Tuesday December 3rd, 2013
I was especially excited for this day of our trip because not only were we headed to one of my absolute favorite parks, we were also about to embark on something I had never done before at Walt Disney World and has been on my bucket list for a long time....The Wild Africa Trek. Our tour was not until 11. I had tried previously to get an earlier time for better animal viewing but it was not available and I did not want to miss it.
When we arrived at Animal Kingdom we took our time making our way to the Tree of Life and decided to head towards Harambe first. I am in the minority that on most trips we usually go right at the Tree and experience Dinoland and Everest first. We never were rope droppers for the safari, although after listening to the amazing Radio Harambe podcast I realized that we should have been hitting the safari first in order to see the most animals. It totally makes sense doesn't it? I just never had thought of it before. We had about an hour until the tour began so we really just took our time taking in all the sights and sounds of morning in Harambe. We decided to stroll through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, a favorite of mine. We had some fairly good views of the Gorillas. They were out and active but there was one who was more up close who was definitely toying with me. He/she had their back to us and would NOT turn around. I really wanted to get some great pictures of him/her but they were being stubborn.
Next stop, another first for me and definitely not a last....the Dawa bar! We ordered margaritas and a sugar cane mojito (another suggestion from Radio Harambe, thank you very much). Much to our enjoyment, the Buridika Band also began playing while we enjoyed our beverages. Pretty much a perfect day so far. My cousin ordered the sugar cane mojito so I only got a couple of tastes. I didn't think I would enjoy it because I am not much of a mojito person but it was definitely enjoyable. I can see how it would be a better drink on a very hot day than some. I am a margarita girl myself so you know that is what my choice was. It was also really tasty!
From there we headed towards Flame Tree Barbeque. The trek offered a small little lunch but it wasn't exactly enough to hold us until dinner. We had the free dining plan so we all got a full lunch over at Flame Tree even though we probably also didn't need the full lunch. My mother and cousin were smart, they got the fruit plate. Very light and just enough. I however scoffed at the fruit plate and decided that I could eat an entire smoked turkey breast sandwich. I barely ate half, but the half I ate was really yummy. Love that cranberry mayonaise. We sat right near the water's edge with a perfect view of Everest. This quite possibly is my favorite spot in all of Animal Kingdom.
Also while at Flame Tree I took the opportunity to check out the predator/prey theme.
It was getting a little later in the day at this point and we had dinner reservations at Sanaa in Kidani Village that evening. We decided to head over a little early in order to catch views of the resort while it was still light outside. We just made it and were able to look over the savannah and see some giraffes and other animals roaming about. Man is Kidani Village ever amazing! I think I like the looks of it more than Animal Kingdom Lodge. It has this quaint feeling about it while still seeming luxurious.
Thus concludes day two of Animal Kingdom fun. It was very much one of my favorite days of the trip.
Did you miss Day 1 of the trip report? Find it here:
A December Trip Report - Day 1