I always enjoy visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom and one of my favourite features of the park is the Africa section and the Kilimanjaro Safari in particular. This year we only visited the park for half a day but our first stop was the safari.
When we arrived at the Safari there was only a 5 minute wait so we didn’t bother with a fast pass and just joined the “normal” line. The line moved quickly through the themed waiting area and we were soon on board our safari jeep.
The ride was wonderful with so many animals to see, there are pictures around the inside of the jeep to help you identify the different species.
We had been advised on a previous trip to try and fit this ride in early as the animals like a snooze later on in the day so you don’t see as many. I’m not sure if this is true as we have done this ride in the afternoon and still seen lots of animals although a lot of the big cats were asleep. On this occasion we were lucky enough to see two cheetahs just strolling through the long grass along the edge of some woodland, they were absolutely beautiful. As we passed the area where the lions were the large male was lying on a rock at the top of a hill and decided to let out an almighty roar, the noise was amazing and we really felt that he was letting us know that this was his territory. It was quite funny though to watch the reaction of his pride of females who all looked totally unperturbed by the racket he was making.
I particularly like the giraffes and was a little disappointed that we only saw three from a distance. The last time we visited five or six walked across the road in front of the jeep we were in, when the driver stopped they walked past the side of the jeep and were so close we could have touched them. I was amazed at how graceful they were considering their size; they just seemed to glide along. They also have huge eyes with the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen.
The disappointment of not seeing many giraffes was made up for in part by seeing lots of elephants. Through the whole of the safari there is a storyline running that you are helping to track down elephant poachers and you pass through mock ups of abandoned camps, I think that this aspect of the ride is totally unnecessary as the animals are what make the ride interesting and enjoyable.
All through the safari you see lots of different types of deer and gazelles and each different species are pointed out to you by your guide.
We also saw lots of hippos in a small lake and it was amazing how long they can stay under water. You can actually watch them swimming at an underwater viewing area in the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail when you have finished the safari and they are much more agile in the water than out of it.
I am sure that we saw far more animals than I have mentioned but I cannot remember them all. Never mind I will just have to go back and take the safari on my next visit to refresh my memory.