Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

While at Walt Disney World, you simply must go to Animal Kingdom and take part in the
Wild Africa Trek. I got to take the trek myself with some of my others who attended the
Disney Social Media Moms celebration.

The Wild Africa Trek is a guided VIP expedition that takes you through the park, with a behind the scenes at Kilimanjaro Safaris. A beautiful setting, it’s a great chance to get off the beaten path and lead your way through {and up}, for a closer view of the animals.

You start the trek with getting all dressed up in harnesses {safety first!}, complimentary stainless steel water bottles and name tags. Everyone also wears a headset so that the tourguides can explain what is around you, without yelling and scaring the animals.

Before you leave, there is a chance to have a drink of POG Juice. It’s a tasty Hawaiian blend of Passion Fruit Juice, Pink Guava Nectar and Orange Juice = delicious!

Then, you move up and over a suspension bridge, such a breathtaking view!

As you cross the Safi River, walking across one of the suspension bridges; you walk right over a pit of huge Alligators {yes, the below pic is my view when walking right over them}.

You are allowed to take your cameras on the trek, provided they can be secured to your body. Any loose items such a lens caps which aren’t attached to your camera, can be placed in the pocket of your harness vest. They will also provide you with glasses straps if you’d like to use them. It keeps the parks clean but you also don’t want the animals chocking on random objects.

The last part of the tour takes you through the savanna, on a private truck, equipped with binoculars to use during the duration.

Giraffes and other animals wander freely, and you are able to stop many times to watch, ask questions and take photos. There are so many animals in the Harambe Wildlife Reserve; hippos, lions, gazelles and so many more. With each animal seen, we learned all about the animals as well as the park itself, right rom the experts who knew it all best. There was a white Rhino born at the park, just days after I was there.

Next on the tour is lunch on a private dock right in the middle of the savanna. The African-inspired foods served are delicately prepared by the Disney chefs. Yes, the presentation is amazing, yet it’s not just a pretty dish – it’s delicious as well.

The first tin had sun-dried tomato hummus with bread, tandoori barbecued shrimp and a smoked salmon roll with jicama slaw and lime vinaigrette. Everything was so good, the taste was excellent!

The second camp tin has bresoala and prosciutto; curried chicken salad; and a mix of pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon balls. Even the orchid flower is completely edible!

There was also more POG juice during lunch, it was just what I needed after sweating over alligators all morning! YUM! Keep in mind, the tour accommodates requests for those with dietary restrictions.

It was so peaceful to eat lunch and watch the animals walk by, one of my favorite solitary moments of the whole trip.

The entire trek is a few hours in length, and a photographer also accompanies each tour and catches every moment. Photos of your trek is then sent to your home address on CD. This CD is included in the trek cost, which is nice to see.

Did I mention that the tour guides are so enthusiastic and fun?! The Wild Africa Trek is a fantastic experience, I definitely recommend this great adventure on your next trip to Walt Disney World!

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Disclosure: I was invited to take part in the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Various tickets/passes, accommodations and other associated perks were supplied to our family for the duration of our stay, as part of this program. Yet, I was not specifically asked to share anything with my readers about the conference or anything related to Disney. All opinions are my own, 100% mine!

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