Wild Africa Trek

When one thinks of Disney World, numerous things come to mind. There is Cinderella’s Castle, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Spaceship Earth, Toy Story Land, Flight of Passage and more. However, did you know that Disney offers many behind the scene tours? Disney is much more than amusement park rides, character greetings, and parades. Each of the four parks has its unique adventures. A year and a half ago, my friends and I were able to experience one of these adventures. Come along as we head over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and experience the Wild Africa Trek.

Our Group.

Disney’s Wild Africa Trek is a VIP experience viewing the savannah animals in their natural habitat. It takes you backstage to areas of the Harambe Wildlife Preserve that you see while on the Kilimanjaro Safari from afar.

Upon arrival, you check in with the guides and given a locker to store your belongings. You can bring a camera, so long as you wear it around your neck. However, the guides take a ton of photos, and you receive a link to download them all. Each person is given croakies for their sunglasses, a name tag, a safety vest, and a harness. Also, everyone is given a stainless steel water bottle to clip on to your vest. It gets hot out there!

The tour starts along the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Here we saw all sorts of birds.

At the end of the trail, we headed into the woods. This is where the trek gets interesting. Our first stop is the hippopotamus pool. We head over to the outlook to get a closer look. This is where the harness comes into play. In order to keep us safe and from falling into the jaws of a hungry hippo, we are clipped to a safety line.

The safety line we used while looking at the hippos and crocs.
Look at that jaw! He just ate some watermelon.

In addition to our two guides, we had an animal expert on hipppos and crocs to talk to us about these beautiful creatures.

HUGE!!!

HIPPO FACT – The hippo’s closest relatives are whales and porpoises.

Next stop, the friendly crocodiles. I must admit, as much as I know Disney is all about safety and I would be clipped to a safety line, I was a little nervous for this next part of the trip. For those of you that have been on the safari, you may recall seeing a rope bridge over by the crocs. Well, this bridge is what we crossed over to get to our next part of the trek.

There I am!

Again, I clipped to a safety line. However, I was shaking and some of the slats were a bit far apart from one another. For a shorty like me, it was a bit frightening at times.

Watching my step as I cross over the hippos to the crocodile pit.

There I am, smiling as the crocodiles are waiting for lunch!
Big fellow!
Happy we made it across ๐Ÿ™‚

Once we were all across, we met with a crocodile expert and she told us all about these mysterious creatures.

CROCODILE FACT- Crocodiles really do produce tears.

After spending some time learning about these historic animals, it was off with the vests and harnesses and aboard a safari truck. The trucks are different than what is used in the regular safari. There are benches around the outer edge of the truck and the middle is open, so people may stad up when we stop to looks at anmails. We rode around the savanah and saw so many animals.

I love these animals.

About two-thirds of the way into our trip, we stopped at a lovely spot to have a bite to eat. It is a large observatory deck with a gorgeous view of the savannah. It is set up with tables and chairs. We were asked to sit back and enjoy the lovely meal and view.

Our lunch spot.
Meats, fruit, cheese, bread, yogurt and some juice.
My partners in crime every November in Disney.
Our awesome guides, Becky & Becky

This wraps up our Wild Africa Trek. It was so cool, and I am so glad we did it. If you are ever down in Disney and looking for something different to do, I highly recommend this adventure.

About The Author

Heather

31 COMMENTS

  1. Ashley | 13th May 19

    WOW! I completely love it and must go there! I love taking my kids to the zoo but we havent been now for 2 years. ๐Ÿ™

  2. kmf | 16th May 19

    Great info and photos. I had no idea about this side of Disney…what an exciting experience…and that bridge!

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      Yes, the bridge was a but unnerving. LOL.

  3. Miss | 16th May 19

    Disneyโ€™s Wild Africa Trek is amazing. I am definitely looking into this behind the scenes tour.

  4. Shirley | 16th May 19

    I’ve been on an actual safari in the Serengeti of Tanzania and what you describe is pretty similar to the real thing in Africa! How fun!

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      An actual safari is on my bucket list!

  5. Amanda | 16th May 19

    I didn’t know Disney had this. Looks like an amazing experience!

  6. Shannon Delaney | 16th May 19

    I love the Magic Kingdom so much I have never even thought to venture out and explore other parts of Disney. Thank you for sharing. I just might have to try something else.

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      Oh, you have to. MK is my favorite of the 4 parks, but there is so much offered at the other 3 parks.

  7. Pam | 16th May 19

    How cool! I have always wanted to do one of these behind the scenes tours. We love staying at Animal Kingdom so this would definitely be a great one to do.

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      AKL is one of my favorite resorts. There is so much to do and you feel immersed in the African culture.

  8. Lisa Manderino | 16th May 19

    Such a great experience! The pictures are awesome, it is so nice they take them for you!

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      They did a great job with the photos.

  9. Lori Nielsen | 16th May 19

    Who knew that Disney has so much besides the rides!! Thanks for the heads up on some of these extra experiences!

  10. Kristi @ Way Beyond The Norm | 16th May 19

    Wow! This would be so amazing to do. One day Iโ€™ll do it!

  11. jen | 16th May 19

    This looks absolutely amazing! I’ve often wondered about the Disney adventures. Thankyou for the share!

  12. Tricia Snow | 16th May 19

    I am definitely doing this tour with my grandkids! Thank you for the info!

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      I can’t wait to hear what you and the kids think.

  13. Amanda | 17th May 19

    No way! I didn’t even know this was a thing! I would love to do something like that. Those hippos and bridge looked terrifying!

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      The bridge was a bit unnerving. ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. Julie Gazdecki | 18th May 19

    Talked to my hubby and we decided to take our youngest for her birthday next year!! Cannot wait!!

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      Julie, that is awesome! I can’t wait to hear all about it.

  15. Marianne Blackham | 19th May 19

    You’re amazing to do that bridge. I would have peed my pants.

    • Heather | 19th May 19

      There was a lot of self talk to get across. ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Hera | 19th May 19

    Fun! The tips about the hippo are interesting and I wanna cross that bridge. We love the animal kingdom and how Disney constantly comes up with great experiences

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