Disney’s Animal Kingdom Rides: Everything You Need To Know!

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Animal Kingdom is a one of a kind Disney park full of amazing sights, real life animals, great foods and thrilling attractions. Whether you want to see some cool animals in an African Savanna, visit the Tree of Life or journey through the world of Pandora, this park has something for everyone. Between the scenic views and animal exhibits you’re bound to feel a sense of peace and relaxation while learning a ton about the conservation and the beautiful word around you.

This is your one stop guide to all attractions and rides available at Animal Kingdom plus some extra tips and things to know so you’re prepared to have the best time at Animal Kingdom!

Disney Animal Kingdom Entrance

Animal Kingdom Rides & Attractions Tips

Genie Plus

Genie+ is a ticket add on created to allow the guests to use Lightning lane entrances through the Genie+ service. Though remember that certain rides will require individual lightning lane purchases that do not come with Genie+. Other included features for Disneys Genie+ are Disney PhotoPass service, Disney PhotoPass Lenses and Audio Tales.

Genie+ Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Entrances

  • Dinosaur
  • Expedition Everest- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
  • Feathered Friends in Flight
  • Festival of the Lion King
  • Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
  • Na’Vi River Journey
  • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

Individual Lightning Lane Purchase at Animal Kingdom

  • Avatar Fight of Passage

To use Genie+ Lightning Lane Selections you can start your first booking at 7am the day of your visit to the park. Then once park opening begins you have to redeem your first lighting lane selection or wait a period of 2 hours, whichever may come first. After this you can book your next lightning lane selection. Remember that your 2 hour timer starts at park opening and not before that, even if you started your first selection at 7am the clock will only start at park opening.

When using Genie+ most people will manage to get about 3 lightning lane usages per day between eating, walking around, buying souvenirs and riding other attractions. Though if you somehow manage your time very well and can squeeze more out then thats great!

Animal Kingdom Mobile Order

This is a fantastic convenient way to save time during a busy Disney day but to still be able to try so many different foods, snacks and drinks. Simply use the My Disney Experience app to mobile order food while standing in line or visiting attractions so you can figuratively kill two birds with one stone!

Animal Kingdom Mobile Order Dining Locations

  • Flame Tree Barbecue
  • Harambe Market
  • Pizzafari
  • Restaurantosaurus
  • Satu’li Canteen
  • Zuri’s Sweet Shop

Animal Kingdom Rope Drop

Rope drop at Animal Kingdom is basically park opening so if you arrive about 30 minutes before park opening you will have time to find a good spot and wait in line for when the park opens. This is nice because there are only so many people willing to go early enough for rope drop. So this means if you have a ride you want to get on you can just head straight to that ride and hop in line before the park gets super busy later in the day.

Animal Kingdom Dining Reservations

If you wish to make dining reservations at Animal Kingdom its best to make reservations up to 60 days in advance, especially for any fine dining or themed dining experiences as those can fill up fast!

If you do make reservations, be sure to read the policies on cancellations and missed reservations! Often you will end up paying a fee for missing or cancelling your reservation after the cancellation window is up.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Pandora

All Disney Animal Kingdom Rides!

Avatar Flight of Passage

Location: Walt Disney World- Animal Kingdom Park- Pandora- The World of Avatar

Hours: 8am-7pm

Extended Hours: 7:30am-8am (early entry)

Ride Type: This ride consists of a single rider strapped into a bike-like vehicle positioned in front of a large screen.

Age: Any

Height: 44in (112cm) or taller

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Lightning Lane
  • Long Waits
  • Thrill Ride
  • Early Entry
  • Super long wait times
  • Recommend doing this ride for rope drop!

Dinosaur

Location: Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom Park – DinoLand U.S.A.

Hours: 8am-8pm

Extended hours: 7:30am-8am (early entry)

Ride Type: This is a thrill ride featuring a dark environment with small drops and scary extint creatures popping out of the woodworks.

Age: Kids-Adults

Height: 40in (102cm) or taller

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Disney PhotoPass service available
  • Lightning Lane
  • Early Entry
  • Long wait times

Expedition Forest Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Location: Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom Park – Asia

Hours: 8am-8pm

Extended hours: 7:30am-8am

Ride Type: This is a fast moving roller coaster ride featuring big drops, darkness and a scary monster chasing you around a Himalayan Mountaintop.

Age: Kids-Adults

Height: 44in (112cm) or taller

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Lightning Lane
  • PhotoPass service
  • Early entry
  • Long wait times
  • Thrill ride

Kali River Rapids – Best Disney Animal Kingdom Rides For Cooling Down

Location: Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom Park – Asia

Hours: 9am-8pm

Ride Type: This is a water ride featuring small drops, some fast moving water and lots of opportunities to get soaked.

Age: kids-adults

Height: 38in (97cm) or taller

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Water ride
  • Lightning Lane
  • Long wait times (summer)
  • Thrill ride
Kilimanjaro Safaris a couple of lions sleeping on a rock during the safari tour

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Location: Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom Park – Africa

Hours: 8am-7:15pm

Ride Type: This is a slow moving ride in an open air Safari vehicle through an African savanna where you can spot real animals roaming about.

Age: All ages

Height: Any height

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Lightning Lane
  • See real animals
  • Long wait times

Na’Vi River Journey

Location: Walt Disney World – Disney Animal Kingdom Park – Pandora- The World of Avatar

Hours: 8am-8pm

Extended hours: 7:30am-8am (early entry)

Ride Type: This is a slow moving ride on a boat like vehicle through a beautiful rainforest within the world of Pandora.

Age: All ages

Height: Any height

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Early entry
  • Lightning Lane
  • Long wait times

TriceraTop Spin

Location: Walt Disney World – Disney Animal Kingdom Park – DinoLand U.S.A.

Hours: 8am-8pm

Extended hours: 7:30am-8am (early entry)

Ride Type: This is a slow moving ride on a spinning above ground Dinosaur shaped vehicle.

Age: All ages

Height: Any height

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Early Entry
  • Low wait times

Wildlife Express Train

Location: Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom Park – Africa

Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm

Ride Type: This is a slow moving 7 minute scenic train ride through a gorgeous planet where you can see real animals and their habitats.

Age: All ages

Height: Any height

Quick Ride Facts:

  • Short wait times
  • Last train at 4:30pm

Every Animal Kingdom Attraction

Animal Kingdom Character Experiences

  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Entertainment
    • Dino-Bash Flotilla
    • Discovery Island Drummers Flotilla
    • Discovery River Character Cruise
    • Adventure Flotilla
    • Adventure Flotilla – Up
  • Donald’s Dino Bash
  • Bon Voyage!
  • About Mickey Mouse
  • About Minnie Mouse
  • Meet Moana at Character Landing

Animal Kingdom Exhibits and Amazing Sights

Visit and learn about the conservation of these amazing real life animals and their habitats within Disneys Animal Kingdom park. You can also learn about the inner workings of Animal Kingdom and visit some amazing sights from well known Disney movies like Pandora from Avatar or see the amazing Tree of Life. These were not included in our rides list but rather we consider them to be attractions, photo spots and scenic sights.

  • Affection Section
  • African Birds
  • African Elephants
  • African Hogs
  • African Lions
  • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
  • Ankole Cattle
  • Anteaters
  • Asian Birds
  • Asian Small-Clawed Otters
  • Babirusas
  • Bats
  • Black Rhinos
  • The Boneyard
  • Butterflies at Conservation Station
  • Conservation Station
  • Cotton-Top Tamarins
  • Dino-Sue
  • Discovery Island Trails
  • Flamingos at Africa
  • Flamingos at Discovery Island
  • Fossil Fun Games
  • Gibbons
  • Giraffes
  • Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
  • Gorillas
  • Hippopotamuses
  • Invertebrates at Conservation Station
  • Kangaroos
  • Komodo Dragons
  • Lemurs
  • Maharajah Jungle Trek
  • Meerkats
  • Migratory Birds at Maharajah Jungle Trek
  • Migratory Birds at the Oasis Exhibits
  • Migratory Birds at Tree of Life
  • The Oasis Exhibits
  • Okapis
  • Pandora
  • Tigers
  • Tree of Life
  • Vultures
  • White Rhinos
  • Wilderness Explorers
  • Zebras at Africa

Shows and Parades at Animal Kingdom

  • Festival of the Lion King
    • This is an all ages stage show about the Lion King.
    • There are several showtimes daily so don’t fret if its too full or you miss a show time.
  • Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
    • This is an all ages stage show about Finding Nemo.
    • There are a bunch of daily showtimes so you can find the perfect time to watch!
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug!
    • This is a cool short show about bugs and their lives.
    • You can use lightning lane on this attraction.
    • This is appropriate for all ages.
    • Hours: 8am-8pm

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Rides FAQ

How many rides are at Animal Kingdom?

This really depends on your definition of a “ride” versus an “attraction”. We consider there to be 8 official rides that are thrilling, fun and include some type of moving vehicle. While on the other hand there are nearly 50 attractions (including rides, exhibits, shows, etc.) at the entire Animal Kingdom park.

Is Animal Kingdom worth a full day?

Yes, Animal Kingdom is definitely worth a full day, especially considering that this park closes the earliest due to the real animals on the grounds. The reason for closing early is because the animals need alone time, rest and relaxation outside of park hours away from thousands of people. Between seeing all of the animals and waiting in long lines you’ll definitely need a full day at the very least to experience Animal Kingdom.

How many roller coasters are in Animal Kingdom?

There is only one official roller coaster ride at the park.
– Expedition Everest

Which rides have the longest lines?

The rides with the longest lines will be…
-Avatar Flight of Passage (average: 70 mins-105 mins)
– Na’Vi River Journey (average: 50 mins- 70 mins)
-Kali River Rapids (long lines during summer) (average: 30 mins – 50 mins)
-Expedition Everest- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (average: 30mins – 50 mins)
– Kilimanjaro Safaris (average: 20 mins – 40 mins)
(average estimations based on personal experience and My Disney Experience app data during peak season. You may end up waiting shorter or longer times)

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