The Best Animal Kingdom Itinerary for 1 Day
On my latest trip to Walt Disney World, I was shocked at how efficiently I was able to tour Animal Kingdom. While I stayed at the park from open to close, I definitely didn’t need that amount of time to see everything the park had to offer. In this post, I’ll be providing you with the Animal Kingdom itinerary that I followed over the course of my visit. I don’t recommend this itinerary for first time guests (it skips a few major shows that I had already seen). If you’ve been to Animal Kingdom previously though and want to get through everything as hassle-free as possible, I thought this recap of my day might be of assistance to your planning.
- You can read more about the various attractions at Animal Kingdom in my park guide HERE.
A Few Notes for my Animal Kingdom Itinerary
If you’ve been following my previous Disney posts, you’ll know that my latest Disney trip took place in July. That means I visited Animal Kingdom (and the other parks) in the July heat. Its also the busiest time of the year at Disney World. Knowing that, I was even more surprised at just how quickly I got through the major attractions when following this Animal Kingdom itinerary. The park definitely doesn’t have as many attractions as the other parks (though it has some of the best). The fact that it opened super early on the day of my visit probably helped me as well.
I was staying on Disney property on my trip, therefore I was eligible for early park admission 30 minutes before opening time. Animal Kingdom’s regular opening time on the day of my visit was 8.00am. That meant I was officially able to enter the park at 7.30am. As always, I highly recommend being at the park well before that time to properly take advantage of that. Normally I’d like to be there 60 minutes before park opening, but as the first bus of the day only left my resort at 6.30am, I got to the Animal Kingdom entrance at 6.55am. There were already lots of people.
I know what you’re thinking – you like your sleep. So do I, but not on Disney vacations! I think Animal Kingdom is actually the most important park to be get with plenty of time to spare, for reasons which I’ll get into soon enough. Needless to say, being there at this hour paid off big time.
I also used Genie+ on my Disney trip. I wouldn’t call it essential at this park, but it definitely helped me get through the early stages of my Animal Kingdom itinerary with minimal waiting around. At 7.00am (while at the park entrance), I booked an initial Lightning Lane reservation for 8.00am on Na’vi River Journey. Note that you can’t make Genie+ reservations for Flight of Passage without purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane pass.
- Confused about Genie+, Lightning Lanes and all that Walt Disney World jargon? My Disney basics post has you covered. You can read it HERE.
Beating the Crowds in Pandora
As is usually the case at Disney parks, we were ushered through the Animal Kingdom entrance a bit before opening time (though not as early relative to the other parks). It was probably around 7.20am by the time we passed through the turnstiles. From there, it seemed pretty much everybody entering had the same idea – Flight of Passage. This is exactly why it pays to be at the front of the pack. Power walking through the Oasis and taking the first left at Discovery Island, we reached another row of cast members who stopped us in our tracks for another few minutes before guiding the mass of humanity into Pandora. If you’re skeptical about crowds this early at Animal Kingdom, the picture of the lines speak for themselves.
I was one of the first few people to ride Flight of Passage that day. It was my first time experiencing the attraction and it was incredible. Definitely the highlight of the day. I’m not sure I’d wait over 90 minutes in line for it, but it is still one of the very best rides in Walt Disney World. The pre-show and attraction eat up a decent chunk of time, so by the time I was finished, it was just past 8.00am. The park was officially open to all and I was able to use my Lightning Lane reservation on Na’vi River Journey.
An Early Morning Safari
Having done both Pandora attractions before 8.30am, Africa was my next destination. Making my way towards that part of the park, I was astounded to see the queue for Flight of Passage extending towards the Africa entrance. I really think 90% of the people in the park were in line for that attraction! Anyway, it was time to venture on out into the savannah with Kilimanjaro Safaris. I especially enjoy doing this attraction early in the day, so this worked perfectly. When it gets hotter later on, the animals aren’t as active, so you won’t see as much. We saw quite a few active rhinos and elephants, as well as the lions (they were actually awake) and much, much more.
Having not had breakfast (nothing was open at my resort when I left in the morning), I stopped for an African coffee at Tamu Tamu Refreshments (yes, they contain liqueur, but look, its a Disney vacation!). Refreshed and caffeinated, I was ready to continue onwards.
Staying Ahead of the Pack
Continuing with my counter-clockwise tour of the park, my Animal Kingdom itinerary next took me to Asia. That meant Kali River Rapids was next. Its normally an attraction I try to do later in the day, but it was basically a walk on. I got soaked of course, but its always hot in Florida anyway! After drying off, I went way deeper into Asia and rode Expedition Everest. Again, at this early hour, there was no line. I love this rollercoaster, so I made sure to take advantage of the short wait and rode it again immediately afterwards.
It was around 10.00am by the time I got into DinoLand USA. That meant it was time for me to select my next Lightning Lane experience using Genie+. While DINOSAUR was the natural choice, as I got to the entrance, I saw it too was practically a walk on – everyone was still in Pandora! Not knowing what to do with Genie, I booked another ride on Na’vi River Journey for later in the day as I got in the DINOSAUR standby queue. I realised at this point that I wasn’t going to get much out of Genie+ for my Animal Kingdom itinerary.
Some Down Time Around the Tree of Life
With all the park’s major rides done by 10.30am, I completed the loop back to Discovery Island. Along the way I stopped by the American Crocodile exhibit in DinoLand. Back in front of the Tree of Life, I saw Its Tough to Be a Bug inside. It was a welcome reprieve from the heat, though as always, kids were crying in minutes! From this point on, I didn’t feel much of a need to plan out the rest of my day and just let my feet take me around the park.
Since I was already by the Tree of Life, I decided to do the Discovery Island Trails next. I enjoyed checking out the tamarins, lemurs and tortoises here, though I was especially amazed by the level of detail on the tree itself. I spent a bit of time checking out the myriad of animal heads carved into its unique design. Sadly the otters were not in their exhibit along the trail. I’m not sure why that was the case – I swung by again later in the day and they still weren’t there.
Animal Adventures at Animal Kingdom
Ready to see more animals, the other wildlife trails were up next on my Animal Kingdom itinerary. I’d normally advise against doing these in the heat of the day (the animals aren’t as active), but having done all the rides, I didn’t have anything else planned. I could have seen a show, but had done Festival of the Lion King & Finding Nemo previously, and I wasn’t that interested in checking out the new Feathered Friends in Flight show. With my mind made up, I headed back to Africa. Before taking the trail there, I stopped off in Harambe Village to watch a street performance (these take place at various times throughout the day).
As the street dance concluded, I entered the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. I really enjoy this trail. There’s some overlap with Kilimanjaro Safaris, but you also see exclusive species (including the gorillas themselves). After checking out hippos, mole rats and more, it was off to the main event. I could have spent much longer watching the gorillas than I did. Despite my concerns about activity, they were going at it! In fact, a few of the large males actually got into a tussle over something. The cast members explained what was going on and that the feral smell that was developing was actually being let off to indicate that the gorillas were irritated.
Finishing up that trail, I followed it up with the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia. Sadly, the tigers weren’t out at the time I visited. This is normally my favourite animal trail at Animal Kingdom, but that definitely took away from the experience. They had been out earlier in the day, so I suspect it was heat related. It was about 2.00pm by the time I finished up with the trails.
Filling in the Afternoon
It was time to use my lightning lane reservation for a second go on Na’vi River Journey, so I headed back to Pandora next. I followed that up with a lunch at Satu’li Canteen. It was my first time eating there, and it was something I wish I had discovered sooner. The chilli-garlic shrimp bowl was DELICIOUS! After my late lunch, I made my way back to Discovery Island. Not sure what was next on my Animal Kingdom itinerary, I decided to try the Wilderness Explorers scavenger hunt.
Since a few of the stations were based out at the Conservation Station, I caught the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I’ll be honest, I didn’t love this part of the park. Its not that its boring, its just by the time you’ve gotten out there and back, you’ve eaten up a solid hour. In my case, it wasn’t that bad (as I didn’t have much else planned), but I don’t think I’d recommend Rafiki’s to a first time visitor to Animal Kingdom. You’d be much better of seeing Festival of the Lion King or Finding Nemo: The Big Blu…and Beyond. At Rafiki’s you can learn about how Disney cares for the animals at Animal Kingdom, and you can also stop by a petting zoo, but I just wasn’t into it. It was about 4.30pm when I got back.
Dinner, Repeat Rides and Bioluminescence
I had a dinner reservation at Yak & Yeti for 6pm, so I filled in the remaining time wandering through the park, checking out a few more Wilderness Explorer stations and street entertainers. I even stumbled across an impromptu dance party on Discovery Island. Right before dinner, I used the single rider line for another ride on Expedition Everest nearby. I enjoyed dinner immensely (I love Indian food!). My waiter was excellent and fixed me up with some great cocktails after my meal. I’m pretty sure he was enjoying my Australian accent!
After dinner (and one more single rider swing on Expedition Everest!), I was heading back to Pandora, keen to experience it at night. Being summer, the sun didn’t set for quite a while, so I spent a bit of time taking in the general ambience and scenery of the land (floating mountains for the win!). With time to kill, I got in the standby line for Flight of Passage. It was a lengthy wait, but being a party of one got me waved through a decent chunk of it. The ride was just as spectacular the second go around.
The park had officially closed by the time I got off Flight of Passage for the second time, but the lights were all on in Pandora. The land is stunning at night as the plants all glow in the dark in various colours. Its something you have to see. I stood around for a bit taking it all in (the cast members were fine with us lingering). Heading back to the Tree of Life, it was also lit up as my day at Animal Kingdom came to an end in a very photogenic manner.
As you can probably tell (first part aside), I had a pretty laid back day touring Animal Kingdom on my latest trip to Walt Disney World. While there just isn’t as much to do here as the other parks, its definitely still worth visiting. Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage make my list of the best attractions in Disney World (maybe I’ll write that some post day!), and its always great taking a safari and trail to see the animals. While I don’t recommend this Animal Kingdom itinerary for a first timer, hopefully return guests will find this post useful. What’s your favourite thing to do at Animal Kingdom? How do you tackle a day at this park?