I Thought This Would Be the Best Time of Day to Ride Kilimanjaro Safaris in Disney World, but It’s Actually the Worst

If you’re anything like me, planning your Disney trip is your favorite pastime.

Deciding what new foods to try, picking out the perfect rope drop ride, and hunting for the latest merchandise are just some of my favorite things to day dream about before going to the parks. I’m also constantly planning and attempting to find the best times to ride each ride but what about the worst times?

Our team goes to Disney World every single day and to say we have tried everything is an understatement. Some of the things we’ve tried have been major wins and then some were, frankly, major fails.

From bad weather to gross snack combos, we’ve tried it all so you can know what is and isn’t worth it on your next trip too. One thing I though would be a major win? Riding Kilimanjaro Safaris at the end of the day!

I thought with cooler weather and smaller crowds, this would be the perfect time to see animals out and about but boy was I wrong. There were actually two issues with this end of the day ride that I’ve discovered after testing it a few times. The first is I believe the giraffes must have a great union leader.

That might sound crazy but when I’ve managed to catch the last truck going through the safaris and so many of the animals were already put up for the evening. The giraffes in particular seem to head in before last call but I’ve been on rides where several of the animals were already having a private dinner after clocking out leaving the safari fairly empty. 

Not only to they clock out early at times, this entire attraction traditionally closes before the rest of the park. This is the second major issue I’ve found with the end of the day rides is you might miss them all together!

Kilimanjaro Safaris, along with the rest of Animal Kingdom, prioritizes the animals’ safety above everything so this ride closes before the sun goes down so Safari guides have plenty of light to drive by.

This time varies depending on the time of year and when the sun sets so I have unfortunately missed the last safari several times because I was silly and didn’t double check the closing time!

The wait times tend to be really low towards the evening but don’t make the same mistake I have and miss it because you assumed it was closing with the rest of the park. If you’re looking for low wait times and active animals, a morning safari might be the right choice for you.

If you’re a big planner like I am, make sure you’re planning to double check times on the day of your trip. Don’t forget to keep following AllEars.Net so you can avoid our mistakes on your next trip to see the mouse.

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Have you ever made this mistake? Tell me in the comments!