Animal Kingdom is Disney World’s newest theme park and perhaps its most misunderstood. Is it a zoo? Are there rides? Is Animal Kingdom fun for adults? Luckily for you, you’re visiting a blog run by one of the foremost Animal Kingdom fanboyz in the Disney parks community, so I’m happy to discuss these questions in some depth. Read on to learn all about planning your adults visit to Animal Kingdom!
Here’s What Makes Animal Kingdom Great for Adults
While the park has fallen behind the Disney World curve a bit, I still consider a day at Animal Kingdom to be one of my favorite experiences at Disney World.
It’s definitely true that the park needs more rides, particularly since it has lost one in the last few years (Primeval Whirl) without gaining any. But there is still plenty to do at the park to build an enjoyable day.
Animal Kingdom is a great “chill” park. While it has some fantastic rides (Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest are two of the best rides at Disney World) the bulk of the enjoyment of the park comes in between the rides.
The details…Fichwa Mickey
You’ll watch stage shows. You’ll grab a beer and watch the Harambe Village Acrobats. You’ll walk the zoological trails and watch the animals.
For comparison, Magic Kingdom is a beast. It will exhaust you. Epcot can also be quite leisurely, but if you’re drinking (or even eating) around the world, it will wreck you. Hollywood Studios can exhaust you with its dense lineup or marquis rides. Animal Kingdom is a great balance.
With the possible exception of Dino-Rama, Animal Kingdom’s lands are all beautifully built and detailed. It’s really a pleasure to be in the park. And none of this is to say your day will be “slow.” It’s still a lot of work to do everything at Animal Kingdom.
lol how is that a real thing
Related Posts
We have a few posts that center on adults-only trips to Disney World. You’ll want to start with our Guide to Planning a Disney World Trip for Adults. We’ve also got park-specific posts:
Guide to Animal Kingdom for Adults (you are here)
Additionally, we have a post specifically to help adults choose their Disney World hotel.
Best park is best
GENERAL Animal Kingdom PLANNING
None of our content for adult trips stands on its own. As an adult, you still need basically the same preparation for a trip to Disney World as any family. In particular, you’ll want to read our Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy and our Animal Kingdom One-Day Plan.
If you’re not convinced by my lengthy discourse about Animal Kingdom, you might decide it only requires half a day. A solid morning could easily cover the major rides most days, so I’m not going to tell you that you have to stick around if you’re on a tight schedule, but I made my feelings clear on this already.
Animal Kingdom Rides for Adults
Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, DINOSAUR, Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safaris are all must-rides for adults. Expedition Everest has a single rider line, which can be good for adults only trips.
TriceraTop Spin is a standard aerial carousel that doesn’t even offer particularly good views. Most adults should feel comfortable skipping it.
Expedition Everest
Other Attractions & Entertainment for Adults at Animal Kingdom
We’ve long praised Animal Kingdom’s amazing streetmosphere. With acts like the Tam Tam Drummers in Harambe and Viva Gaia on Discovery Island, it’s hard to walk through Animal Kingdom and not be entranced by music and dance at some point. We really recommend using the times guide and My Disney Experience app to catch as many of these shows as possible.
There are three live indoor shows. Festival of the Lion King is widely praised and a must-see. Feathered Friends in Flight is missable (in our opinion). And the Finding Nemo show is good and relatively easy to fit into a day. In a full day at the park, you might struggle a hair to fit all three in.
I highly recommend It’s Tough To Be a Bug for adults. While it sounds like it would be for kids (and it is, as with most everything at the parks), adults will definitely get a kick out of parts of it, too.
Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe
Maharajah Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail are both zoological trails worth a walk. If you just take a quick peek at animals, they’ll take you no more than 15 minutes each. Stop and talk to the animal handlers or watch the animals, and they’ll take longer.
Then there’s Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Rafiki’s is a set of zoological exhibits (and the Animation Academy) reachable only by the Wildlife Express Train from Harambe.
Kids will love the petting zoo, and animal- or science-loving adults will probably find enough to justify the visit, but the transit time to and from Rafiki’s means many adult guests will reasonably skip it.
It’s worth mentioning here that many things at Animal Kingdom operate on hours more limited than the park hours. Kali River Rapids often opens late, and the zoological trails and Rafiki’s often close early. The shows also have limited showings. Our favorite streetmosphere—Tam Tam Drummers—often have their last performance around noon.
Green Beer in Pandora
Dining and Drinking
The quick service restaurants at Animal Kingdom are some of the best at Walt Disney World. From the delicious (and pretty healthy) bowls at Satu’li Canteen to the famed ribs at Flame Tree Barbecue, you really can’t go wrong in the park.
The table service lineup is also respectable, with Tiffin’s, Tusker House, and Yak & Yeti all having ardent supporters. You can read more about Advance Dining Reservations at Disney World and the Disney Dining Plans (returning 2024).
The Animal Kingdom Starbucks is located on the pathway from Discovery Island to Africa and is called “Creature Comforts.”
Like Epcot and Hollywood Studios, alcohol is widely available and openly carried at Animal Kingdom. We actually have a separate post covering the best places to get a drink at Animal Kingdom, but I’ll tell you our top two are the indoor, travel-themed bar Nomad Lounge and the outdoor bar in Harambe, Dawa Bar.
If it’s instagrammable green beer you’re looking for, head to Pongu Pongu in Pandora—The World of Avatar and order a Grog Ale (usually also available at Satu’li Canteen).
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.