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Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA

“Florida’s most stunning theme park”

Space isn’t an issue at Wait Disney World. Unlike the resorts in Anaheim and Tokyo, Walt Disney World is free to use as much land as they need. That’s probably why the world’s largest Disney theme park was built here in Orlando. I’m talking about Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a park that has been part of Walt Disney World since 1998. Combining animal exhibits and amusement rides wasn’t new at that time, though. Busch Gardens Tampa, for example, had been doing a similar thing for many years and the concept also existed here in Europe. But you know Disney… and you know that Disney usually wants to do things in the most perfect way. In other words: Disney’s Animal Kingdom isn’t just your average zoo with theme park rides.

ROLLER COASTERS

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is stunning, but it’s far from a roller coaster haven. In fact, the park currently offers only one credit and that’s Expedition Everest. This ride was an instant hit when it opened in 2006, and even today, Expedition Everest remains one of the icons of Walt Disney World. When it comes to theming, you can expect the most from the queue, which bursts with references to Himalayan expeditions and the Yeti. After discovering the queue, riders board a train that takes them to the top of a 199-feet-tall replica of Mount Everest. Riders are then treated to a powerful roller coaster experience with a top speed of 50 mph. Unfortunately, the narrative suddenly seems to fade into the background, with a pitch-dark passage through The Forbidden Mountain as one of the least interesting parts of the ride. Even a direct confrontation with the Yeti can hardly camouflage the fact that Expedition Everest is more of a roller coaster than an immersive experience. I realise that the Yeti animatronic doesn’t perform as the Imagineers originally intended, but it’s a shame that such an impressive ride ends in a somewhat underwhelming way.

PANDORA – THE WORLD OF AVATAR

Expedition Everest is a spectacular ride and the wait times are generally manageable. However, some of the park’s other top-tier attractions manage to create incredibly long queues on a daily basis. One of those attractions is Na’vi River Journey, a dark ride at Pandora – The World of Avatar. Na’vi River Journey is a charming and beautiful boat ride that features one of the most advanced audio-animatronics ever. Still, the ride is far from perfect. The ride duration is disappointingly short and story-wise, Na’vi River Journey fails to build up to a climax. That’s why I wouldn’t wait more than 30 minutes for it. Be sure to visit this ride as early as possible or make a reservation through Lightning Lane Multi Pass (if you’re willing to pay extra).

Another ride that requires Lightning Lane (or a lot of patience) is Avatar – Flight of Passage, the star attraction of Pandora. The World of Avatar is simply breathtaking: exotic vegetation and soaring mountains create the illusion of entering a totally different world. A ride on Flight of Passage will make your visit to Pandora even more complete, but I should admit that I’m not a huge fan of this extremely popular ride. Despite its impressive scale, I just expected it to be more than some kind of 3D version of Soarin’. To make matters worse, the quality of the visuals seems to have considerably deteriorated since my previous visits. I’ll never state that Flight of Passage is a bad attraction, but I just don’t get the hype. And even if the screen quality was restored to its original form, I’ll always prefer classic dark rides like Indiana Jones Adventure, Mystic Manor and Pirates of the Caribbean over this. 

ANIMALS

At 230 hectares, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is undeniably the largest theme park in Florida. For comparison: that is more than three times the size of Efteling. And since a mega park needs a mega symbol, Disney’s Imagineers came up with the so-called Tree of Life. This 145-feet-tall structure serves as an iconic landmark and dozens of animals have been carved into its trunk. At the base of the Tree of Life, visitors can descend into the underground theater of Zootopia – Better Zoogether. Just about every well-known character from the Zootopia films makes an appearance on screen, and Officer Clawhauser even shows himself under the form of an excellent animatronic. Still, I had expected more from a 4D experience that premiered in 2025. After all, the effects are anything but groundbreaking and the storyline offers few surprises. In my opinion, It’s Tough to be a Bug (the show that ran in this venue between 1999 and 2025) offered noticeably more action and fun.

Captain Obvious draws your attention to the fact that animals play an important role at this park. These animals can be spotted at Discovery Island (the area surrounding the park’s iconic Tree of Life) or in one of the park’s wildlife trails. The African section is home to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, but I prefer the gorgeously themed Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia. However, the most popular wildlife attraction is Kilimanjaro Safaris. On its own, this ride is bigger than many European amusement parks. Don’t believe me? Well, then you should definitely visit this attraction to witness the sheer size of it. While riding Kilimanjaro Safaris, it’s actually easy to forget that you’re visiting a theme park in Central Florida. This looks and feels like being transported to the African savanna. Very impressive.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom isn’t located in Africa, but the heat is often similar. Fortunately, the Asian park section offers a perfect way to cool down. Kali River Rapids is Walt Disney World’s wettest attraction. Disney came up with an original backstory about illegal deforestation, but the majority of visitors are simply here for the thrill. And that’s exactly what they get, as Kali River Rapids turns out to be a great rapids ride. For starters, I always love it when a lift hill is placed at the beginning of the ride, as this creates a perfect way to build up the excitement. After that, the river gets gradually wilder, until the raft reaches a 30-feet drop. The well-executed theming and the exotic jungle setting make the experience even more impressive, but in all honesty: the ride is a little too short. Because of this, Kali River Rapids doesn’t perform on the same level as Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, but it’s nonetheless one of the must-dos at Animal Kingdom.

ENTERTAINMENT

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will soon open a new themed area called Tropical Americas. Consequently, in 2026 – and presumably for a large part of 2027 – guests will witness with a gigantic construction site in the southeastern corner of the park. One thing that will remain open during the construction phase is the nearby Theater in the Wild. This is the home of Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond, a musical adaptation of the world-famous Pixar film. Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez collaborated to create catchy songs for this show. And given that these songwriters have worked on Disney’s Frozen and Coco, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the result is more than enjoyable. Dory sings “Just Keep Swimming”, Bruce delivers the hilarious “Fish Are Friends, Not Food” and Crush provides the highlight of the show with “Go With The Flow”. Combine this with beautiful sets and extremely talented puppeteers, and you get a delightful show.

The Lion King is represented at almost every Disney theme park, including Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Since 2014, the Harambe Theatre has been home to Festival of the Lion King, a dance and acrobatics show. The world-famous soundtrack of The Lion King provides a perfect backdrop for the spectacle, but the actual show failed to amaze me. That’s because I’m not a huge fan of audience participation, which is frequently used here. The Lion King shows at Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris are so much better, if you ask me.

WORTH A VISIT?

Despite its rather low number of rides, I’d definitely recommend to pay a visit to this park. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is much more than a zoo, that’s for sure. The park is very impressive when it comes to theming and atmosphere. On top of that, Animal Kingdom is home to several cool attractions, shows and wildlife exhibits. However, I still don’t consider it as a full-day destination. Pandora was a big step forward, but I’d really like to see another world-class ride added to Animal Kingdom. Fortunately, the upcoming Tropical Americas section will include dark rides based on Indiana Jones and Encanto. This new area is exactly what Disney’s Animal Kingdom needs.

What’s your favourite attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Is this the world’s best zoological theme park? And have you been able to see the Yeti in its original operation mode? Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

This article reflects my personal experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom during a visit in February 2026.