After our awesome night in our upgraded room at Coronado Springs (page back if you missed that one!), we were on to new things for the fourth day of our anniversary trip: The Wild Africa Trek. For those of you unaware this one of the behind the scenes tours Disney offers at the Animal Kingdom. You might have seen previews to it on your trip in the Kilomanjaro Safari Jeeps. There's a rope bridge hanging over aligators. A shaded boma (or shelter) out on the savanna, and sometimes you can spot one of the Wild Africa Trek trucks pulled off the main road, enjoying prolonged views of the animals. This extra attraction opened in 2011 and has been on my Disney Bucket list for YEARS. For our 10th anniversay we finally booked it, and I was so excited to go. But then, you know, that was 2020. So, we didn't even get to spend our anniversary at Disney that year because all the parks and hotels were still closed from the shut down. Last year for our anniversary the Wild Africa Trek still had not reopened. When it finally did earlier this year, I knew we HAD to go for this anniversary. So, we got up 60 days ahead of our trip at 5:45 in the morning just to get a spot. Even then, we did not have the pick of times, so we took the 12:30 slot. I was a bit nervous about this, because the animals tend to retreat from the heat by that time of day, and the rain typically comes shortly thereafter. But, it's what we could get, so we took it and were excited about it anyway. When I woke up on Monday morning and saw it on My Disney Experience for the day, it almost didn't feel real. I was FINALLY getting to do the Wild Africa Trek!!
Since we did end up with the later time, that gave us plenty of time to soak up the upgrade until check out time at 11 am. We headed up to Club Level for form breakfast.
Again there was cereal, bagels, that sort of thing..
And some fancier pastries and avocado toast (which was delicious, btw)
The fruit, meat and cheese, and hardboiled eggs from the day before were all there again..
And for hot items there were frittatas and oatmeal again.
We loaded all of our breakfast foods onto a tray to take back to the room...
...and enjoyed it along with some POG juice mimosas! I don't know how I missed these the day before. POG juice is basically the best juice known to man. It's a mix of passion fruit, orange and guava juices and appears all over Disney in different forms. Sometimes it's just POG juice (Polynesian) sometimes it's jungle juice (Animal Kingdom Lodge) , sometimes its moonshine (over at Fort Wilderness). Whatever it's called, if you see it on a DIsney menu, get it. It's my favorite, and I totally cashed in on the POG juice (all for free!) on this particular day, though I gotta say the mimosas are like my favorite POG juice form.
We enjoyed our breakfast and the pretty view in our room, trying to soak up every last minute we could in our fancy room. For real, I think we walked out of our room at 11am on the dot.
So long fancy room!
After checkout we headed over to the Animal Kingdom. We don't always pose for pictures, but we were wearing our Carl & Ellie shirts (from Up), so it made sense to get our picture in the giant Up frame!
Since check out was at 11, and we didn't have to check in for our tour until 12:15, we had a little extra time, so we nosed around some animal exhibits before making our way to the Wild Africa Trek check in counter right across from the enterance to Kilamonjaro Safari.
They check you in, ask you a couple of questions and make you sign the waiver, and then they send you over to the Wild Africa sign to wait. At this point I was pretty excited. We were finally, actually going on the Wild Africa Trek!
First, they'll get you all set with lockers. Technically the website says you can't bring anything with you, unless it can be attached to your vest, or go around your neck. Including cell phones, for pictures. I had an old water proof cell phone case with a string, and I was prepared to use that to be able to take my camera for pictures. But, they said they were able to attach most cell phones by a strap they had to your cases. They just tie a little string around the opening for your charger port and put it on a wrist strap, and ta-da! I didn't have to fumble around with the waterproof case and everything, and Asa got to take his too that way. They also give you little neck straps for your glasses if you need those too. Everything either has to be secured to your vest, or it has to go in your locker. But, they will provide all the attachments, and even put it on for you.
While some cast members work on getting you all set up with straps and such, another will weigh you in, so they know what kind of gear to fit you for (don't worry, it's super discreet) and then get you hooked into your vest and harness. You'll be wearing this for the first part of the trip. That strap I'm pulling on there (and that giant carabiner) is to make sure you don't fall in when you're looking at the gators and hippos! I've seen enough reviews to know that's what it was, so I was pretty excited about it. They also hook you up with your name tag and a water bottle (which is both yours to keep- I'm going to turn my name tag into a magnet!), and they get you an ear piece so you can hear your guide no matter where you are in the group. Obviously, it all connects to your vest!
Once everyone is all strapped in, you fill your water bottles and you are good to go!
Our two guides of the day were Dominic and Alex. They introduced themselves, and gave us a brief overview of what we'd be experiencing. There are two guides so one can be in the back of the group, and one in the front. You'll also come across other guides and keepers along the way, but thesewere the two that stayed with us the whole time (And they were AMAZING!) Not only will your guides tell you a lot about the animals, but they'll also be taking a ton of pictures, all of which are included in the price of the tour (usually photo pass pictures cost more, but not for this!) So, you'll see below some of the pictures are mine, some are Asa's, some are Alex & Dominics (including the one below of the two of them, which was nice surprise to find when the pictures were uploaded!)
Before you take off, they let you know if you want any pictures to just ask them, and they'll be happy to take them, but they also take plenty on their own- the first being a picture of the whole group. Our group was full, so I'm pretty sure 12 is the max.
The first part of the tour takes you on the trail anyone can go on- it's the Gorilla Falls Trail, and it's just part of the normal Animal Kingdom. They point out some interesting things the imagineers did, and some fun animal facts, but mostly you're walking to just before you get to the zebra overlook (if you're familar), and then you take a detour for a very unassuming gate...
...into the Wilderness! This is what the trails look like back in the jungles of Kilimanjaro Safaris! And I was walking through there!
Our first stop was to see the hippos. You come up to a gate, but don't worry, you can get closer! Remember that strappy thing with the giant carabiner thing on it? Well, Dominic and Alex hook you in, and then you go out the gate, and you can slide around the curve without any fear of falling in!
Once we were all out past the gate, the hippo keeper came to talk to us about caring for the hippos. I wish I took in more of what he said, but I was so exicted to be so close to the hippos!
You guys, look- he's right there! First, for reference, if you've ever been on Kilimanjaro Safairs, you'll notice the jeep in the background there, just rounding the corner. The keeper, however, had brought snakcs for Hans and Henry. Most of my pictures are of Hans, because he's happy to come over and get treats of kale, watermelon and other greens. As part of his enrichment, they've trained him to come over to the sound of beating a stick on the food bucket, and he just shows up and opens his mouth to take it all in. But, of course Disney doesn't force any animal to take part in another they don't want to. And Henry is a little more picky, and sometimes Hans gets a bit territorial. Also, fun fact: Hans is basically the dad or grandpa to a whole lot of hippos at Animal Kingdom and around the country (even Fiona the hippo is from his bloodline!)
(I know there are a lot of pictures here, but it was super cool!)
The animal pictures below are all mine and Asa's (all of them until the end will be ours, actually). It's not even zoomed in that much, but look at all his whiskers! How many hippo pictures do you need? Lots. The answer is lots.
Look at his tounge sticking out here!
Both of them together!
After the hippos, you come back through the gate and get unclipped and coninue heading through the forrest.
A longer trail will bring you a tower. Here, they'll hold on to your name tags for you... because they don't want them falling off.
Because you're about to climb the tower and cross the rope bridge right over the alligators! This bridge is how I first learned about the Wild Africa Trek. I noticed the bridge at least a decade ago, from one of the Kilimanjaro jeeps (you can see one below it here) and wondered how to get on it. Well, there's only one way: go on the Wild Africa Trek!
You'll notice the bridge looks scary, but that's just Disney magic. It's VERY sturdy. The "boards" aren't boards at all, but almost like concrete. The "ropes" are very strong cables, and even if you miss a step, there is a net below (with a drop of at most a foot), and you're strapped in anyway! See those cables above? Dominic clipped us all into that so you're good to go.
Alex went across to the first platform to take our pictures, and then everyone went across one at a time. Asa and I were the last to cross.
I went ahead first and headed to the first platform. You won't cross the gators here, instead you're mostly going over a pond and the road for the jeeps.
You know, I never miss an opportunity to take a selt taken picture, and this rope bridge is no exception.
Asa headed out last..
Once you get to the platform, you head back on a different rope bridge, this time you'll be heading right over the gators!
On the final platform, you'll be greeted by a new guide. Maddy isn't just there to unclip you from the cable, but she's also there to get some more pictures.
Asa followed me, promclaiming "look babe, I'm THAT guy".
To which Maddy said "hey, THAT guy, look this way for a picture"!
At the bottom of the platform, you'll find another set of gates so you know you'll be going out to see the gators a little closer up. (These pictures are better than the hippo contraption- but they're the same thing. The guides clip your carabiner into the metal slide, and you follow that along- in one gate and out the other).
But, here, there will also be a refill station for your water bottles, and some complimentary cooling towels (I'm totally going to put some Wild Africa Trek vinyl on mine!)
Maddy didn't just take our pictures and unclip us, she also knew a whole lot about the gators and told us all about them. They weren't hungry for their afternoon snack, but they were still fun to see so close up. I particularly enjoy how you can see the rope bridge and the shadow right above them, so you can see where we just crossed!)
You'll only see boy gators down there, Maddy told us if there was a girl there would be too many baby gators because they're pretty good at reproducing. She also told us that they usually aren't too aggressive, but when incidents happen it's no big deal to the gators. They lose a hand, or a toe, and they're just like "whatever". She also told us a lot about their training (target training specifically) which you can see on the Disney Plus Animal Kingdom show (Hayden and I have totally watched that epidsode- and all of them really).
And now, similar to the hippo pictures, I give you a whole lotta gator pictures.
After the gators, you head further into the woods. You really have no frame of reference for where you are. I've been on Killimanjaro Safari a million times, but I still didn't know where I was.
You don't have to travel belong before you'll find your own safari jeep waiting for you!
This is the end of the line for your vest and harness though, so you'll take off all your gear here before you board the truck. Since you'll no longer have a pocket in your vest for your water bottle, and since they all look the same, they have you clip your name tag to the bottle to know whose is whose.
The jeep for the Wild Africa Trek is different than Kilimanjaro Safari jeeps. While you'll see the regualr ride jeeps pass you (and your guides will tell you all to "wave to the peasants"), your jeep only has bench seating around the edge of the truck, so you can stand up and move around.
Your truck is going to go on the normal safari route, but it is also able to pull off for as long as it would like, unlike the Kilimanjaro jeeps that have to keep going (as long as an animal isn't blocking their path). Some roads are just for the Wild Africa Trek truck too, so you'll get some views and angles the normal Safari will not take you on.
We headed out to the savanna. Our guides were very informative, and took a lot of pictures. They know most of the animals names, and how old they are. They know a bit about their personalities and a lot about their care. Sure, you can get some of this experience on the normal -don't-have-to-pay-extra ride, but it's not at all the same thing, even though you're traveling in some of the same roadways.
Our guides also talked a lot about "Disney real" items, things like the Baobob Trees, and the termite hills. They're not actual termite hills, or Baobo trees, but they pointed out a lot of these types of "Disney Real" items.
Not only do your guides take posed photos, but they take a lot of candid shots too.
At the beginning of the tour, they asked if there were any animals anyone was particularly excited to see. Asa chimed in with one of his favorites: Springbok (to which our guide was shocked anyone would pick that out specifically, because she too is a springbok fan). So, they made sure to get Asa with his springbok! (Even if you have to zoom in to see the Springbok).
Continuing along the safari was spotted a lot of animals, which is sort of unusual mid-day in the summer. I was glad, because I was a little worried about an afternoon time for that exact reason, well, that and afternoon storms.
After the savanna, we took a detour off the normal jeep trail and headed up to "the Boma"(swahili for shelter), or a covered area on top of the hill overlooking the whole savannah. This is another one of those things that I've seen and always said I wanted to do. (You know, a kind of "how do you think you get to go up there?")
The truck pulls right up along side the Boma and lets everyone out. At this point you're 2 hours into your 3 hour tour. Here, you can refill your water bottle, and use the bathroom. (I did just for the sake of saying I used it! But worth noting, this is the only bathroom stop along the way- so go before you leave!)
From the boma, the views are amazing.
You'll even find binoculars for your own use to check out the animals that are a bit further away.
But you aren't just there for the views, you're also there for an 'afternoon snack'. While Dominic and Alex set that up for all of us, they directed us down the other end of the Boma...
...where you find a boardwalk...
..heading down to a platform. (I never even knew this was here, it's kind of hidden off in the trees).
There, we were met by another keeper who was out doing some feeding, and was happy to talk to us from his truck on the road down below the boardwalk.
He was calling over the ostriches to feed them, and telling us all about them (they are, apparently, quite ditzy.) Fun fact: all of the ostriches on the savanna are named after muppets. The first one he introduced us to was Fozzy, and then Rizzo.
The keeper also pointed out the Rhino and her baby, who was nursing!
However, when one of the Kilimanjaro jeeps came along, and the rhinos moved away from the road. Luckily, that was closer to us. The Animal Kingdom today has three baby rhinos, and (stay tuned) because we were lucky enough to see them all- some VERY close up.
As the keeper was talking about the rhinos, the rain started. I was actually very surprised it had held off this long! Dominic directed everyone back to the Boma, as our snack was ready, but was kind enough to take a dip picture first.
Back under the saftey cover the Boma, our "snack" in these cute containers (called tiffins) was waiting for us, while the rain poured.
I put "snack" in quotes, because it was easily a meal. This food is only availble on the Wild Afrika Trek, you cannot get it anywhere else. It is made at Tusker House, with the exception of a house made graonla bar they make at Tiffins (the resturant), but if you go there and ask about it, they'll pretend they have no idea what you're talking about. The meal comes in two round tiffins (tins) stacked on top of each other. The presentation is something else.
And the view even (or especially) in the rain, cannot be beat.
There's all kinds of treats in the tins. In the first tin, there is some kind of chicken salad wrap, and a lovely diced fruit salad, along with a couple of curry shrimp. In the second tin, you'll find hummus and naan bread, prisciutto and mozzerella, and a pickled olive and veggie mix. Wrapped up in that tiny little brown paper is the best granola bar you'll ever have in your life (and it's made with dates!)
To eat it all, you get the cutest little wooden spoon.
Then, to top it all off, you get as much POG juice as you'd like, served in cute little tin cups. POG juice ON the savanna?!? It doesn't get better than that.
While the rain poured down, we enjoyed our meal. If anything, I wish we had a bit longer in the Boma. You're not rushed out of there, but you are hurried along. It probably depends on how much animal interaction you've had. If you don't spot a lot, you probably have more time in the Boma.
By the time we were done, though, the weather had cleared, and everyone was able to get some group pictures.
It was also really cool, because the rain had come and gone, all the animals were now out nosing around the wet grass (the wildebeests especially)!
We were lucky we had hit the rain just right. The tour says it takes place "Rain or shine", and while I would have had a great time anyway, we didn't get soaked and we probably got to see more animals thanks to the afternoon downpour. I'm also not sure they let you do all those things if there is lightning, so thank goodness there wasn't a real storm!
After all of that, they loaded us back onto the truck. So long Boma!
By now, the tour is nearly up. You just have the backhalf of the safari left.
However, you will get to do a little more off roading than the typical jeeps.
After passing the flamingos, we spotted all kinds of cheetahs out and about (they're usually hidden, but maybe the rain had brought them out). We pulled off for some pictures, but they were too far away for me to get anything good. Alex, however, was also taking pictures of the animals, so you'll see some of those pictures down at the end of this blog.
Lucky for us, the private road we were on, went right past another rhino and her baby.
You guys, we were SO CLOSE.
And I present to you way too many rhino pictures.
We did pull away when the rhinos seemed like they were a bit disturbed by our presence. The baby got up, so we had to move on. I think, perhaps our time was also up.
We circled around the normal trail past the lions, ostriches and warthogs and got off our jeep about the same spot Kilimanjaro drops you off. Your guide then takes you back up to the lockers where you left your stuff to begin with. There, you are given your photo pass cards to access not only the pictures Alex and Dominic took of us on the tour, but also all the animal shots they got along the way. It takes about two days for them to upload all the pictures, but it'll show up in Your My Disney Experience for a little over a month once you link it with the code on the back of your card (We took pictures of the card right away just in case we lost it!)
So that's it for my 3 hours in the (Disney) African Jungle. It was one of my favorite things I have ever done. And I've done some cool stuff. It's 100 percent my favorite thing at Disney. But, it's also the most expensive thing I've done at Disney. It's something like $170 a person after a passholder discount. But for that, you get three hours of special treatment. You walk through the forest, go up to the cliffs above hippos and gators, cross the rope bridge, have your own private savanna tour, eat an excellent lunch, have all the POG juice you can drink, and plenty of keeper talk to keep you engaged. As a side note, you get to keep your water bottle, nametag, cooling towel, and sunglass straps (they do take back the phone straps, however). The whole thing is magical, and I'm so glad we FINALLY got to do it. It didn't just live up to the hype, it surpassed it. If you like animals, do this tour if you can afford it. You will not regret it.
Right as our tour ended, we got the notification that our new (and last) hotel room was ready. We were able to get a DVC room at Jambo House for just about $200 a night. It wasn't a savanna view room, where you can see animals from your balcony), but it was a pretty good deal. I will note, if you are looking to rent DVC points it is very easy to get confirmed reservations at very resonable prices on resale websites (We've used David's Vacation Rentals and it was seemless, but I've heard good things about other sites as well).
The Animal Kingdom Lodge rooms are, obviously, African Themed. We had a queen size bed, and a couch..
The bathroom is pretty basic (and compared to the other resorts, this one lacks storange and hooks).
But since it is a DVC villa, we did get the mini kitchen area which is so, so helpful.
And it does come with the fancy new tvs you can stream to, as well!
Our view was a little bit pool, and a lot of roof area, but the balcony was nice and big.
Overall, it wasn't my favorite room (I mean, you're not topping the upgrade at Coronado Springs), but it's comfortable.
Speaking of Coronado Springs, since we had stayed Club Level, and your Club Level access doesn't expire until midnight on your checkout day, we headed back to the tower at Coronado for one more "Free" meal!
We took in a little more of the lobby area (that hotel is pretty nice!)
and we found some random dinosaur in the succulent plants. Some kid must have left him here.
Man, I just love the Chronos Club.
For dinner that night there was all the "usual stuff". They have pasta seemingly every night, bread, veggies, meat and cheese. Then they have a few extras. When we first came in, the special "hot" item of the day was a short rib meatball with chimichurri. This was pretty awesome, and I had a few of these.
It wasn't long before it was replaced with a salmon dish. I loved this, especially the glaze, and I'm not really a fish person. But, I like to try stuff at the lounges because it's small portions and you aren't paying for it (specifically).
The cold stuff that night included a little salad and this grouper. I was not a fan of the grouper. Why was it cold? ick. I took one bite of my single serving and passed the rest to Asa. But, at least I tried it.
I also rounded out my meal with another POG juice. This was my POG juice day, for sure. I had so much of it!
All in all, a delicious dinner with a gorgeous view for no added cost to the anniversary budget!
We topped the whole thing off with one last Club Level coffee.
Well, last for me, Asa got another one to-go. And I got a POG juice to go (I put it in my fridge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for later!) So Long, Club Level!
Back at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we headed down to the Jambo House pool for some swimming.
Remember how I said we weren't in a Savanna view room? Well, you can still find lookouts to go to in order to see the animals. This is one of the smaller ones, and it was right outside the elevator we usually took to the pool.
But, our room was in an awesome spot! (See that blue dot on the map? That was ours!)
So, right around this bend on the fifth floor, our room was on the right about two doors down (the laundry room and one guest room).
But if I turn around from taking that picture, you're right on the balcony overlooking the very grand lobby!
And you see that bridge?
That's the 5th floor bridge, so we were right out from there too. It was an excllent location.. because not only were we right next to the lobby AND on the bridge floor...
But right on that corner there, is a door to outside and a spiral staircase down to the public savannah viewing.
From room to savanna was all of a two minute trip! We headed out around dusk both nights we were at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and we were not disappointed either time. Lots of animals were right up by the veiwing area, because I still did not have my fill of animals.
And that's it for our Wild Africa Trek day! I will leave you with all the animal pictures that our guides took on our particular safari ( because there just aren't enough pictures in this blog). There were some really good ones in there!
Note: This blog took FOREVER to write, and there's a huge lag in typing (I think from all the pictures, so forgive any typos and mis-spellings. I never went back to check for them!)
Next Up: One More Disney Bucket List Item! We had breakfast IN Cinderella's Castle!
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