Voice of Travel

If you thought the closest you could get to the animals on Disney Property was by going on the Kilimanjaro Safari at the Animal Kingdom, you are mistaken.

If you visit the Animal Kingdom Lodge, you can go out in the back of the resort, and see animals that are right outside! And since you’re not on a ride, you’re not going to pass by them for a moment, and then they’re gone. You can stay until you want to leave – or until the animal leaves!

This goes on all day, and no, you don’t have to be a guest at the Animal Kingdom Lodge to watch the animals. It’s completely free, and you can watch them as they walk around and eat.

In fact, if being outside watching the wasn’t enough, you can eat lunch or dinner at Sanaa and watch the animals outside as well.

The fun doesn’t end when it gets dark out though.

At night, the cast members bring out night vision goggles, and you can watch the animals in the dark!

This is also available to guests staying at the resort, as well as those who are just visiting for the evening.

So if you or your children were upset when it was time to leave the Animal Kingdom because they weren’t done watching the animals, you now know where you can go to continue watching them.

Many of the animals are more active at night, so you should get to see a lot!

Some of the animals you can expect to see here are zebra, giraffes, pelicans, bongo, wildebeest, the blue crane, and more!

The hours the night vision goggles are available change throughout the season, so you might want to call or stop by the AKL to find out when this will be happening during your visit.

If you’d like to see other tips as they become available, check out 365 Days of Disney World Tips!

Enjoy,