It’s All About the Animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

This is part of a series on Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village. 
Click here to read our overview of Kidani Village.

When I say it’s all about the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, I mean it. After all, I did just stay at Kidani Village for my 40th birthday for none other than to sip coffee and watch animals from my balcony. Yes, we had a lot of fun exploring the resort, playing in the pool and dining at Sanaa, but it was definitely all about the animals.

It all begins from the moment you check into the resort. Carolyn, our concierge, handed us a map of the resort which is marked with savanna overlooks and a Wildlife Spotting Guide. You will also find these guides in your room.

The guides are meant to help you identify most of the African wildlife you will see from your guest room or from common areas throughout the resort. To make the most of your animal viewing, Disney recommends that you visit both Jambo House and Kidani Village.

We found the viewing a bit more enjoyable at Kidani Village as a lot of the viewpoints at Jambo House had tall fences that made for obscured viewing, especially for small children. However, I did notice the animals seemed to be a bit closer to us in the viewing areas at Jambo House.

Before I go on I will just say these are wild animals, you will not be able to feed or pet them. So do not think you are going to a petting zoo, that is not the case here.

In the Wildlife Spotting Guide, you will find a variety of species, from cattle, giraffes, zebras, hogs, wildebeests, a wide variety of birds and more. There are a total of 30 listed in the guide, but with one of those 30 being native birds, you have the potential to see more than 30 different species.

There is a picture of each species with the name and short description in the guide. The kids had a lot of fun checking off the animals as they found them.

If you want to learn more about the wildlife and African culture there are Savanna Guides at both Jambo House – Arusha Rock and Kidani Village – Kidani Rock Overlook that will gladly share information not only about the wildlife but about the African culture, more specifically, their culture.

For example, we met a Savanna Guide Simba who was from Zimbabwe. Simba told us more details about the animals we were viewing as well as some of his favorite places and family back home. He even mentioned that it was hotter here than his favorite place back home which happened to be a dessert. Who knew Florida was hotter than Africa?

We learned from another Savanna Guide that the sounds we were hearing are cues for the animals. They have different pitches for different species that prompt them to go where they need to be. I also asked about storms and was told they do not force the animals inside. In fact, during the last hurricane, the cattle refused to go indoors so they weathered the storm, surviving just fine. Disney does put the animals indoors when the temperatures get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit which is very rare here these days.

Besides the multitude of wildlife viewing locations throughout the resort and potentially your room if you have a savanna view, there are also various animal programs and adventures where you can be submerged in the wildlife experience. There is a Starlight Safari, a nighttime African Game Drive through the savannas as well as Night Vision Animal Viewing. Night vision goggles are provided for your viewing pleasures.

Here are a few pictures of wildlife we spotted during our visit to Animal Kingdom Lodge and specifically Kidani Village.