Wild Africa Trek-Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom Tour

If you are looking for an adventurous way to enhance your trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, look no further than the Wild Africa Trek. It is a privately guided, 3 hour VIP expedition through the largest area of the park (where you go through the Kilimanjaro Safari ride).

We booked our tour 60 days in advance through the website (this was a really hard one to get as we had tried on a previous trip and it had already filled up).

The tour costs $199 per person and includes complementary photo services, African-inspired snacks, and a souvenir.

Our tour was set for 10:15am and we checked in right across from the entrance to the Safari ride entrance. We signed over our lives and waited to be collected by our guides Logan and Kit.

Once everyone had checked in, we were escorted to an area with complementary lockers. Everything went into the lockers except for hats, sunglasses, phones, and any necessary medication. Even our magic bands had to come off for the safety of the animals (they would not make a good snack if they fell into their environment). The guides gave us wrist clips to secure our phones (we had ours on lanyards), and neck straps for our sunglasses (that we got to keep). We were then weighed and the guides began to put on our harnesses and listening devices. We were also given button name tags that we got to keep.

The guides were extremely diligent about our safety throughout the entire journey. Before any activity our harnesses were re-checked. We were also each given a water bottle that fit into pockets of our vests (that we also got to keep) to ensure we stayed hydrated through the trek.

Once everyone was in their sexy safari gear we got a quick and efficient safety briefing and information about the photography that would be happening during the trek. The guides would be taking our photos throughout (some candid and some posed shots), as well as shots of the animals that we came across. If we had any requests as we went along, they were happy to oblige.

We started out on our journey by walking through the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. The guides talked about the animals we saw as we went along, but quickly, as we were just using this trail to get to our “special” trail. Just past the aviary, there was a gate next to some big boulders. We went through the gate and were officially in a private area of the park.

The trail was faint but there and it truly felt like you were out in the wild! You were moving amongst the trees, and you really had to watch your step for rocks, roots, and other tripping hazards. The guides did a great job pointing things out as we all went along. Everyone had an earpiece in, so we could all hear the guides sharing details and various facts about habitats, animals, plants, etc.

After a short walk, we approached the hippopotamus enclosure. We could see the path that the safari vehicles normally take across the ravine (and they were actively going by). We all gathered to the side and were introduced to a hippopotamus expert who would be joining us for this part of the trek and while she began sharing some information about the hippos, the guides started checking our safety gear and clipping us in to a structure via our vests so that we could look out over the ledge safely.

The hippo expert shared some fun facts about hippos in general as well as information about the hippos we were viewing. She had a bucket of their favorite sweet treats like watermelon and attempted to wake them by tapping on the bucket, but the sleeping giants continued their slumber.

We said goodbye to the hippos and continued along the trail until we reached a tall tower and the labyrinth of dangling bridges overlooking the Nile Crocodiles.

We took our time climbing up the stairs and gathered at the top to get our safety gear checked and listened to the safety briefing.

We then began our trek across the first set of bridges. One of the guides went ahead of the group so that she could take photos while everyone crossed. There was an additional guide at the end of the second set of bridges also ready to take photos.

Once everyone was safely across, there was a water refill station and some refreshing cooling cloths (that we got to keep) for the group to enjoy.

Once everyone was re-hydrated and cooled down a bit, we were introduced to the crocodile expert and our safety gear was inspected again. We were then clipped into the lookout stand again so we could step out on the ledge and get a really close look at the crocodiles.

The crocodile expert shared information about the crocodiles, their habitat, and did a great job keeping the group engaged while only steps away from three 17 foot male Nile crocodiles!! Once we finished learning about the crocodiles, we continued a little ways down the trail to a private safari jeep!

This was not like the normal safari jeeps you sit in when doing the Kilimanjaro ride, this one had seating all around the edges rather than in rows so that you could get a 360 degree view of the Savannah.

The guides also provided us with binoculars to use so we could get a closer view of the animals, and they stopped and pulled over several times so that we could stand up and move around in the jeep to get a better look at the wildlife.

After we drove through the main part of the Savannah and past the elephant enclosure, we took a detour at the flamboyance of flamingos to grab a bite to eat!

We stopped at the Boma and were given the opportunity to use the restroom while the guides set up our tables. There were views of the wildlife from every angle of the Boma and we were given the opportunity to take posed photos in front of whatever angle we wanted. The guides reviewed the refreshments with us and gave us time to chow down.

After our refreshments we got back into the jeep and back out on safari. We saw all 5 cheetahs, the white rhinos, the pride of three lions, and some antelope on our way to the wardens camp.

Out of all the tours that we took this week, this one was by far the most enchanting. From all the special extras, to the knowledgeable guides, to the food that you can’t get anywhere else, it was truly a magical experience. If you can take the time out of your park day and get the reservation, it is totally worth it!!