Wild Africa Trek

TinkerBella17

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 15, 2013
Messages
54
Has anyone done the Wild Africa trek at Animal Kingdom? How long is it? How close do you actually get to the animals? How many people are on the trek with you? Is it worth the time/money??? :confused3

TIA!! :goodvibes
 
This is on my bucket list of things to do at Disney when my kids get older. I want to stay in a Savannah view room for a few nights and do everything that the lodge and AK have to offer.
 

We did it twice and it was the highlight of our trips. Both experiences were very different because of the animal interaction. On our last trip a giraffe was not getting along with some other animal and they were having a big showdown and chasing each other all over and the handlers had to come out several times and try to break them up. Even the tour guides were shocked but it was very entertaining. We did the 10am tour both times so we always got a nice lunch on the savannah overlooking the elephants. I think earlier tours get more breakfast type food. I can't recommend it enough. It is expensive but well worth it. It was about a 3 hour tour and they took a ton of pictures.
As a side note, we also did the Marceline to MK tour which was a 3 hour tour on certain mornings in the MK. It was a pretty cheap tour, as Disney tours go, but it was great because you get to go under the Haunted Mansion to see how the ghosts in the ballroom work. That was worth the price alone!
Have a great time!
 
What was the food like that they served? I am doing this in July and I chose the time of 1145, not sure of what the food will be, I am a very picky eater.
 
I'm hoping to take my son on our trip next year to celebrate his 10th. Animal Kingdom is his favorite park.
 
Took my DS last year and it was the highlight of the trip. At one point we pulled of the road and watched some baby elephants play for about 20 minutes. The food was good and one family in our group with small children were given PB & J sandwiches for their picky eaters.
 
Anyone know if Crocs would be acceptable shoes for the WAT? I know it says closed toe shoes, just not sure if Crocs are considered open because they have holes. :confused:
 
Anyone know if Crocs would be acceptable shoes for the WAT? I know it says closed toe shoes, just not sure if Crocs are considered open because they have holes. :confused:

No, I don't think that they would be considered acceptable not just because they have open holes but because they are more difficult to stay on. You have to cross two rope bridges which have missing slats to make them look old and used and it might be considered dangerous. Anything that might fall out or off is not considered acceptable. You can't take a purse or even a camera if it can't be hooked onto a carabiner that is attached to a vest you have to wear. There are also a few areas where you have to walk through the trees on rocky pathways. I would suggest proper lace up shoes like sneakers or walking shoes. They're very concerned with safety of both the visitors and the animals. Better be safe and use better shoes than pay for it and be denied access.

We did it in December 2013 and I would totally recommend it. You get to stand on a ledge very close to the edge overlooking both the alligators and the hippos. They fed the hippos while you stand there (tethered by a harness) and tell you a bit about them. They also take photos while you cross the bridges so you get some pretty good shots. It's meant to look like it's difficult to cross but it's quite safe because you're on a harness (although you do have to watch your feet a bit) but it's still pretty cool and the view is great.

Then after that part, they put you on a truck with an open back and spend a lot more time going through the Kilimanjaro Safari area. They stop several times for quite a while. While we there, there was a giraffe who refused to move out of the pathway of the trucks going through for the regular Kilimanjaro Safari - they all had to wait until she was ready to move and several times she just about stuck her head into the trucks. We had a great view of it.

Then near the end they take you to an area in the middle of the Safari and you have lunch/snack (depending on the time of day - we started at 11:45 am). You can see quite a bit of the open savannah and the trucks going through. I thought the food was great. I'm allergic to seafood so I had a slightly different menu than the others did. It comes in a metal can and there was about 6 different little dishes of food. Seemed small but actually was quite filling (the curried chicken was fantastic - all made by the kitchen at Tusker House but I don't think that any of the items are on their menu which is too bad because it was quite my favourite).

We had two guides along, both of whom were interns who had done either zoology or biology at university and were very knowledgeable. Both had been there for a couple of years and their information and ability to answer questions really enhanced the tour.

If we can fit it into our schedule the next time we go, I'd definitely do it again.
 
I agree, I can't see doing this tour in Crocs..at one point you're walking right over the alligators...or were they crocodiles. Anyway, I can't see them allowing someone to wear shoes that could so easily fall off. But of course I'm not sure, no-one on our tour tried it.
 
I also agree about the Crocs, I don't think they would be allowed, too easy to lose.

We went on the trek last year. It was awesome. There were only 8 people total on our tour. We went on the first one of the morning, it was nice & cool, but did heat up quite a bit later. (It was in Sept.) The tour guides are really good, funny & nice with a lot of information on the animals, etc. The bridge was fun to walk across, even with my short legs, lol. You do get fairly close to the animals, but again like another poster said you don't get to touch them. The food was really good. My DH & DD are very picky eaters (he eats mostly hamburgers & she eat mostly chicken nuggets the whole trip:eek:) but they both found something they liked & enjoyed in their tin. I liked everything in my tin. The juice is really refreshing & they give out cooling rags when you're in the truck, which really helped.

It's a great tour & totally worth your time (3hrs) and the money. We'd do it again.
 
Another question...are facilities available at any point during the tour? Or do you just have to wait until its over :confused3
 
This was the best tour I have ever done at WDW and I have done everyone that is offered at AK The poster with the blog, awesome pictures :thumbsup2

About wearing crocs..no you certainly don't want to do that They won't allow it anyway, but you'll be walking through wooded areas, traveling over that suspended bridge, etc you'll definitely want safe footwear For the question re-facilities I remember you have the opportunity prior to setting out on your tour, once you're out there there is nothing available for the 3 + hours I did it a few years ago ( prior to memory maker) included in the price is a CD of stock photos and pictures that include you, your party, and everyone else on your tour I believe it is still the same the CD arrived within a week I want to say Since everyone else is on the CD how many of you is on there depends on you The CMs are very nice about taking pictures and you can be in a lot of them You can also bring a small camera of your own ( with the ability to attach it to your vest ) I can't wait to do this again !

 
I wear Crocs 365 days a year, but I will not be wearing them on the tour when I go on July.
 


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