Animal Kingdom ended up being one of my favorite days we spent at Disney World. There are so many fun things to do there. The most popular area of Animal Kingdom is Pandora. But we didn’t really spend time there because 1) it was so crowded and 2) there are only a few rides there, most of which have hours of waiting if you don’t have a FastPass+ (and those rides’ FastPass+ options sell out right away.

So the things I’m going to talk about today are the 5 things not to miss in the rest of Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

Expedition Everest

I am a HUGE roller coaster fan. And while Disney doesn’t have TONS of large roller coasters in their parks, the few that they do have across their parks are usually some of my favorite. And Expedition Everest is no exception. In fact, it is my 2nd favorite Disney roller coaster (right after the former California Screamin’; it actually knocked down Big Thunder Mountain from the number two spot!) I rode it so many times and had a blast each time. Between FastPass+ reservations and using the single rider line, I never waited in line for more than 15 minutes to ride this ride. It is so fun and definitely worth at least one ride when you’re in Animal Kingdom.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is the giant tree you see when you walk into the park. It reminded me of the tree from A Bug’s Life. It is amazing from far away but gets even more spectacular the closer you get. Make sure to take time to walk around it and see all of the amazing animals that are carved into the tree trunk. And make sure to stay at the park until it is dark. The tree is absolutely breathtaking at night when it is all lit up.

Kilimanjaro Safari

This was another one of my favorite things we did in Animal Kingdom. We went on a safari! It is probably the closest most people will ever come to going on a real safari and I think it was a fairly good representation of one. You drive around on a loop in safari jeeps and drive right up alongside the animals. My favorites were the giraffes (as they always are). We were able to even see some baby giraffes playing and snuggling with their mamas and it was the cutest thing ever. Even Lucy loved watching those babies!

Festival of the Lion King

Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a ton of rides, but has a lot of experiences including many shows. The Festival of the Lion King was such a fun show! Timon and Pumbaa are your hosts for this music filled show. There are acrobatics, dancing, audience participation and beautiful sets and costumes. It is a nice way to relax because you get to sit for the show in a dark, cool theater.

Finding Nemo-The Musical

Another fun show at Animal Kingdom is Finding Nemo- the Musical. It tells the classic Finding Nemo story but adds in songs, beautiful puppets and breathtaking scenes. It lasts about 40 minutes and is another great stop to cool down and relax

Other Fun Things:

In addition to the 5 things not to miss above, Animal Kingdom also has a few other fun places and things to see and do.

First, especially if you have little kids, DinoLand U.S.A. is a great stop. It has a little nod to a classic city fair with fun rides for kids. Lucy loved the TriceraTop Spin.

Second, walking around and seeing the animals is also a fun thing to do. Especially with kids. We walked between the Asia and Africa areas and found the most hilarious monkeys swinging and playing. It was fun to stop for a few minutes and watch their antics.

Last, if you’re in Animal Kingdom Ben recommends the Sriracha fries. You can find them at a food stand also between Asia and Africa.