Sunset safari?

[Kristin0713]

I've read mixed reviews about evening/night safari rides. The temps will be great for us next week either way, so is it worth it to go at sunset? I have a FP for 5:10-6:10.

 

[cavepig]

We just did 2 night safaris and really enjoyed them. The animals act different at night, they are getting ready for bed. A Hippo we saw both times out of water. Hyenas are out instead of the painted dogs that are out during the day. I would say it is worth it for a different experience.

 

[yulilin3]

sunset is fine, it's when it's completely dark that you can barely distinguish anything

 

[Kristin0713]

Oh cool! So if sunset is at 5:30, should we go right before, after or right at 5:30??

 

[Gruff320]

We did a sunset safari on October 24 and it was incredible! We saw so many active animals who are usually pretty mellow...

• We had to stop twice for a rhino that was so close you could almost touch (not really, but he/she was really close!).
  
• The lions were super-active, walking/loping all over their exhibit and one of the females came out on an outcropping and roared at us.
  
• The giraffes had a sunset effect in their area and you could just see their silhouettes in the low light, but it was actually quite mesmerizing and almost ethereal or mystical, although those aren't quite the right words to describe it. It was just a really cool, touching moment.
  
  
• The hyenas were really cool and much bigger than I expected.

Sure, there were some animals that were hard to see (Cheetah) and some that weren't out at all (Elephants). And of course I took a bunch of photos that didn't turn out because it was dusk, but it was still one of the best safaris I've ever experienced at DAK.

We had some CM friends with us who have been working at WDW for so long (20+ yrs) that they don't go play in the parks too often unless someone (like us) is visiting and even they loved the sunset safari and commented on it multiple times throughout the rest of the evening.

Highly recommend!

Here are some photos taken that night:

20161024_191133 by Gruff 320, on Flickr

20161024_191335 by Gruff 320, on Flickr

Rhino Up Close (In the dark, haha)
20161024_191729 by Gruff 320, on Flickr

20161024_191737 by Gruff 320, on Flickr

20161024_191844 by Gruff 320, on Flickr

20161024_191921 by Gruff 320, on Flickr

 

[figment_jii]

I wouldn't do the sunset/night safari if you've never been on the safari before because, as mentioned, some animal are really hard to see. There isn't a lot of lighting in the animal enclosures at night. However, if you've already done the safari, then I would highly recommend doing the sunset/night safari. As others have said, the animals did seem to behave differently at night, with some animals being far more active than I've ever seen them (the lion and his two lionesses were actually walking around their rock and making soft roaring noises!).

 

[Kristin0713]

We did the daytime safari three years ago. This will be the only time we do the safari this trip though. I think we're going to try it st sunset.

 

[DisneyOma]

Right at sunset is the best - daughter told me she saw the giraffes loping about, the cheetahs up and about, the lions actively moving about, etc. She said later on it was cool too (lighting is added as necessary) but the animals were more active right at sunset.

 

[RLGNC]

I vote yes. We really enjoyed it.

 

[DebbieB]

I did it a couple of weeks ago, around 8:00 so it was completely dark, I enjoyed it. We saw the hippos out of the water too plus the lions walking around.

 

[HopperFan]

Two pluses: Hyenas and active Lions

Other than that it really is dark and harder to enjoy the animals, photos near impossible and by the end I honestly felt like the spot lighting and all were not fair to the animals. They put up with the trucks and people all day, why do they have to deal with them at night. I am very torn about if I will do again.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

We did this in August just before sunset. So we still had natural light but it was dusk. I think the sun probably officially set during our safari but I'm not sure. It was the best safari ever for us. The lions were all active and roaring at each other. We were also very close to the giraffes, rhinos and zebras and saw the hyenas. I would highly recommend getting on shortly before sunset. Enjoy!

 

[tink too]

I've just managed to change our upcoming FP time from night-time to fit in with sunset (which was previously unavailable). Thanks for sharing your experiences and photos.

 

[Dave006]

Oh cool! So if sunset is at 5:30, should we go right before, after or right at 5:30??

You should plan to be at the FP queue by 5:10 PM to allow time to get to the Safari vehicle and out to the Savanna by 5:20 PM. You can make a quick walk to the last ride queue and judge your "actual" load time based on the number of others that are in the final queue area.

Some days it is busy and other days you may find it a ghost town at that time of day.

Dave