In celebration of the Disneynature Monkey Kingdom movie releasing in theaters this weekend, a great group of bloggers visited Disney parks for a wild adventure. As a native Floridian, I visit the Disney parks often, but never have I experienced so much fun! I learned about some really awesome VIP experiences that any guest can partake in – one of those is the Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Disney’s Safari Wild Africa Trek
I was invited as media to cover this event. All opinions are mine alone.
Below is my amazing group of bloggers I enjoyed the Safari Trek with (from left to right) Melissa, Carlee, Me, Toni, Mellisa (who captured a rock’n GoPro video), Kelly, and Dusty.
We have to look the part, right? So to begin our tour each person received harness gear including a water bottle for the Wild Africa Trek. The staff did a wonderful job of making sure everyone was safely secured before moving on. Once we had the all-clear we began our tour by going through the Aviary where we had the opportunity to feed the birds. We also made sure to stop and say hello to the monkeys too!
Through a hidden gate behind some brush our guides, Jason and Joe, took us on a private expedition of Animal Kingdom’s safari. First up was a stop at the hippo pond. The animal specialist was waiting for us and called the hippos over with a drum for a feeding. Only one of the two hippos was interested in meeting us, but that’s okay! We were harnessed to a special device to experience an upclose encounter with our hippo friend.
We made our way through more thick brush to the shaky rope bridge. Each of us were harnessed to the cable lines above and one by one we ventured across the treacherous expanse. I kept saying to myself “just don’t fall” as I crossed the bridge. With the gear plus my DSLR camera I felt a bit heavier than normal walking across. I took my time crossing the bridge so I could take in my surroundings and snap photos. Next up was the hissing crocodiles!
By the way, the Wild Africa Trek includes professional pictures all along your journey by your tour guides. How awesome is that?! You receive a card with the website and special number to locate your pictures online, typically within 24 hours of your Safari Trek.
Remember those crocs I mentioned? Yep, there they are! I kept a steady balance as I crossed over missing planks to make my way through the second bridge to the finish line. Was it fun? Absolutely! Was it scary? A bit! But it was ALL worth it!
Here’s a quick video of my journey across the second bridge:
Hooray – I made it through the second bridge and am back on solid ground! But I’m not far from those crocs still. Again we were harnessed to a special device so that we could enjoy the views from a short distance.
Next, we had a special rugged safari vehicle waiting for us with freezing cold wet cloths to cool us down. We then took a private tour through the remainder of the safari, stopping for special upclose experiences with several animals.
During our stop, we watched many Disney guests enjoying the regular safari ride while we were parked and gazing at the animals in the Safi River Valley. The guide provided binoculars for us to get a better look at the animals.
What animals did we see during our expedition? Rhinos, lions, giraffes, monkeys, wildebeast, and more!
Oh, and how can we forget the beautiful elephants!
Next, we were taken to a special Boma in the Safi River Valley where we had a beautiful picnic waiting for us. We were surrounded by animals in their natural habitats, while we enjoyed the serene views and dined on African-inspired snacks like chicken curry salad, tandoori shrimp, hummus and pita bread, fresh fruit, and more.
Everything was refreshing and relaxing. We felt comfortable and secure during our private tour. It was such an amazing experience that I can’t wait to come back with my own family!
More about the Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
- For your safety, guests must be a minimum of 8 years old and at least 48″ with a paying adult.
- Guests must be between 45-300 lbs with harness gear on.
- Closed-toe shoes are required and longer shorts are suggested due to the harness straps around your waist and legs.
- There are complimentary lockers for your convenience while on the trek.
- Complimentary photos services of your excursion.
- The tour is separately priced and requires a regular admission ticket.
Our guides were wonderful and professional. They continued to check our gear to make sure everything was secure before heading onto more adventures. We learned a ton of in-depth knowledge about the animals and how Disney is making a difference in their lives.
I have so much more to share about our adventure throughout last week, but I have to say the Wild Africa Trek was my favorite activity of all. I highly recommend guests visiting the Animal Kingdom park seek out information to enjoy this amazing experience! For more information about the Trek, head to their website here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/animal-kingdom/wild-africa-trek/ or call tour reservations at 407.939.8687.
Right now you can save $50 off the price with their summer special valid from April 19-Oct 17 on an afternoon tour!
Professional photo credits: Disney
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shelleyb says
I was hoping to do this sometime during our Annual Pass. We did lots of visits during that year (43 different days- still amazes me), but this had a little extra cost that just didn’t happen. I’ve still got it on my to-do list. Your photos show me this WAS super cool!!
sherry Bult says
Awesome, review! Enjoyed it very much! The rope bridges look like so much fun!!!
Bonnie @ wemake7 says
Wow! What a great experience to have! Would love to have gone. Looks so fun.
Ourfamilyworld (@OurFamilyWorld) says
It looks like you had a great time. The pictures are just amazing and you look stunning in this outfit
Jennifer H says
Aw thanks! I was a sweaty mess, but their photographer did a great job NOT capturing that. 🙂