Imagineers have put in to create “natural” environments for the animals and an “authentically” aged theme for the park. The park covers a vast 500 acres and is home to 250 species of animal, it is far more than just a zoo.
Animal Kingdom has a fantastic atmosphere from the moment you step into it, you enter via the Oasis, all lush and green this brings you out at Discovery Island, from here you can immediately see the Tree of Life, this is the centre piece and the very heart of the park. The Tree of Life as well as displaying over 300 carvings of animals also houses the 3D film ‘It’s Tough to be a Bug’, from the Tree of Life the other lands that make up Animal Kingdom all stem, Discovery Island, Camp Minnie-Mickey, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia,and Dinoland USA.
Animal Kingdom generally opens 9am until 5pm with some variations during peak season and every afternoon there is the Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade.
Oasis
DiscoveryIsland
The Tree of Life
It’s Tough to be a Bug (Fastpass)
Discovery Island Trails
Camp Minnie-Mickey
Festival of the Lion King
Character Greeting Trails
Africa
Kilimanjaro Safari
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Asia
Expedition Everest
Flights of Wonder
Kali River Rapids Maharajah Jungle Trek
Dinoland U.S.A
Dinosaur
The Boneyard
Dino-Sue
Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama
Finding Nemo
