Wanyama Safari

[PoppyGirl]

DD and I will be staying at AKL Jan 29-Feb 5. DS and I were in Africa this summer and I guess I want to relive my experiences with all the "African" I can fit in during our WDW trip!!

So...we are eating at Boma twice, staying at AKL and I just booked the Wanyama safari with dinner at Jiko. (Thinking about how to add Sanaa without driving DD nuts with my Africa obsession )

What can you tell me about it? I'd love to hear about your experiences! Has anyone done this with children? DD is 10. She loves ALL animals (she even rescues the ants from the kiddie pool in the yard *sigh*) and is very bright and mature for her age.

 

[sndral]

I enjoy doing Sanaa for lunch when it is light (in wintertime) and you can see the animals on the sunset savannah.
While the Wanyama safari will pale in comparison to the real deal, it is a great experience, IMO. We did it in Dec. 2010, it's like a behind the scenes look at how the savannahs are run. Take a notebook w/ you because you'll learn the 'back' stories about a number of the animals on each safari. It somehow makes the animals more interesting when you know that of the giraffes grazing outside your balcony that one is the mother of this one, or that ostrich who keeps staring at you as you sip your morning coffee was baned from the Kilimanjaro Safari ride for bad behavior, for example. The guide and driver actually work w/ the animals and can answer lots of questions, which I'm sure your 10 yr old will have.
The dinner is a lot of fun as well, the food good, and, at least when we did it, the chef came out and explained the various courses and the wine pairings were explained as well (I wasn't listening to that part as I wasn't imbibing.)
Next time I stay at AKL, I'll definately do the Wanyama safari again.

 

[chalee94]

i enjoyed it. the only potential downside is that if it is cold, some of the animals may be less active or remain in the barn rather than hang out on the savanna.

here are some links for more info if you want it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3000828

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2996722

 

[PoppyGirl]

Thank you so much for your responses! So far I've only read responses and reviews from people who are all adults....still wondering what your child's experience may have been.

We took a safari in Zambia (near Victoria Falls in Livingstone) when we were in Africa. We saw all the animals in that particular park except for the white rhino. Then that evening we took a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. That was just amazing. But DD was not with me then--just DS. We were on a mission trip with our church. Here are a couple of the photos I took on that trip:

My only disappointment was not getting close to the giraffes. We saw them but they were further away. And there were no big cats in that park. That was ok though...giraffes and zebras and elephants were amazing!

Oh, another question I have is about what to wear. Any suggestions?

 

[PoppyGirl]

Here are a couple more photos because once I started looking at my pictures I was all excited again!

This is my giraffe photo--we weren't really that close--just really zoomed in on my camera--notice the birds on her neck.