.jpg)
Everyone around here knows how much I love the idea of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The concept of a zoo in an amusement park would be neat enough, but the Animal Kingdom is in some ways closer to a safari experience than that of a zoo.
My excitement about the Animal Kingdom leads me to share new information any time there’s news about the park. I’ve managed to restrain myself from posting in paroxysms of glee whenever a baby animal is born there, but I think that the creation of a new attraction at the Animal Kingdom warrants attention.
The official Disney parks blog has an exclusive look at Wild Africa Trek, a new truly safari-like experience designed for visitors aged 8 and older. Wild Africa Trek affords its explorers exclusive views of animals from atop skyscraping rickety rope bridges and river-dangling safety harnesses; the very slight risks involved thus require the age restrictions.
All stops along the Wild African Trek are supervised by Animal Kingdom guides, trained both to guarantee safety and to give visitors details on the wild residents. Let’s look at some of the unique features offered by the African Trek, which travels through Disney’s Pangani Forest and Harambe Wildlife Reserve.
The aforementioned footbridges are strung from treetop to treetop. They’re designed to look and even sway like classic heart-pounding jungle crossings, but in reality they’re perfectly modern and safe. From atop the bridges visitors get a birds-eye glimpse of the crocodiles and hippopotami swimming below.
Those brave enough for an even more unique view of the Animal Kingdom’s African residents should try “cliffhanging” over the Safi River. No one actually dangles over a cliff; instead, intrepid travelers rig themselves to a safety harness system that allows them to walk right up to the edge of the river amongst the grazing and bathing hippos.
After all the hair-raising adventure, the Wild African Trek also provides its guests with a bit of a rest. A stop at a private savannah camp lets visitors snack on African cuisine while watching the lazy progress of giraffes and elephants meandering nearby.
The Wild African Trek includes more experiences than those outlined here; however, park officials remain tight-lipped about the rest. They want guests to come and learn what the new attraction has to offer for themselves. I’m guessing that while that means there are probably a few other things to do on the safari, the highlights have already been revealed.
I admit that although I think the Wild African Trek is really cool, I’m not really sure that it’s worth the additional cost. That’s right, on top of park admission visitors have to pay extra if they want to take this new tour. All the official Trek website has to say about ticket cost, however, is that prices vary depending on the season.
Why can’t Disney provide a ballpark figure to publish on the website? That makes me think that the cost is more than they’d initially want to reveal, for fear of putting off any potential guests.
Given that other safaris, though they might not contain “cliffhanging” or treetop bridges, are available at the Animal Kingdom as part of the admission, I’d like to know down to the last detail what’s on offer for the Wild African Trek to lure me into forking over the additional cash.
Related Articles:
Disney Scientists Learn the Language of Elephants
Conservation at the Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Aids Orphan Gorillas
*(This image by NightmareAcademy is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
