Bay Lake · RedAwning

Disney's Animal KingdomWalt Disney World's 1998 zoological park — the 145-foot Tree of Life, Pandora's floating mountains, Avatar Flight of Passage, and Kilimanjaro Safaris through 110 acres of African savanna

The fourth and largest Walt Disney World theme park — opened April 22, 1998 (Earth Day) on a 580-acre footprint off Osceola Parkway in Bay Lake, Florida. Half theme park, half accredited zoo: Disney's Animal Kingdom is the largest zoological park ever built, home to over 2,000 animals across 300 species, and is fully AZA-accredited. Seven themed lands fan out from the Discovery Island hub: Oasis, Discovery Island, Africa, Asia, DinoLand U.S.A., Pandora — The World of Avatar (2017), and Rafiki's Planet Watch. Headline rides are Avatar Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, and Na'vi River Journey.

Hours today8:00 AM – 8:30 PMSaturday hours
TicketsFrom $1191-Day, 1-Park — Value (lowest)
LocationBay Lake, Florida2901 Osceola Parkway
Official sitedisneyworld.disney.go.comPlan your visit

1998Opened
580Acres
300+Animal species
~9MAnnual visitors

Disney's Animal Kingdom opened on April 22, 1998 (Earth Day, by deliberate design) — the fourth Walt Disney World theme park and, at 580 acres, the largest single Disney park ever built. Joe Rohde's Imagineering team conceived it as a hybrid between a theme park and an accredited zoological garden; the resulting park is fully AZA-accredited and houses over 2,000 animals across more than 300 species, ranging from white rhinos and African elephants on the Harambe Wildlife Reserve savanna to siamang gibbons and Komodo dragons on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The 145-foot Tree of Life centerpiece is a steel-framed sculpture carved with 325 individual animal motifs — a 4,500-square-foot outer surface designed by Rohde and lead sculptor Zsolt Hormay over 18 months of fieldwork.

Seven lands radiate from Discovery Island and the Tree of Life. Africa anchors Kilimanjaro Safaris, an 18-minute open-truck drive across 110 acres of habitat for the giraffe, elephant, lion, white rhino, hippopotamus, ostrich, and Thomson's gazelle herds (over 30 species roam the open savanna). Asia holds Expedition Everest, the 199-foot Yeti-haunted coaster (2006) with the world's first switchback-track sequence, plus Maharajah Jungle Trek's tigers, fruit bats, and Bengal tigers. Pandora — The World of Avatar (May 2017, James Cameron-collaborated) houses Avatar Flight of Passage, a 4D banshee-flight simulator widely cited as Disney's most immersive ride, plus the slow-boat Na'vi River Journey through bioluminescent rainforest. DinoLand U.S.A. holds the DINOSAUR ride and is in active reimagining toward a Tropical Americas / Encanto retheme announced in 2023.

Plan a full day, prioritizing wildlife in the cooler morning hours. Kilimanjaro Safaris reliably delivers the most active animal sightings during the 8:00–9:30 AM and last-90-minutes windows — heat stresses the savanna species in midday. Buy date-based tickets through the My Disney Experience app to lock the lowest tier (Jan 7–Feb 4 and Aug 25–Sept 18 are reliably cheapest). Lightning Lane Multi-Pass reservations open at 7:00 AM day-of; book Avatar Flight of Passage first as it sustains 90–120 minute standby waits all day. Festival of the Lion King runs four times daily in the 1,375-seat Harambe Theatre — the strongest live show at any Disney park. Pandora's bioluminescent walkway lights up after sunset; stay until 30 minutes after dusk to see it.

The Tree of Life
The 145-foot, 50-foot-wide artificial tree at Discovery Island — a steel-framed sculpture carved with 325 individual animal forms across its trunk and root structure. Designed by lead Imagineer Joe Rohde and sculptor Zsolt Hormay over 18 months, the canopy spans 160 feet wide and holds 102,583 individually-attached translucent leaves. Inside the trunk is the It's Tough to be a Bug! 8-minute 4D show (an A Bug's Life-themed comedy in a 430-seat theater). Tree of Life Awakenings — projection-mapped stories that transform the trunk after sunset — runs in 4-minute cycles every 10 minutes from 30 minutes after dusk to park close.
Avatar Flight of Passage
The headline ride in Pandora — The World of Avatar, opened May 27, 2017. A 5-minute 3D-IMAX-and-individual-banshee-saddle simulator that takes riders soaring across the planet Pandora's floating Hallelujah Mountains. The pre-show DNA-link sequence and matching-room scenes were co-developed with James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. Standby waits regularly hit 120+ minutes from rope drop; the only reliable shortcut is the Lightning Lane Single Pass at $22, or boarding the rope-drop crowd within 5 minutes of park open.
Kilimanjaro Safaris
An 18-minute open-truck safari ride opened with the park in 1998 — across 110 acres of African savanna habitat themed as the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. The drive passes giraffes, African elephants, white rhinos, hippopotamuses, lions, Nile crocodiles, ostriches, Thomson's gazelles, sable antelopes, and 25+ other species in mostly open enclosures separated by hidden trenches. Best wildlife activity hits the 8:00–9:30 AM first-hour window and the last 90 minutes before the late-summer sunset closes; midday rides see most savanna species sleeping in the shade.
Expedition Everest
The 199-foot Anandapur Yeti-themed coaster in Asia — opened April 7, 2006 as the most expensive roller coaster ever built ($100M). The 4-minute, 2,950-foot track features the world's first switchback-track sequence (the train rolls backward through a 30-second darkroom segment), an 80-foot drop, and an 8-foot-tall animatronic Yeti that has been operating in B-mode (the strobe-lit "disco yeti") since shortly after opening due to chassis-stress damage. Expect 45–75 minute standby waits; the Single Rider line averages 15 minutes shorter.
Pandora — The World of Avatar
Opened May 27, 2017 in collaboration with James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment — a 12-acre fully-themed land that recreates the planet Pandora from the Avatar films, with floating Hallelujah Mountains rising 160 feet above the walkway. Two ride attractions: Avatar Flight of Passage (4D banshee simulator) and Na'vi River Journey (a slow 4-minute, 30-second boat ride through bioluminescent caves with a final shaman audio-animatronic widely cited as Disney's most realistic figure to date). The walkway's bioluminescent lighting comes alive 30 minutes after sunset.
Festival of the Lion King
A 30-minute live stage show in the 1,375-seat Harambe Theatre in Africa — running continuously since the park's 1998 opening. Four singing tribal leaders, eight tumblemonkeys, four stilt-walking giraffes, and a fire dancer perform a song-and-puppetry adaptation of the 1994 film. Four showings daily on most operating days. Widely cited as the strongest live show at any North American theme park; arrive 30 minutes before showtime to claim center seats.
Maharajah Jungle Trek
A self-guided walking trail in Asia, opening with the Asia land in 1999 — themed as the ruined royal hunting grounds of the fictional Anandapur kingdom. The walk passes Bengal tigers (3 individuals as of 2024), giant Malayan flying foxes, Komodo dragons, gibbons swinging through ruined Hindu temples, and a 50-species aviary at the trail's end. Allow 25–35 minutes; mornings and late afternoons deliver the most tiger activity.
Tree of Life Awakenings
A projection-mapping nighttime show that transforms the Tree of Life into a glowing animated story-stage — running on a 10-minute cycle from 30 minutes after sunset to park close. Three rotating vignettes lit by 100+ individual projectors trace stories of fireflies awakening the canopy, native African animals stampeding the trunk, and an autumn-into-winter forest sequence. Best viewing: the central walkway between Discovery Island and the Asia bridge.

Open hours

Animal Kingdom traditionally operates the shortest hours of the four WDW parks because animal husbandry standards drive an early close — most savanna species retire by 6:00 PM. Peak Christmas and spring break weeks extend to 9:00 PM with the seasonal Tree of Life Awakenings projection-mapping show. Kilimanjaro Safaris closes 30 minutes before park close in summer (the late-day light triggers the best wildlife activity). Pandora's bioluminescent walkways come alive after sunset — stay until 30 minutes after dusk for the lighting moment.

Monday8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
SaturdayToday8:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Sunday8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Note · Theme park reservations are not currently required for most date-based tickets. Park Hopper hours start at 2:00 PM. Festival of the Lion King runs four daily showings at the Harambe Theatre — claim seats 30 minutes before each.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

1-Day, 1-Park — Value (lowest)$119Cheapest weekday in mid-January or early September
1-Day, 1-Park — Peak$184Christmas week, spring break, July 4th
1-Day Park Hopper add-on$65Hop after 2:00 PM among the four WDW parks
Child (3–9) — Value$114Children 2 and under enter free
Lightning Lane Multi-Pass$27Per ticket per day — pre-book 3 rides at a time, weekday DAK pricing
Lightning Lane Single Pass — Avatar Flight of Passage$22À-la-carte skip-the-line for Pandora's headline ride

Walt Disney World uses date-based tiered pricing — Animal Kingdom is consistently the cheapest of the four WDW parks because of shorter operating hours. Buy in advance through the official site or My Disney Experience app to lock in the lowest tier. Parking is $30/day; resort guests park free. Multi-Pass reservations open at 7:00 AM the day-of; book Avatar Flight of Passage as your top priority — it sustains 90+ minute standby waits all day. Wildlife sightings on Kilimanjaro Safaris peak in the first ride of the morning (8:00–9:00 AM) and the last 90 minutes before the late summer sunset.

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