Disney's Animal Kingdom - Africa

Jambo everyone. Welcome to Harambe, Africa is where the three most unique animal experiences occur. The signature attraction of the park is located here, Kilimanjaro Safaris. This adventure takes you through over 100 acres of savanna brought to Central Florida by Disney Imagineers. Along the ride path are a large number of possible animal sightings, ranging from birds to lions and everything in between.

The other major attraction is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (originally called Gorilla Falls). Pangani is home to two troups of gorillas and several hippos, mearcats, antelop, and several species of birds and fish.

The rest of Africa consists of the Mombasa Marketplace, where you can shop, grab a bite, or just watch the busy city street.
Geek's Thoughts & Suggestions

Conventional wisdom seems to be that you must see the Safari first thing in the morning for the best opportunities to spot animals. We have found that the rule should be ride as many times as possible on different days and times of day to see the best assortment of animals. Some mornings its incredible, sometimes its empty, same for other times of the day. Also it seems that later in the day the drivers have more freedom to go slower as the attraction line shrinks. One of the best times we had was the last Safari of the day. It was cool and the animals were mostly out. Add to this the nearly empty ride vechile and the CM not sticking strictly to the script and it was an awesome adventure. Also note the Safari closes before the park closes.

To visit a photo gallery of the Safari that I have assembled click here. In this gallery you can see many of the animals you may encounter on your safari expedition.

One note about the Wildlife Express, the train ride is not bad, but there is a substancial walk on the other side to get to Conservation Station.

Gorilla Falls is home of the low-land gorillas and we would highly recommend spending some time just looking around. At first glance nothing may be happening or the gorillas may be out of site, but more often or not if you take a breath and spend a few minutes you can see them and sometimes they are really active.
Attractions & Entertainment (Parades, Shows & Fireworks)
Current Attractions:
  • Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail (Opened: Apr 22, 1998)
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris (Opened: Apr 22, 1998)
    Lightning Lane Multi Pass (Tier 2)
  • Wildlife Express Train (Opened: Apr 22, 1998)
Current Entertainment:
  • Festival of the Lion King in Harambe Theater (Opened: Jun 01, 2014)
Dining Options
  • Tusker House Restaurant
  • Dawa Bar
  • Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery
  • Harambe Fruit Market
  • Harambe Marketplace
  • Tamu Tamu Refreshments
  • Zuri's Sweets Shop
Quick Facts
  • African Safari covers over 100 acres
  • Some 1500 2-to-3-foot long , fancifull hand painted wooden folk art animal carvings were crafted on the island of Bali by native craftsmen , and can be seen adorning the architecture of Safari Village.
  • The largest tree replanted in the park is located in Harambe and tiped the scales at 90 tons.
  • For the rutted road of the Kilimanjaro Safaris , concrete was matched with the surrounding soil . Then tires where rolled through it and stones , dirt and twigs were tossed into it to create an appropriately bumpy experience duplicating a remote African road.
  • Gorilla Falls was known as Pangani Forest Exploration Trails from 1998-2016
  • The Elephant Herd on the Kilmanjaro Safaris has grown in recent years with some new babies being born:
    • May 22, 2003 - Tufani (male)
    • July 6, 2004 - Kianga (female)
    • December 19, 2005 - Nadirah (female)
    • 2008 - Tsavo (male)
    • 2010 - Luna (female)
    • August 2011 - No name yet (male)
Related Disney News Releases
For more visit our Press Release catalog for a larger listing of releases.

 
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