Description: This was probably my favourite area of the park because it combined the animal trails with a number of quite fun rides. When we first got there, we wandered around the Maharajah Trail which was worth going to because you can see the park’s resident tigers in their huge enclosure. There are glass covered viewing areas so when the tigers walk past you are really close. There is also an aviary that you can walk through and see the birds flying freely. You can also see the surprisingly ugly Komodo Dragons and there is a fruit bat cave that is full of huge bats – I had no idea they got this big to be honest! Don’t worry though they are surrounded by thin nets so they can’t get you!
There are two rides in this part and both of them are quite good and worth going on. The Kali River Rapids have a minimum 38 inch height restriction and basically involve you going ‘white water rafting in the Chakranadi River’. You will get absolutely soaked though it is fun – we actually had ponchos which came in very handed because they stopped us getting as soaked as the other people in our eight man raft.
The second ride Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, which is a roller coaster housed in a splendid reconstruction of Mount Everest. It is a lot of fun – not a mega thrill-seekers ride because there are no loops or anything like that, but it goes backwards and forwards and very quickly, plus there are a couple of big dips. If you dare to open your eyes at the top of ‘Everest’, you’ll get really good views not only of Animal Kingdom – but of the other Disney parks in the distance, so you can spot Cinderella’s Castle and the Epcot ball in the distance. There is a height requirement of 44 inches, but I’d say that younger kids would probably like this one if they have a dare devil streak in them.
There are a few themed dining options in this zone and they suit most budgets. You can get a snack from the various stalls or you can sit down and enjoy Pan Asian food in either the Yak and Yeti Restaurant or, slightly cheaper, Yak and Yeti Café. WE didn’t have time to stop for a sit down meal, but if we’d had the time, we’d have probably stopped here because it looked pretty good and smelled lovely.
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