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Description: A unique 3 hour experience at Animal Kingdom.


Review: http://land.allears.net/blogs/lauragilbreath/2011/02/wild_animal_trek_animal_kingdo.html


http://land.allears.net/blogs/dnews/2010/10/bookings_begin_oct_15_for_uniq.html


xoktenox

Registered: August 2008
Location: Long Island
Posts: 14
Review Date: Sat March 23, 2013 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: EVERYTHING
Cons: none!

My husband and I have been fortunate enough to have taken part many different "special" offerings in Disney including the Keys to the Kingdom tours, several spa visits, the Christmas and Halloween parties, etc. but none of these experiences have compared to the Wild Africa Trek. Hands down easily one of the best things we've ever done in the World and in the (real) world! Walking over the suspension bridges was such a rush! I have pictures I was taking of my husband while he walked over and I was on the other end; the smile on his face says it all. Another part of this experience that was great was the photopass CD we received in the mail from our tour guides a few weeks after we got home. One of our guides was there taking pictures of us as well as the animals and scenery throughout the tour and I loved having those professional photos to add to our collection. After a couple hours of the tour we receieved a delicious lunch out on the savannah with a gorgeous view as well as access to clean bathrooms. All the food was wonderful and of course, the jungle juice/frunch that they gave us (just like what's served at Boma or Kona Cafe) was tasty as always. While this tour was not cheap, I cannot recommend it enough! Amazing experience!!
nh9016

Registered: January 2011
Posts: 9
Review Date: Thu January 31, 2013 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything!
Cons:

I went on this tour in Nov. 2012. It was so amazing! Tour guides Devon & Andrea were fantastic. I have other thoughts on pricing than other reviewers. I would have said that the water canteen likely would cost $20+ in a store; the lunch to get at a restaurant (you can't get it elsewhere) would likely cost $20-30; and photopass CDs (while this isn't the "traditional" photopass CD, it is essentially the same concept)usu. go for $120-150. That is the cost of the tour. The animal experiences were amazing. Yes, maybe it would be nice to let the guests toss the food to the hippos, but it was still very cool to see them & the crocodiles up close. Walking over the rope bridge was well out of my comfort zone, but that's one of the reasons I did it and it was amazing! It was wonderful to get an opportunity to pull over at various viewing areas and spend more time looking at the animals and hearing their stories. The Cheetahs came out to the road - the first I've ever seen them other than way back up against the trees. The Giraffes came up close to the Boma while we were eating lunch. It was incredible to spend time out on the Savannah and watch all of the animals, learn more about them & learn more about the Savannah. And it's nice to get to know the other people on the tour with you that you might otherwise never have interacted with at the parks. Absolutely no complaints from me! I even recommended it to multiple cast members that I spoke with during my visit. Probably one of the coolest things that I have ever done at Disney World - right up there with parasailing at the Contemporary!
melmac82

Registered: January 2013
Posts: 2
Review Date: Mon January 28, 2013 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 6 

 
Pros: tour guides, lunch
Cons: cost, safari

I went on this tour with my mom, sister, and friend back in October. We are Disney regulars and probably average 2-3 trips every 2 years. I'll say that my expectations were a little too high for this, and I'll also admit that a large part of that was based on the cost. I put "yes" that I'd recommend the tour, but it's really a recommend with reservations. There are a lot of other reviews that detail every part of the tour, so I won't go into all of that, but rather just highlight and give my honest opinion of the things that most stood out to me.


I have to start off first with the cost. For a tour that offers no discounts I was expecting a lot for $201.29 (cost including tax). We did this tour as an incentive for my sister (she's 27 by the way) to not make us go to Universal to see the Harry Potter section. So let's say that the lunch (VERY GOOD!, but not for picky eaters and waaaayy too short) would cost about $20-25 if eaten at a restaurant; the CD (a lot of great pictures!, but remember the tour guides are not official PhotoPass photographers) would cost about $10-15; and the water bottle about $10. This all adds up to $40-50, meaning that the rest of the trek better be worth the $150. After doing the Keys to the Kingdom tour for $65 (less with discounts) and the Behind the Seeds tour for $18 (less with discounts) I can officially say that this one was not even close to being worth $150!!! Now, if the price for the entire tour was about half of what it is, then I would be a lot more likely recommend it to anyone who asked.


Another bad thing about the cost is that only one person in a group gets the Picture CD (I got the CD, but my mom, sister, and friend didn't get one). The CD is supposed to be included with the tour and nowhere does it say that only one person in a group gets a CD. So essentially, everyone paid for a CD up front, but I had to end up making and sending out a copy to everyone else. Since we are all adults and live in different locations I had to spend the money and time to buy blank CDs, make the copies, and mail them out. If everyone in your party lives in the same household then it's probably not a big deal, but if not then see if you can request that everyone in your party receive a CD when you check in.


Next, I'll point out some of the things in the description, what I expected, and what we actually got:


"Journey deep into Pangani Forest on a thrilling, privately guided expedition featuring close encounters with exotic wildlife species." --> Yep, the Pagani Forest is the trail that is located right outside the exit of the safari. So, I expected to see things that I couldn't from just walking on the trail like I've done dozens of times when visiting the park. Nope. You get to walk and fight the rest of the regular park crowd to see the animals while trying to listen, through the ear piece that keeps falling out of your ear, to the little extras that the tour guides are saying. And we went through the trail faster than I do on my own.


"Get closer than you ever dreamed possible to Nile crocodiles and massive hippos." --> Pretty accurate, but I would have liked to toss some of the fruit/veggies to the hippos.


Crossing the rope bridge was fun and something to experience! My complaint though is that they send you across one at a time. So if you're near the beginning of the group (we had an almost full group of 11) you have to stand around at the end waiting for everyone else to come across. Or if you are at the end, you have to stand around until it's your turn. I was probably 4th in our group and had to wait about 15 minutes until everyone was across. And yeah, crocodiles are cool to see, but they just lay there, so there's only so much looking until it gets boring.


"Venture on to a VIP safari across an open savanna teeming with native African creatures!" --> Again I expected that we would get to see other parts of the safari area other than what you get to see on the safari ride. And again, nope. You do get to ride in a private safari truck, but it just follows the regular safari ride's road. We did get to stop about 5 times (wildebeasts, ankole cattle, elephants, lions, rhinos) to take good pictures and hear more about the animals and their care from the tour guides. It was nice to get good pictures, but I didn't get to see anything that I couldn't otherwise see on the safari ride.


"...including a visit to an exclusive safari camp with incredible views of everything from towering giraffe to powerful rhinos." --> This is where we ate lunch. Again I was thinking that this was in an exclusive area, but it's right in the middle of the safari ride savanna - you can see the building while on the safari, it's on the right when you go by the flamingos. Lunch was very good and we had a good view of the giraffes - until they decided to wander off somewhere else. So you may or may not get a good look at animals during lunch. It just depends on which ones want to wander by. If you want a guaranteed look at the animals where you can spend as much time as you like and can see them closer just go to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and see the animals there. Also, lunch was kind of short. I'm a fast eater but I had to really eat quick and ended up stuffing the dessert in my mouth as we were leaving because I didn't want to leave any of the really good food!


So basically I have two summaries of the Wild Africa Trek depending on who I'm talking to:


For those who don't care about the cost and have tons of extra money laying around: The Wild Africa Trek is awesome and a great experience you don't want to miss!


For those who are wondering if they want to spend $200 on a tour: You get to experience some new things and get closer to the animals than you can in any other offered experience, but it's not worth the money. Go over to Animal Kingdom Lodge, eat at Sanaa for lunch (where they have savanna views from the restaurant), and then go sit outside in a rocking chair to watch the animals while enjoying a Mickey ice cream bar from the gift shop. You'll spend a lot less money, see about the same amount of animals, and hey, you get a Mickey icream out of the deal too. Smile
Lou28

Registered: January 2013
Posts: 16
Review Date: Mon January 14, 2013 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: tour guides, photo cd, lunch
Cons: expensive, animal viewing can vary

I took this tour several months ago with my family. The tour guides were top notch. They also did a great job getting good photos of my family. Another highlight was the meal served at the boma, very good! Seeing the hippos up close was great, too. Unfortunately, our tour day turned out to be a hot one. The harnesses felt heavier and more uncomfortable in the heat. You don't realize just how heavy the harness is until you take it off about halfway through the tour. The cold wash cloths were a welcome addition as well as water bottles. I have taken the regular safari ride 2-3 dozen times and had the misfortune of seeing the fewest animals ever on this tour. Our truck stopped for a while in a few places but not many animals were out and about. During our lunch there weren't many animals to see either. Our tour guides tried to compensate with lots of interesting information. Given the nature of the animals, it is hard for Disney to provide a consistent tour experience. I'm sure on a different day I could have seen lots more animals. This is a wildcard factor to consider before booking tour. The "thrill" aspects of the tour (namely, rope bridges) were less thrilling than expected. There is just one L-shaped bridge. Everyone passed over it rather quickly to make way for the next guest without much time to appreciate the surroundings. I was pleased with the photo CD, which arrived quickly after our return home. I do think Disney should send a CD to every person, not just one per group, considering we all paid a rather hefty price for the tour. I would recommend this tour to people looking for something different to try at AK and with extra money to spare. Do be prepared that animal viewing can vary.
TerriChicago

Registered: August 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 5
Review Date: Sat August 25, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Close up to the animals
Cons: seats on the truck are not easy to view

I went on the trek with my college age daughter and her boyfriend on August 22, 2012. I am 56 and have a sendentary occupation. So I trained for the trek by parking my car at the shopping center in the farthest backlot, took extra stairs in the mall and walked the park district sculpture park. I was ready!
We were outfitted and thouroughly trained on using our equipment. We had to demonstrate we knew our equipment vest before we started hiking. We met a researcher working with the hippos and he was able to share very detailed information on the habitat, feeding, breeding, you name it. Our tethers (picture a leash) let us step to the very edge as the big hippo opened it mouth. The ducks bravely try to swipe a piece of salad from the hippo. I thought the rope bridge was the most challenging physical task. The hiking was smooth thanks to a great pair of shoes. I could have used a pair of bicycle gloves on the bridge crossing. Next up was the crocs. They were not feeding, but a researcher stopped by and gave us all the details of the nile crocodiles. Mandy our guide did a lot of work and kept us entertained and accounted for. The truck brought us accross the plains where the hippo and giraffes were moving around. We were able to spend more time than the safari ride. Our guides talked about the giraffe habitat and newbies on the way;).
The African Trek is very research and science oriented. There are numerous points were we are informed about the risks to environment and habitat. I learned that elephants hate bees and to keep elephants away from African farmer's fields (salad bar) they build beehives on the fence lines. Now I want to find elephant safe honey at the grocery store.
The snack lunch they gave us at the savanah pavilion was superior. My daughter is a plant eater only and they had a great vegan lunch.I would have loved some elephant safe honey to dip my pita in.
I can cross Disney's African Trek off my bucket list.
SimbaYaYuda

Registered: July 2012
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 1
Review Date: Mon July 2, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything on this tour
Cons: Too short but that's OK

Did this tour on June 30 with our guides Stephanie and Elle... They are very knowledgeable and kept our attention with their vast knowledge of the animals and their behaviour. We started out with some jungle juice, suited up and hit the trails. Our group was like a big family, which made it even more fun. Loved seeing the animals up close and personal. Enjoyed the bridge walks. Well worth every penny..and it was the most memorable part of our visit to WDW. I highly recommend anyone who visits Animal Kingdom to do this tour! Not only that, it was an honor to have our money go toward the conservation fund to help the animals. My only "complaint" is it was too short..the three hours flew by.
jbald

Registered: June 2010
Posts: 11
Review Date: Thu June 21, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything!
Cons: None

AWESOME! Our guides were Mandy and Julie, they were so wonderful, knowledgeable and funny. This went so far above our expectations. We went on 6/16 at 11:45, the weather was perfect. The snack was delicious. The cool towels were definitely refreshing. Seeing the animals up close-priceless. If you have a chance to take this tour do it!
tigregk

Registered: January 2009
Location: Michigan
Posts: 18
Review Date: Tue June 12, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Where to start?
Cons: None

This was an excellent experience & I would highly recommend it.


My wife and I enjoyed the trek while on our Disneymoon. I was stealthy enough to suggest we chill with a morning coffee near the check-in stand. She noticed the cast member with the fancy vest setup, and went over to investigate. She thought it looked pretty cool, and after we finished our drinks we walked over to check in. Big Disney smiles followed Smile


Three family groups, totaling 11 made up our group. Our guides were wonderful, and provided excellent information, story telling, and entertainment.


The trek portion is casual and non strenuous. You first parade through Harambe in your kit, to the envious glances of other park guests, and enter the Pangani Forrest trail. After a brief trip down the beaten path, you veer left and the adventure begins. Views, information, and perspective that you're not likely to receive anywhere else. Way to go Disney!


Then a customized truck is provided for your group, and you travel along a portion of the "regular" safari, with extended stops along the way. Eventually, you make your way to a private outpost of sorts. Juice, water and a light snack are provided (very tasty) and you have some time to enjoy the solitude & scenery. Way to go Disney!


All in all, an excellent experience. It's a bit cost prohibitive for larger groups, but hey... It's Disney money. It doesn't really count right?
Cari

Registered: May 2012
Location: Washington State
Posts: 2
Review Date: Tue May 29, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything!
Cons: None

My husband and I did the Trek on 5/19/12. It was the highlight of the trip and I would recommend it 100%. It is expensive, but worth every penny! Do it if you can!
linlawr

Registered: February 2010
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 11
Review Date: Sat May 26, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Insider view of AK
Cons: None

This has to be the best tour in WDW. I can't tell you how many times I've been through the Safari but the tour is by far the best way. I did the tour in February on a rather cool morning (60s)which was perfect. The animals were active which was a treat. You really get to see them up close and the provided binoculars helped. Lunch was great. The guides were very friendly and informative. It was expensive but worth saving for. The photo CD arrived within a few days of arriving home filled not only of all the pictures taken during my tour, but lots of others as well. Well worth the price and can't wait to do again!!!
wendygemdavis

Registered: May 2012
Location: Trussville, AL
Posts: 2
Review Date: Wed May 23, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Behind the scene look at the animals, private tour, food, everything!
Cons: expensive, but worth every penny!

My son, Jake and I, went on the Wild African Trek on May 18, 2012. We had to be at the front entrance at 7:30-7:45AM. We had to swipe our ticket to enter the park (after paying $410 for both of us to go on the private Trek). We walked to the Harambe village to a locked gate. The guide unlocked the gate and the adventure began for us. We got to this small structure, where we were weighed (weight limit is 310lbs) and given Jungle Juice, water, sunscreen, and bugspray. We did not get back to that gate until 11:40 AM. We got to feed the hippos, stand above the crocs (that were huge), see a rhino only feet from our Trek vehicle, eat the most extrodinary food (made by the Tusker House and probably valued at $40 or more) and so much more. I loved every minute or it and cannot wait to see our pictures. At the end, we were able to decide where part of the money for the Trek will be donated. I highly recommend this adventure!
castlefan

Registered: March 2012
Posts: 4
Review Date: Wed March 14, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: private tour
Cons: too short!

We took the Trek on March 7, 2012, and our wonderful guides were Megan and Lani. The girls knew their stuff and were very informative and were also a lot of fun. Everything, from the initial fitting of the vests to our last goodbyes, was thoroughly enjoyable.
Our driver pulled over several times on the "regular" safari track so we could use our binoculars and be told more interesting factoids about the animals we saw and about Animal Kingdom in general. You could see the wistful looks on the faces of the folks passing by who wished they were on our safari.
Our meal on the elevated boma was simply lovely and very delicious, and yes, I ate my orchid. We could have sat there all day watching all the animals on the savannah, but alas, we had to leave.
Yes, the Trek is pricey, but save up and go. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me, and I highly recommend it.
stoutcraig

Registered: March 2006
Location: Salem, Oregon
Posts: 14
Review Date: Sat March 10, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything
Cons: Nothing

Hujambo(hello),
This was a truely wonderful experience. Several other people have done a great job explaining the details of the tour, so I won't go over all of them again. Instead, I would just like to talk about everything that you get as part of this tour. The cost of the tour is mentioned frequently, and it is costly $189 plus tax, but it is well worth the price. This is what you get:
1) An incredible private, three hour tour with personal attention from several knowledgeable cast members.
2) Views of animals you would rarely get on the standard tour, and in very few other places in the world.
3) A very tasty and nicely presented lunch.
4) An ice cold wet towel to freshen up and cool down with about halfway through the tour.
5) A stainless steel water bottle with the Wild Africa Trek logo.
6) A photo CD with (in our case) 133 photos taken during our tour including several posed photos of us and our tour mates, plus 50 stock photos from the "best of" Wild Africa Trek.
7) An exclusive to the tour Wild Africa Trek pin.
8) A personalized Wild Africa Trek name tag.
9) A portion of the tour fee is donated to a wildlife conservation effort. You get to direct your portion to a particular group of endangered animals.
10) An opportunity to sit at the Boma (house) for lunch with a view of the savanna that is both relaxing and inspiring. You can see several types of the animals from there.
11) An experience that you will remember for a lifetime.


So, is the tour expensive? Yea, but you will never regret having spent the money. If is a remarkable experience with a group of dedicated cast members.
alleto18

Registered: February 2012
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 1
Review Date: Sun February 19, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything!!!
Cons: None!!!

I went on the Wild Africa Trek on Saturday, Feb. 4th with a full group of 12 people. Our guides were Jenny and Andy. Let me start off by saying, this was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life! It was everything I expected, and more. It was a gorgeous, sunny morning with temps in the mid 70's, and I don't know that I would want it to be any warmer.


We started out by checking in at the Dawa Bar behind Tusker House. We were then taken down a path near the river, and over to a special area where we were greeted by our guides, fitted with our gear, and given our name tags and water bottles. We then went up a small hill to a practice bridge, which was about 6 feet off the ground, to make sure we were comfortable with crossing. We then had a little "jungle juice" refreshment and filled out bottles with water for the trek.


We waited about 15 minutes total for everyone to get checked in and geared up, and then our trek began. We hiked through the "back woods of the savannah" all the time being educated by Andy, while Jenny headed up the rear taking a ton of pictures along the way. This part of the Trek is a little strenuous and I would not recommend it for anyone who is not in good physical condition. We did have one older lady in our group, she was about 60-ish, and she did well, but was clearly fit.


We came to a small open area where there were croc and hippo skulls, and Andy gave us some background information on both animals. We then hiked over to our first of two "tether" experiences over cliffs. The first was the hippo habitat, it was just incredible. We were tethered to a track, and able to slide down the track as far as we liked, allowing everyone in the group to be on it together, and we could "hang" as far out as we wanted over the exhibit, which was about a foot from the ledge. We were about 10-15 feet above the lone male hippo, with the females in a separate habitat across the safari road. We were met by an intern who was there to answer any questions we had, and we had a ton! We asked so many questions, and he had answers for every one. It was so incredible to have such a wealth of information about the hippos, and the savannah.


We then trekked to the next part of our adventure, the crocodile habitat, and again were tethered at the ledge, and met by an intern, who again answered a wealth of questions, this time we were just 10 feet above the crocs, and there were about 30 of them directly below us. They were swimming, coming ashore, opening their mouths, and even climbing over each other. Things that you'd never see on the public safari ride. We were able to hang out as long as we wanted, taking both our own pictures, and posing for Jenny as well.


We then trekked over to two suspension bridges that spanned over the savannah, overlooking the hippos, and then the crocs. The bridges were about 100 feet each in length and about 30 feet high. It was just magical to be able to walk so high above the savannah and have such a unique vantage point. We were allowed two people on the bridge at a time, when one of us got half way down the bridge, the next person would go, just for "safety", but even though they make the bridge look rickety with missing and broken planks, it is completely secure, and I tested this out several times, jumping up and down, and shaking it, just for fun. Smile


We then trekked to a near by area where were got to take off our gear and board an open air truck, smaller than the safari trucks, they sat about 14 people comfortably, allowing our group and tour guides to sit. Jenny then took over the reins as our guide while and took pictures of us, and the savannah. We again got to ask any questions we wanted through out the ride, and Jenny and Andy had a wealth of information for us. If they didn't know an answer (which was only twice) they radioed someone and got the answer in a couple of minutes!


We got to go "off road" and get a close-up of the giraffes, and the rhinos. At one point a giraffe was so close to me, I thought for sure he was going to stick his head in the truck and greet us! Andy got out and took a million pictures of us and the giraffes, and as we were ready to move on, a giraffe decided to take a stroll down the road, so we got to hang out for about 10 minutes and take more pictures while we waited for her to move. We even got to stand up in the truck for pictures and scenery, and the driver would stop as much as we liked to see things and take pictures. We even got to see an elephant running across their habitat, and two babies playing with each other in the dirt! It was truly incredible.


After our adventure on that part of the savannah, we headed to an overlook area with thatched roofs and really nice decks where we would have our Tusker House lunch. It was so nice, we had a covered area with tables and chairs, and then there were large cushy chairs along the deck where we could lounge and relax. There were telescopes and binoculars all around so we could get a close up view of the animals on the savannah while we relaxed. I could have stayed there all day!


Our lunch was in a two-tiered "tin", and it was really yummy! I do not eat fish or seafood, so I was given a few items that were different from the rest of the group. (when you call to book the trek they ask you if you have any special dietary needs) In the tin there was an edible orchid, tandoori chicken, curry chicken, proscuitto, fruit salad, mini pitas and roasted red pepper hummus, and a turkey roulade with cream cheese. It was all delicious, and plenty filling as a lunch. I ate everything. They also gave us plenty of jungle juice and water. Andy again shot pictures all the while, and we got to spend about 45 minutes there before heading out on to the savannah again. There are nice restrooms on the overlook as well, but they do advise you that you should take a potty break before suiting up, because this restroom is not available to you until 2 hours into the tour.


So, after that we got to venture through the rest of the savannah, and then we exited our truck at a platform where the public groups also exited. We were then taken back to our original starting point, where we got our personal belongings and then posed for some group photos, and then we were walked back out to the Dawa Bar.


Two days after I got home, a photo CD arrived with all the pictures of our Trek. There were about 150 photos on the CD, and they did not disappoint!


This experience was truly one of a lifetime, and worth every second, every penny. It was so incredible that when we return for a family trip in May, husband and our 10 year old son will be joining in the Trek! I can't express enough how wonderful Andy and Jenny were, or how incredible this experience was. If you can do it, don't hesitate, just book it!
wdwamanda

Registered: August 2009
Location: MA
Posts: 65
Review Date: Mon January 2, 2012 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Everything!
Cons: Expensive (though worth it)

4 adults took the first tour of the day. The trek itself was absolutely AMAZING, and as we've been back to Animal Kingdom since then, each time we see a group going out we wish we could join in! It was such a personal, fun look at the animals. I got some unbelievable photos of hippos while they were being fed. The bridge was fun and even my mom (who is terrified of heights) enjoyed it and was totally fine. The safari and Boma overlook were great. While the picky eaters in our party only ate a few things from the snack, it wasn't a big deal. The views were great and we got to stop and stand up to take photos of giraffes and cheetahs especially (WOW!).


I absolutely recommend this tour if you are interested in animals or photography. Despite the price tag, you really won't regret it.
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