Animal Kingdom Tours

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

From the Disney Parks blog...

Have a Wild Time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

posted on August 1st, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager

Earlier this year, we shared a lot of details about the new Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. But did you know that the trek isn’t the only tour offered at the park? Two other tours are also available that offer insight into the park’s creative construction and daily operation.

If you want to learn just how Disney cast members take care of the park’s population of 1,500 animals, the Backstage Safari tour could be a perfect choice. The three-hour program offers a behind-the-scenes look at several backstage animal care and conservation areas, plus a trip through the park’s African savanna aboard Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Stops on this tour include the Veterinary Hospital, animal housing areas and the Animal Nutrition Center. Cast members at these locations work around the clock to care for the park’s 250 different species, while the Animal Nutrition Center prepares more than 4.5 tons of food daily, in dishes that range from fresh fruits and veggies, to mealworms. Backstage Safari costs $72 (plus tax) and is open to guests age 16 and older.

For guests who can’t hear enough about the creativity of Walt Disney Imagineering, the park’s Wild By Design tour is a great option. This three-hour walking tour unveils the design secrets that went into the planning and construction of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Guests learn how the park’s architecture and details support the themes of areas like Anandapur, Discovery Island and Harambe. Highlights of this tour also include visits to the Maharajah Jungle Trek and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. A light continental breakfast at Pizzafari also is included.

Wild By Design costs $60 (plus tax) and is open to guests age 14 and older.

Both tours are wheelchair accessible and can be booked here.

[Judy in Texas 150]

I've been on the Backstage Safari trip and it was interesting. We spent a good bit of time in the animal barns (that area with the rhinoceros and elephants that you pass on the train trip to Conservation Station) learning about animal training, like how they get the animals back to the barns at night, how they teach the animals to submit to vaccinations and give them pedicures.