Exploring Animal Kingdom

Apr 18, 2020

5 min read

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the newest of the four main parks at Walt Disney World. It opened on April 22, 1998, which just happened to be Earth Day. The entire park is themed around the natural environment and animal conservation. At 580 acres, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is, by far, the biggest of the four parks. A lot of this has to do with the vast savanna located in the park.

For most of it’s existence, the park closed early in the evening. This is due to the park having so many live animal based attractions. The animals have to be taken in early to rest and be cared for. With the addition of Animal Kingdom’s newest land, Pandora, there are enough attractions that can remain open late to justify keeping the park open later. With plans for the park to stay open later, Disney doubled their animal population to prepare for the longer hours. This was to ensure that there were enough animals on display, as many animals need to be taken backstage for long periods of time to be cared for. They also figured out ways to maintain the welfare of the animals by installing soundproof barriers for the animals and making sure the lighting in animal areas would mimic the natural environment as much as possible.

Animal Kingdom is an easy park to get turned around in. There are a lot of paths that go in different directions, and much of the themeing is similar in each land. There are seven lands in Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Oasis, Discovery Island, Pandora – The World of Avatar, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, and Dinoland U.S.A. Below, is an overview map of the park.

The first “land” that you’ll be in, after you pass the entrance to Animal Kingdom, is the Oasis. Rather than being lined with shops, like Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, the first land in this park surrounds you in a more natural environment. With lots of green and dense foliage, it is one of the more relaxing entrances to a theme park. You will also find plenty of animal exhibits in this area.

Keep heading toward The Tree of Life, and you will be in Discovery Island. This is the central hub area of the park that connects all of the lands (with the exception of Rafiki’s Planet Watch). The main attraction here is the Tree of Life. This is the icon of the park. The tree is quite remarkable, with more than 300 animals carved on the trunk, roots, and branches of this tree. Inside the tree, is a 4D show based off of Disney-Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. Make sure to look for those animal carving while you are in line for the attraction.

If you go back a little ways, you can make your way, counterclockwise, throughout the park. The first land to the right of the Oasis (when you are walking into the park) is Dinoland U.S.A. This area is themed around, you guessed it, Dinosaurs! The main attraction here is a thrilling, dark ride that takes you to the end of the Cretaceous period. Near this attraction is “Dino-Sue,” which is a casting of the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil to ever be found. The other part of Dinoland U.S.A. is Dino-Rama. This features two attractions, and the area is themed like a roadside carnival. This even includes carnival games. Dinoland U.S.A. also contains the Theater in the Wild, which puts on a 40 minute, live-action musical based off Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo.

The next land after Dinoland U.S.A. is Asia. Instead of focusing on one country, Asia borrows elements of multiple nations and cultures to form Disney’s made up mythical kingdom of Anandapur. Here, you can ride one of the most thrilling roller coasters in all of Walt Disney World, called Expedition Everest. If it weren’t for The Tree of Life, this would probably be the most recognized icon of the park. Aside from the roller coaster, you will also be able to go whitewater rafting, get up close with tigers, and watch a bird show.

When you follow the pathway out of Asia, it will take you to Africa. Like Asia, Africa combines elements of different countries and cultures to form the fictional east African port village of Harambe. The main attraction here is a 20 minute safari, through a 110 acre savanna, that features more than 30 species of animals. When you finish that, take a walk down Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail to see even more animals. This land also contains one of the most entertaining shows in all of Walt Disney World, The Festival of the Lion King.

The stop for the Wildlife Express Train is located in Africa, and this is the only way to get to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. This is where you can observe some of Animal Kingdom’s animal care facilities in action, which includes a veterinary examination room. Kids will also enjoy the petting zoo, that features domesticated animals. The newest attraction at Rafiki’s Planet Watch is a 25-minute class where a Disney animator will give you step-by-step instruction on how to illustrate a popular Disney character. When you are done exploring this unique area of Animal Kingdom, you will have to hop on the Wildlife Express Train to get back to the main park.

Finally, the newest land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom park is Pandora – The World of Avatar. You may think this to be a strange land to be part of an animal/natural focused park, but it actually fits in quite nicely. When the park was originally conceived, there were plans for a “Beastly Kingdom,” which would have featured mythical creatures. This area was replaced with “Camp Minnie-Mickey, which was supposed to be a temporary placeholder, to cut costs. 16 years later, Camp Minnie-Mickey was closed to make way for the mythical world of Pandora. The result is a beautifully themed land that feels just as natural as the rest of the park. Complete with floating mountains, you will feel as though you stepped right into the movie. When it gets dark, you will notice that the sidewalk and the plants will start to glow, making for a unique environment. This land has two attractions. One is a relaxing boat ride down a river that surrounds you with the bioluminescent environment of Pandora. The other attraction will let you ride on a Banshee, across the landscape of Pandora, on a unique 3D simulator attraction. When this opened, many people thought this to be the best ride in all of Walt Disney World.

Aside from the main attractions, this park has many areas to explore for animal and nature lovers. So, take your time through this park. There is a lot to this park that you will miss if you just run from one ride to the next.

To end, here is a list of major attractions sorted out by land. The starred attractions are all attractions that have been there since the park opened on April 22, 1998.

Oasis