Lots of people talk about Epcot and Magic Kingdom rides. People sometimes completely forget that Animal Kingdom exists or think that it is just a glorified zoo. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great place that shows Disney magic in unique ways. Put these top Animal Kingdom Rides & Attractions on your Disney Bucket List!
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In my opinion, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an all day park. Between all the attractions, Animal Kingdom only Character Meet & Greets, and live street performers your day can be completely filled with fun!
Best Animal Kingdom Rides & Attractions
Avatar Flight of Passage– This brand new Pandora ride needs a Fastpass as the waits are VERY long. You get to ride a banshee through Pandora. This is ride is like Soarin’ on steroids. One of the best rides on Walt Disney World property. One of the best ways to make sure you get on this ride (and ride it more than once) is to buy an Animal Kingdom After Hours event ticket.
Na’Vi River Ride– This ride also warrants a Fastpass, but if you don’t get one the wait is not as horrible as the Flight of Passage ride.
Kilimanjaro Safari– Get a Genie+ Lightning Lans for this attraction. If you can do this attraction twice in the same day. Once in the morning and once near dusk or at night. Each time you ride this attraction, it is different because of the animals behaviors. I really enjoy the night time experience except for the fact that I don’t have the camera equipment that would grab awesome pictures. My iPhone tried. but failed. Halfway through I just decided to forget about pictures and just experience the ride.
Finding Nemo the Musical- Finding Nemo the Musical is a sweet theatrical production with some fantastic performers that is currently closed as of November 2021 but Disney just announced some exciting news about this great show.
Disney is bringing a reimagined version of “Finding Nemo: The Musical” to Theater in the Wild at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. They are calling it “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” The new show is set in the timeline of the movie “Finding Dory.” When Guests take a seat in the theater, they’ll find themselves at the Marine Life Institute.
As the show begins, we catch up with the fish from Dr. P. Sherman’s office in “Finding Nemo,” who have made their way across the ocean to California. They tell the story of Nemo and how they all got there, incorporating many of the beloved songs and production numbers from the original show. The team is hard at work getting “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” ready to open in 2022, and we look forward to sharing more soon.
Festival of the Lion King- No Fastpass needed. Every seat is a great seat at this show! The cast members who perform in this show are amazing. The show includes dancing, flame throwing, singing, and acrobatics. I think this is my favorite show on Disney property.
Expedition Everest- Get a Fastpass for this attraction. This is a fun thrill ride with great theming! This coaster ride takes you backward and is a great twist on a regular coaster ride. Rider beware: this ride gives a lot of people motion sickness. If you are prone to motion sickness, this is one ride you will want to avoid. I
Kali River Rapids- You will most likely get wet on this ride. My only complaint about this ride is that it is over way too quickly. Tip: Just outside of the ride there are some free lockers to store your belongings so they don’t get wet.
Dinosaur- Dinosaur is located in Dinoland. Get a Fastpass for this attraction. This ride is pretty intense and even scares some adults. It is fun though for those looking for more wild adventures. I love this ride! I avoided it for so long because of the hype in Disney Facebook groups and the ride was really not that bad.
The Tree of Life– I know this is not a real “attraction” but you need to spend some time getting a good look at all the carvings in the Tree of Life. Plus, the new Tree of Life Light show at night is pretty amazing! The light show is similar to the Celebrate the Magic castle projection show at the Magic Kingdom. The projections on the Tree of Life make it look like the animals are jumping right off the tree. Don’t miss this!!
Enjoying the Days has a great post with some great Animal Kingdom Trivia, including something you may not know about the Tree of Life!
Animal Kingdom Touring Tips
- Visit Pandora at night so you can see it all lit up and pretty!
- Animal Kingdom is pretty spread out area wise, so study the park map via My Disney Experience and plan your itinerary so that you are not going from one side of the park to the other.
- Looking for a great Quick Service meal? Check out the Flame Tree Barbecue!
- Since Animal Kingdom is a less populated park, I find that pin trading is better.
- Don’t make your itinerary minute by minute, there are several street performers that you should stop and listen to or play with.
What are your favorite Animal Kingdom Top Attractions?
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