Safari Timing

[fastpoint]

I see the most popular times for Safari are first thing in the morning or late afternoon before sunset...as typically animals are moving about more. My question is, how late in the morning is "too late"? For instance, is 10am too late? Better off waiting for afternoon at that point?

Also what ques might we expect if we rope drop. Thanks!

 

[Alesia]

You'll see different animals at all times. Just go when you want to go.

 

[CAS239]

It's all different during the day. There's no specific time that people try to go for.

The times I've gone on though, the Lions have been far more active later in the day around 5/6pm vs noon. That's been the only difference I've noticed

 

[Klayfish]

I agree with the other posts. It's such random luck that there really isn't a good or bad time to go. Sunset is really cool because it's a pretty view and it seemed like there were a few more animals roaming around, but that could have been luck. We've rarely gone on it and saw almost nothing, doesn't matter what time of day it is. We like morning or evening simply to avoid the heat of midday. The only time we went and didn't get to see much was late at night, around 9:30pm. It was dark outside. They have a little bit of lighting, but not enough to really see many animals. I don't blame them for not having much lighting, it's respectful to the animals natural sleeping habits, it just made it hard to see. Maybe night vision binoculars are the way to go then.

 

[Kay Bieber]

Always seem to be my luck when we go you don't see much movement! Ha!
We are going at 9am! Hoping to see lots of action!

 

[Ambehnke]

We usually go twice per visit. Once at Rope drop when you don't need a Fastpass and once later in the day with Fastpasses. Nighttime is NOT worth it. Can barely see anything. Sunset is cool though. You will see animals no matter what.

 

[Alesia]

We are going at 9am! Hoping to see lots of action!

Honestly, that's pretty unlikely no matter what time you go. Large animals don't usually move much more than necessary.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I have to respectfully disagree with the "nighttime not worth it" comment. I do agree it is not worth it if it's your ONLY safari, but if you have the chance to do multiple safaris or are a frequent visitor, it's something "different" that's worth a try. While the animals were less than "normal" (if there is such a thing) and there are certainly some dark spots, we still saw plenty and it was an interesting experience. I'd gladly do it again.

 

[rwdavis2]

Always seem to be my luck when we go you don't see much movement! Ha!
We are going at 9am! Hoping to see lots of action!

The best way to see lots of action would be if they let the lions and cheetahs loose with the rest of the animals. ;-)

 

[Shellyb84]

I see the most popular times for Safari are first thing in the morning or late afternoon before sunset...as typically animals are moving about more. My question is, how late in the morning is "too late"? For instance, is 10am too late? Better off waiting for afternoon at that point?

Also what ques might we expect if we rope drop. Thanks!

We usually go to AK on EMH mornings and hit the safari first thing, so right after 8:00 am. There's never a wait. We've done it multiple times throughout the day but first thing in the AM is when we've had the best luck. We did one at sunset and didn't see alot, but it was still nice.

 

[North of Mouse]

Always seem to be my luck when we go you don't see much movement! Ha!
We are going at 9am! Hoping to see lots of action!

We have gone many times since this opened, and only once can we say we enjoyed it as far as seeing the animals - giraffes and ostriches came near our vehicle - one even refusing to leave in front of us for several minutes!

But, we've never gone first thing or last in the evening. Now, we basically don't ride as the bumpiness isn't worth it to us. We enjoy excellent zoos more on occasion instead. We usually eat at Boma once a trip and actually see and enjoy watching the animals outside there more.

 

[fastpoint]

So with no EMH, will it be walk on at RD?

 

[Shellyb84]

So with no EMH, will it be walk on at RD?

Yes. We have done it both ways.

 

[Klayfish]

So with no EMH, will it be walk on at RD?

For the first 20 or 30 minutes, yes, it should be. Then it'll get a bit busier in the morning and midday before tailing off dramatically at the end of the day.

As for riding at night, I agree with the post that it was something different, which is why we tried it. We've been on the ride many, many times, so it was really cool to see the place at night. But from an animal perspective, we didn't see a lot simply because it was so dark. I suppose if we're in AK during darkness again and had the time, we'd do it, but not something we'll specifically plan for.

 

[hollyrose1313]

We usually do one around 10 am and are able to see a lot of animals however the most active animals we have seen was this past week at 8:00 pm during a downpour. We saw a hyena playing and rolling around, a white rhino walk just past arms reach (not that I was actually reaching) down the side of the truck, we had to stop for a very sassy ostrich to walk in front of the truck, saw a female lion get up walk and jump down the rocks, as well as being able to see other animals (hippos, elephants, zebras, oryx, etc) standing in the rain.
If it fits in your schedule and the wait is short definitely give a night safari a try but agree with advice of not doing a night safari as your only safari.

 

[Jobie]

It is really random, and it really depends on what mood the animals are in that day. One time we boarded right when the park opened, and the animals were all coming up to the vehicle and we got a lot of good shots. It was a slow day, so we got right back onto the ride afterwards, with maybe a 10 min wait. Once we got back on, the animals seemed like they all wanted to be as far away as possible. It was just maybe a 15-20 mins difference.

I have also done it in the middle of the heat of the day and had giraffes really active. Also got some great shots of the male lion showing off.

You really cannot predict what you will see.

 

[Accident]

I see the most popular times for Safari are first thing in the morning or late afternoon before sunset...as typically animals are moving about more. My question is, how late in the morning is "too late"? For instance, is 10am too late? Better off waiting for afternoon at that point?

Now that ak is opened later, I would say the best time is at dusk if you can time it so it's just getting completely dark near the end of the ride. many animals start moving around to hide which is normal behavior and then animals like the lions start to wake up and get ready to go hunting so they are very active. It's not that easy to time getting on a truck that leaves about when dusk happens but a fp+ about 10-15 minutes before dusk seems to work out.. The catch 22 is too early and everything is just napping.. too late and it's too dark to see anything and this idea of safari at night was a mistake and waste of money.. but that little narrow window of about 5-10 minutes where your safari leaves with that transition time where you can still see everything but it's dark enough for them to change behavior is great.