The Wanyama Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge–Post One: The Safari
Are you tired of your daily busy schedule? Do you think you need a change to refresh yourself? Do you want to relax by going to a distant place this summer?
If yes, then Tanzania is the great place where you can spend your summer holidays. The natural habitat of Tanzania is full of wildlife safaris, sandy beaches, mountain climbing, hiking, deep sea diving, caving, and the most popular fly camping Tanzania. The time starting from the month of June to October is the perfect time to visit this great ideal place because Tanzania is located in the southern hemisphere and so these months are the coolest period of this natural habitat.
For my first post-Disney with Mom post, I’ll be reviewing the Wanyama Safari offered to guests of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. This tour was the reason we booked at Animal Kingdom Lodge (heretofore referred to as AKL). My mom loves animals and I love food, so this tour seemed perfect for both of us. Spoiler alert–it was perfect for both of us. This is post one of two and covers the safari itself. I will cover the meal in post number two.
Our directions were simple–show up at Jiko–AKL’s nicest restaurant–by 3:45pm. Check in was easy and came with a bottle of chilled water and this pin…
We were seated in Jiko’s lounge area briefly and told to use the restrooms–the tour was approximately 90 minutes long and included zero stops (good to know–I’ll just put that water away!) We then met our two tour guides, walked to our tour jeep and were on our way. We get the list of best scopes for 17 hmr here for the better view.
The tour was being narrated by two different guides. The first girl narrated while the other drove and then they switched places. I wish I knew the name of our first guide…
…because she was awesome. This is not to say that our second guide was not wonderful–she was–but the first guide was that winning combination of real, friendly, and knowledgeable. We loved her.
The tour began on the road that connects Jambo House and Kidani Village. We then ventured onto the savannah, following the fence that blocks off the outermost portion of the animal enclosure. For a while I thought we’d be sticking to the fence for the duration of the trip but I was (thankfully) incorrect. About five minutes into the tour we approached an elaborate series of gates and entered the savannah proper. This pretty lady was there to meet us…
…please note that this photo was not zoomed in any way. She was RIGHT THERE (so right there, in fact, that we could tell the girl giraffe from the boy giraffe…ahem…) It was at this point that I took a bunch of giraffe photos…
…before we continued on. What did we learn about these giraffes as we traveled the savannah? Everything. We learned how the one giraffe is the daughter of the other giraffe and that they need to keep them apart because they don’t get along (mothers of teenage daughters can relate!) We learned how and why they breed them, how they house them, entertain them (yes, I said entertain), and how to tell a reticulated giraffe from a…non reticulated giraffe? Ok, I made that last part up. But I definitely now know what a reticulated giraffe looks like.
During our hour and a half guided tour, we encountered more giraffes, longhorn African cattle, many ostriches, and a variety of other hoofed mammals the names of which I do not remember (because I was too busy having an amazing time to take notes. But I have lots of photos!) We even got up close and personal with a crazy brown and white zebra…
The safari continued on in this way with the tour guide giving us crazy-detailed details about each aspect of the savannas themselves as well as each animal. You really understood how committed each guide was to all of the animals residing at AKL. They spoke about them as though they were pets–no, that’s not it–as though they were friends. Add that to the vast knowledge they shared about the animals in a general scientific sense, and you have the best tour I’ve ever been on.
In addition to all of that, we were also treated to fantastic views of both Jambo House and Kidani Lodge thanks to our unique location. We had a zebra’s eye view of the beautiful architecture…
Say what you will about AKL–and I will say several things in later lodging reviews–but it is stunningly beautiful. And being able to experience this safari makes a stay at AKL completely worth it.
Up next–the meal portion of the trip. Warning–do not view when hungry!
Tracey,
Dave and I have wanted to do this tour for a while, but neither of us drink. I don’t drink at all and Dave only has an occasional beer. Would the meal still be worth it if we did not take part in the wine pairings? Fantastic pictures! Love the giraffe pics…they are my absolute favorite!
Absolutely it would still be worth it! I like wine (ok, I love wine and am drinking a glass right now) but didn’t even note the kinds of wine we had–nor will that be included in the review. The safari and the meal were in and of themselves worth the cost–the wine was only a not so much noticed bonus.
Love this! Your photos are great. And I can’t believe how close you got!
LOL @ keeping the mother and daughter apart … and you were on a trip with your own mother!
Can’t wait to read about the meal.
Hi! I love your reviews and compairisons. I know our 7th graders were required to do compare/contrast essays. You could perhaps suggest such in your travel education book (not real essays- but getting kids to find similarities and differences in diverese places). Reviewing/critiques are great, too- maybe as a follow up activity once home. Parents could even submitt them to the local paper if they have a travel section (ours does on Sundays) – or maybe you could have a website and “publish” them for the kids- that’s part of the writing process! Buying the book would give parents an access code to submit articles, papers, etc. written by their kids…. just an idea.
what a great idea!