Best Safari time (late in the day)

[MickeyWaffles]

We will be arriving at Animal Kingdom around 4pm during the first week of September.

Our 3 FPs (hopefully) will be Navi River Journey, Kilimamjaro Safari and Rivers of Light or Dinosaur (family debate going on about this one, ha.)

We have been on the safari countless times in the morning but is there a benefit to the sunset or evening safari from a viewing perspective? I'm guessing visibility is tough when it's dark but really have no idea! Just trying to figure out if we should do the safari right away or wait until the sun is going down (or maybe even down). Thanks in advance!

 

[lelew]

We timed it for a sunset. I think it was around 7pm Aug. 2016 I really enjoyed it. The animals were active because the sun was going down and it was cooling off. We normally only do morning safari but wanted to try animal kingdom at night because it was new and it was a fun time.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

We went at dark last time. We really enjoyed it in the dark. It is true that you won't see some of the animals that you could see in the day time. However, some of the other animals are more active at night. We were riding thru the darkness and then we heard the sound of a lion calling out in the night. It made the hair stand up on my arms. As we come around a turn we could see the male lion up on hill calling out in the night. We enjoyed the night safari ride.

 

[allsaintsatx]

We almost always went on Safari around noonish, and this last trip we went on later, about an hour before sunset. It didn't feel more or less active, but it was definitely different animals that were active. I guess some are more active at night, so they start getting randy right before sunset! We all noted it was a different experience then during the day. Not better or worse, just different which for us is perfect as we have gone on the Safari many times!

 

[barbliny]

Google the time of sunset for your trip - book a fastpass that is at least 30 minutes prior - try to gauge the line for fastpass entrance so that you would get on a safari vehicle a little bit before sunset starts - this worked out great for us in January. Very different than the early morning rides we usually take - the lions were very active, the animals who lay around in the water during the day were moving about - not tons of animals, but definitely different. And it was still light enough that we could see easily.

 

[drinkme]

I have done the safari so many times over the years that I don't really care if we skip it. However, on our trip last week we did the safari 3 times in one day. I don't know if it has changed? Well, they did get rid of the Littke Red story.

Anyway, we did a nighttime safari last week. It was different. I would say it was my least favorite because the driver had to shine a light on the animals for us to see them. I would think a safari right before sunset would be nice.

 

[Farro]

This is a helpful thread, thanks! Our sunset is 6:44 pm, I will try to book for around 6:15 pm.

 

[BebopBaloo]

Our last safari was around 5 and we saw a lot of active animals.

 

[lullwater]

We did a night safari in April after 8:30 and very few animals were about; however, the hyenas and Lions were pacing back and forth. A trio of rhino’s were out of their normal enclosure and on a walk about along the roads bringing traffic to a stop and coming within hands length of the safari vehicle as they walked past. It brought up images of Night at the Museum when the animals come to life at night and wreak havoc.