At the beginning of May, Dom and I had an amazing day at Animal Kingdom with one of my friends from high school, Brooklynn, and her boyfriend, George. Before this trip, our last day in Animal Kingdom was in September 2019 so I did a lot of research before we went to figure out how we could get the most out of our day with the changes from COVID. Everything worked out really well – we did all of the attractions and trails that we wanted to, saw the two bird shows and most flotillas, and were able to do some of our favorite rides multiple times.

I wanted to share our itinerary for the day to help anyone else planning a trip, and to show that Animal Kingdom really isn’t a half-day park if you really want to experience everything in one day. I also made a summary (at the end of this post) that you can save to your phone for reference while you’re in the park.

Getting to Animal Kingdom

As always, check the park hours before you go; when we were there, the park was open from 8am to 7pm and that seems to generally be the hours for the summer, but it could vary. While the parks are still at limited capacity due to COVID, 11 hours is plenty of time to get through almost everything with limited wait times. That being said, as capacity increases and since there hasn’t been an announcement about FastPasses returning, it could be more challenging as summer goes on.

Try to get to the park between 45 minutes and an hour before opening since that’s when parking opens. We weren’t in a huge rush so we pulled into the parking lot about 30 minutes before the official opening, but if you really want to maximize your time at DAK it’s better to get there a little earlier.

Morning Schedule

In this order:

• Flight of Passage (if you’re at the park 45+ mins before official park open)
• Expedition Everest (queue usually opens at official park open; will be a walk-on for an hour or so)
• DINOSAUR (should be a walk-on for an hour or so but waits are high by the afternoon)
• Kilimanjaro Safari (try to get in line by 9a – 9:15a; animals are more active in the morning)
• Na’vi River Journey (optional depending on wait times; can come back to later) or one of the trails

Where to head first

If you get to the park 45+ mins early, you’ll be one of the first people through the gates into Animal Kingdom and should head straight to Pandora for Flight of Passage. I’ve heard it starts running 30 minutes before the park officially opens and if you can get in the queue before then, it won’t be too long of a wait and will save you some wait time later in the day. If you get to the park a little later like we did, then it’s probably not worth rushing to Flight of Passage because the wait will already be pretty long. In that case, it’s better to wait until the late afternoon when most people have already been on it and have moved on to the other rides.

If you decide against going to Flight of Passage, take your time getting pictures of the Tree of Life in the morning light and enjoy the ambiance of the empty Asia, Africa, and DinoLand U.S.A. because it won’t last long. You’ll eventually want to make your way back to Asia to get in line for Expedition Everest, but there’s not a huge rush because the ride typically doesn’t start operating until official park open. Everest should be a walk-on for the first hour or so of the day; we actually did it twice in a row which I 100% recommend because it is the perfect way to start a day at Animal Kingdom.

After escaping from the Yeti, head to DinoLand to ride DINOSAUR. DinoLand always looks a little sad first thing in the morning since the Fossil Fun Games don’t open until later in the morning (usually 9a if the park opens at 8a), but it’s the perfect time to ride DINOSAUR because like Everest, it should be a walk-on for the first hour. The difference between the two is that Everest tends to have a fairly low wait throughout the day, but DINOSAUR’s queue slowly builds up in the morning and can be pretty long by the afternoon, so it’s a good ride to cross off early in the day.

As you leave DinoLand, head toward Discovery Island (instead of walking back to Asia) and you’ll see a really cool sand sculpture that’s redesigned every month or so. While we were there, it was set up to advertise for Secrets of the Whales – the new National Geographic documentary on Disney+ – but I think the next week it was redesigned for Moana.

To circle back – if you started your day with Flight of Passage, head to Expedition Everest and then DINOSAUR, or alternatively go straight to DINOSAUR. The deciding factor is the time – be in the queue for Kilimanjaro Safaris by 9a to 9:15a, so look at the wait times for Everest and DINOSAUR once you leave Pandora to decide where to go. It’s okay to skip Everest in the morning since like I mentioned, the wait stays pretty low throughout the day, but you should definitely try to do DINOSAUR before the safari so you don’t end up waiting for a long time later in the day.

Next up: a morning safari

The animals are most active in the morning before it gets too hot, so getting in line for Kilimanjaro Safaris by 9a – 9:15a is important. The earlier you can get there, the better. The wait will unfortunately be fairly long since so many people want to do this key attraction early, but it’s worth the wait I think we waited about 40 minutes.

Because of the extended queue for social distancing while we were there, the line wrapped backstage and was in the sun without shade for a bit. Be sure to put on sunscreen and grab some water before getting in line – sometimes you’ll get stuck standing in one place in the queue for a while if animals start blocking the path of the safari vehicles or if the ride stops loading for another reason.

An argument could be made that this would also be a good time to go on the trails and try and see those animals while they’re more active, but the safari is the best way to see the most animals and I like to save the trails for later in the day when the wait times for rides are high. It’s something to think about doing if you don’t want to wait in a longer line for the safari and want to come back to it later, but I’ve never personally gone on the trails early on.

Check late morning wait times

After the Safari, it can be a good time to head to Na’vi River Journey. If it’s a 35 minute or less wait, I would head there. On our trip, the posted time was 35 minutes but it was actually closer to a 20 minute wait – that probably won’t always be the case, but it’s also just a nice ride to do early on since it’s indoor after being outside for most of the morning. If the wait is longer than 35 minutes or you don’t want to go all the way back to Pandora, don’t worry about it – the queue for Na’vi River Journey goes down a lot by the end of the day so there’s plenty of time later to ride it; we ended up doing it a second time with a much lower wait later in the day.

If you decide against the Na’vi River Journey, it’s a good time to do one of the trails and see more animals. There are three trails at Animal Kingdom – Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in Africa, Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia, and the Discovery Island Trails.

Lunch break

Around 11a, wait times on rides start to spike since most people are at the park by then, so I’m a big fan of the early-ish 11a lunch.

We were really impressed with the variety of quick service food options – it’s something I would have expected at Epcot, but not necessarily at DAK so we were pleasantly surprised. Everything we tried was incredible and Dom and I have already planned to get all of it again on our next day there.

Dom and I tried four different vegetarian options throughout the day:

• Grilled Corn on the Cob with African Spices – from the Harambe Fruit Market, near Kilimanjaro Safaris. I’d heard good things about this for a while and it didn’t disappoint. Head over to the Harambe Market nearby for extra seating.
• “Hot Link” Bowl (plant-based) – from Harambe Market in Africa. For some reason, the Harambe Market hasn’t been showing up on the map of Animal Kingdom in the WDW app, but you can search the app for it to mobile order or stand in line to order, which is what we ended up doing. The “hot link” was spicy and had a lot of flavor, and I really liked the rice and salsa combo also. There’s a lot of shaded seating near the Harambe Market which is great after a few hours of walking around.
• Mr. Kamal’s Seasoned Fries with Curried Honey Mustard and Korean Chili Ketchup – from Mr. Kamal’s between Asia and Africa. I thought these were amazing – the seasoning seemed similar if not the same as the Grilled Corn on the Cob’s African spices (delicious in both cases), and I liked both dipping sauces; one seemed to have a vinegar base – I think the ketchup – so Dom wasn’t a fan of that one. There’s a relaxation station / seating near the stand on the Discovery River which is a good place to eat and watch for the flotillas.
• Vegetable Tikka Masala – from Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes, the quick service counter near Yak & Yeti in Asia close to Kali River Rapids. Dom had this and said it was really good, and there’s a lot of seating near here.

One great thing about all of these places is that they all had free cups of water, which was convenient since we’re always refilling Yetis and Hydroflasks when we get a chance. One of my biggest Disney rules is that I don’t pay for water bottles at the parks, so I’m always on the lookout for places to get free water.

Early Afternoon

While we have a pretty strict schedule in the mornings, the afternoons are a little more flexible due to varying wait times and show times.

First, plan out your show times

Currently, there are three shows at Animal Kingdom and you don’t want to miss any of them. A few tips for planning when to go to shows here:

• Check the app for show times
• Don’t plan on going to the last showing of the day. A lot of people try to go then so it’s risky – it may hit capacity and then you could miss it. It also is nice to leave those open in case you miss an earlier showing you planned to go to
• If you do end up going to the last showing, get in line very early to make sure you get a good seat
• If you have extra time between shows, get snacks that you don’t have to mobile order, take pictures, or walk the trails. Avoid mobile ordering or getting in line for a ride unless you have plenty of time so you don’t accidentally miss a show if a ride stops loading or mobile ordering takes longer than expected

A little information on each show:

A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King

This is the new version of the Lion King show that was around for years pre-COVID; it just returned in mid-May 2021 (previews actually started the day after we were there so we didn’t get to experience it, but I’ve heard great things). It seems to be a slightly altered version of the original that allows for social distancing between the cast members. This show is one of the highlights of Animal Kingdom for most people and is 100% worth the wait.

Since this is a very popular show, I would get in line about 45 minutes early while social distancing is still required. Seating is really limited with COVID restrictions so getting there early is important to get a good seat. As social distancing in shows goes away, you could probably get away with getting in line closer to 25 minutes early.

Check the app for show times – usually there are three in the afternoon and three in the evening.

Feathered Friends in Flight!

This is the main bird show – it’s in the Anandapur Theater in Asia where the Up! A Great Bird Adventure show used to be. It’s a really informative and entertaining show that showcases some of the work the bird trainers have done with the different birds.

There are usually about five showings; you can see the show times in the app or check on the sign outside of the theater if you’re walking between Asia and Africa. The nice thing about getting to this show early is that they start seating people about 20 minutes before the show and there’s a bit of a pre-show with some tricks and information you won’t see or hear during the actual show. Get in line about 25 minutes early for close seats.

Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight

This is a quick, five minute makaw experience that’s really awesome and takes place in front of the Tree of Life (on the entrance side). All you have to do is stand in front of the Tree of Life (so you don’t really need to get there early) and the show will come to you – you’ll know when it’s about to happen when a few cast members show up and the music changes.

The times aren’t posted on the app, but if you go to Feathered Friends in Flight, the cast members should tell you when the next showing is (unless the last one has already happened). This is subject to change, but it seems to usually be every hour from 9:15a – 3:15p except for 12:15p. You should be able to ask a cast member and find out for sure so you don’t waste time waiting around.

The nice thing about the two bird shows is that for some of the Feathered Friends in Flight! showings (the ones at 10:30a, 1:30p, or 2:30p), you can leave from the theater and go right to the front of the Tree of Life for Winged Encounters, since those should happen at 11:15a, 2:15p, and 3:15p. It’s nice to knock these two shows out back-to-back to save some time.

Walk the trails

Between shows or while wait times are still high, it’s a good time to check out more of the trails that I mentioned earlier – Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail in Africa, Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia, and the Discovery Island Trails.

The bigger animals may not be very active in the afternoons when it’s hot outside (I don’t think I’ve ever seen the tiger while she’s awake) but they smaller animals are usually still moving. I really love Maharajah because the theming is so detailed and impressive, and I actually still haven’t made it to the Discovery Island Trails (we opted to repeat some rides at the end of the day on our last trip instead of heading there).

There are a lot of very knowledgeable cast members along the trails, so if you get a chance, ask them some questions. It’s a fun way to learn more about the animals throughout the park.

More attractions

There are usually some low wait times in the middle of the afternoon for TriceraTop Spin, Kali River Rapids, and It’s Tough to be a Bug. These are nice afternoon attractions because:

• TriceraTop Spin has a covered queue (no AC) and has a perpetually low wait time. It’s also a good time to walk back to DinoLand while the Fossil Fun Games are open (note that they do cost money but you can win cute plush prizes). The Fossil Fun Games do close a few hours before the park does, so keep that in mind – the hours are posted in the app.
• Kali River Rapids is the DAK water ride and is the perfect way to cool off. It’s usually a fairly low wait time all day so whenever the heat starts to get to you, it’s probably an okay time to go there. I always think that I won’t get that wet and always end up getting pretty soaked, but with the Florida heat everyone dries off really quickly.
• It’s Tough to be a Bug has an indoor waiting area when you’re next to go into the theater, and the theater itself is indoor as well so it’s a good option to get some AC in the middle of the day. We usually do this fairly late once the wait time on the app shows 10 minutes or less.

If you’re interested in going to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, early afternoon is probably a good time to head there via the Wildlife Express Train that leaves from Africa. It’s not something Dom and I typically do since it’s more kid-oriented and there’s plenty for us to do at the main part of the park. If you’re planning to go, it’s not something you want to put off too long because Rafiki’s Planet Watch closes / the train stops running a few hours before the park closes, so check the app for hours on both. It’s a pretty big time commitment, but I’ve heard really good things about the Animation Experience and hope to do that at some point.

Late Afternoon

As people start to leave the park in the evening, the wait times start to go down significantly at all of the parks. I think this is primarily because there aren’t fireworks or night shows right now, so when those come back it could change and wait times could stay high through the evening. For now, as much as I miss the fireworks, I’ve been enjoying how much we can get done at the end of the day.

This is when it’s best to head to Flight of Passage in Pandora. The wait time should be less than an hour by around 3:30p. This will obviously take up quite a bit of time, so if you were planning on a later showing of A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King, make sure you either leave yourself plenty of time to still make it there, or wait to go to Flight of Passage until after you’ve seen the show.

After Flight of Passage, there are a few remaining and optional things to do:

• Go on any attractions that you missed earlier
• Walk any trails you haven’t been through
• Grab a snack
• Ride favorite rides again (which is what we did – Everest and Na’vi River Journey)

Ending the day

Heading to Africa for a final safari is the perfect way to end a day at Animal Kingdom, in my opinion. There seemed to be fewer animals out but we saw quite a few that we missed on our morning safari (like the cheetahs) so I was really glad we saw them. The end of the day is also a unique time to do the safari because the vehicles don’t run as frequently; when we got to the savanna, we maybe saw one other vehicle compared to the five or six you can usually see at that point.

The last safari vehicle typically leaves the station exactly when the park closes, so get in line 15-20 minutes early so you don’t miss it. It should be close to a walk-on.

On your way out of the park, stop by the shops near the entrance – they have a great selection of merch and usually they aren’t very busy, unlike the Main Street shops at Magic Kingdom.

As you can tell, we had a very full day at Animal Kingdom and did pretty much everything, which is why I will always make the argument that Animal Kingdom is not a half-day park unless there are a lot of things you want to skip or if you go to the park often enough that you would rather split things between days. Since DAK isn’t our favorite WDW park we don’t go there too often, but I think that’s also why we have so much fun doing everything possible when we do go.

The summary of our Animal Kingdom Itinerary is below; I hope it helps you plan your day!

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