If you have ever stayed at a Walt Disney World resort and turned on your TV then there is a good chance that you will know that you can take a private safari at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Waynama Safari is exclusive to guests staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village. However, a reservation is not included with your room so if you would like to partake in this adventure you will need to book a reservation: which can be done at the front desk in the lobby at check in or before your trip by phone.
For the last few trips my family has stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge or Kidani Village. We love it. The entire atmosphere of the resort is amazing. And to top it off there are dozens of animals roaming around in the various savannas. It is like being in another world. We had taken notice of the private tours on our first stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge and when we stayed at Kidani Village a few years later we had booked our spots.
We were told to arrive around mid afternoon for a snack before the safari. We met the keeper that would be guiding us on our tour and the executive chef of Jiko. The chef explained each of the dishes that he had prepared and why they he had chosen them. Honestly, the 'snack' was more like lunch. There was so much food for just 12 people. There were also a few different drinks to sample. I loved the iced red tea. It had so much flavor and I felt rejuvenated with each glass I drank. After the reception luncheon we were guided to our safari truck.
We were lead around the back gated area by Kidani Village. This is where our keeper told us they commonly saw alligators. Sadly, we did not see any that day. We then pulled around to the first savanna. We were a little disappointed at first. We could see the animals, but we were driving alongside a giant fence. Sure, we were close to them, but we had a a better view from our hotel room. Then we came to a gate, where we entered into the savanna. The first animals we came upon were giraffes. I feel that you can't fully understand exactly how tall a giraffe is until you stand directly next to one. I felt like an ant. Our keeper, whom I had been talking with about my own profession as an aquarist, told us about the behavioral training they did with giraffes. She said that giraffes can shut off part of their brain to go to sleep at anytime, and they sometimes do that in the middle of training sessions.
As our tour went on we learned about the various breeding programs that Disney participates, their role in supporting conservation efforts, and how to tell the animals apart by the tagging/notching system that is commonly used in the ears of hoof stock. About halfway through the safari we noticed that there was a little truck ahead of us. They were keepers, and they were putting out food for the animals. By the time we ought up to where they had placed the food several animals were already there happily munching away at their dinner. It was amazing. It was so peaceful to be so close to these animals that I had only ever seen in zoos, just watching them live their lives as if I wasn't even there.
There were a few animals, mainly the ostriches, that really didn't seem to care about any boundaries with the truck and came right up to it. So many animals just walking around us carrying on their day with no cares. I felt that I was a part of their world. And our guide was able to give us first hand accounts of what it is actually like to work with these animals on a daily basis.
Since our trip was in the middle of December it was rather chilly and the sun did set fairly early. About thirty minutes before the end of our tour the sun was too low to provide enough light to take good pictures. This acutely wasn't so bad, it allowed to to view the experience without looking through a camera. However, the chill in the wind was much more noticeable. And we were rather cold by the time our safari was done.
After our tour we were taken back to Jiko where the executive chef explained every part of our meal. When you read the information for the Wanyama Safri it says that you will start with a light snack, a tour of each savanna at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kindani Village, and you will have dinner and a sampling of South African wine. It was more than a sampling.
With the start of our meal they brought out different breads and hummuses. That was paired with a rum cocktail. Which, I had not been expecting and was on the strong side. For those do not want alcohol, or those under 21, they offer the same drink without the rum. Then we were given our first course. Mainly smaller dishes like finger food. Lots of flavors. They paired this portion with a white wine. This was my favorite wine that night. When they brought out the main dishes I could not believe how full our table was. We had short ribs, grouper, several veggie dishes, chicken three different ways, shrimp, cornbread, and mac 'n cheese (yes, you heard me right). Of course, this was parked with a red wine. While I did like the wine, I was new to reds at the time so I thought it was a little dry. I was also rather tipsy at this time having just had a mixed drink and a full glass of white wine. The dessert was a little fancy for my liking, and it wasn't what I had been expecting. Don't get me wrong it was good, but nothing that I would feel the need to order if I had to pay for my meal out of pocket. The dessert wine that was paired was almost too sweet. But, it did make up for the last of sweetness in some of the deserts. But, much like with the red I couldn't' finish it as I had already had more than my fair share of alcohol.
Overall, it was an amazing experience. I loved every minutes of it. The only thing I would do differently is not have actually eaten lunch that day and brought a heavier jacket. For some reason I didn't think we would be outside as long as we were. We had been told that the entire experience would be around 4 hours, including dinner. But, I think it ended up being closer to 5. The luncheon was about 30 minutes, and was enough food to have fed everyone there a full meal and still had some leftover. The safari itself was about about two and a half hours and dinner was a little over an hour and a half. I did feel a little underdressed to be eating at Jiko, all the other guests were wearing nice dresses or khakis and a button down shirt, but our group looked windblown and out of place. But, to be fair we had just spent two hours in the open riding around outside.
It was an experience that I still talk about to this day nearly two years later. That was one of my favorite memories at Disney. One day, I hope to take my boyfriend so we can enjoy making our own memories together. It is a little on the pricy side, but if you break it down I don't think its that bad of a deal. If I remember correctly it was about $190 per person. But, if you think about it that isn't too bad. Dinner at Jiko is expensive and could easily run around $80 a person if you got wine and dessert. There was lunch, which I'd say would have been around $20 a person. So, that it $100 right there. $90 for a two and a half hour private safari is not that bad if you ask me. Oh, and Disney donates a portion of all the proceeds to their conversation fund. How cool is that?
I highly recommend this hidden gem at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The memories will last a lifetime.
Have a magical day!
That's a lot of talk right? Trust me, it lives up to the hype. You see I had my eye on this resort for many years. We had even made a quick visit during the holiday season one year just so we could see if it would be worth it to stay there. Well, that and to see all the Christmas decorations. The resort did not disappoint. The lobby alone lives up to all the hype. And then some. When we booked our next trip we decided to give Animal Kingdom Lodge a try.
Our first stay had a slightly less than magical start. We were checked in by a cast member in training and she had forgotten to alert housekeeping that we had checked in. So, housekeeping didn't know to tell the front desk that our room was ready. Which meant that we had to sit in the lobby. For nearly four hours. To make the most of the time, and the super hot day, we hit up the pool for a little while and then had lunch. We explored the resort grounds, well it was more like we ran around each floor to see what kind of view each window had.
We loved talking with the various cast members that we encountered. Many of them were from different countries in Africa. They loved talking about their culture and asked so many questions about our hometown. Many of them were excited about using their time off to visit different parts of the United States.
My family, which isn't always open to new culinary adventures, even decided to expand their horizons. We gave Boma a try. It is now one of my favorite restaurants at Disney. Again, that is saying something. The flavors were something I had never experienced before. Some, I absolutely loved and others I can say that I have tried and most likely won't give them a go again.
