Animal Kingdom is Disney World’s newest theme park and perhaps its most misunderstood. Is it a zoo? Are there rides? Is Animal Kingdom fun for adults? Luckily for you, you’re visiting a blog run by one of the foremost Animal Kingdom fanboyz in the Disney parks community, so I’m happy to discuss these questions in some depth. Read on to learn all about planning your adults visit to Animal Kingdom!

Here’s What Makes Animal Kingdom Great for Adults

While the park has fallen behind the Disney World curve a bit, I still consider a day at Animal Kingdom to be one of my favorite experiences at Disney World.

It’s definitely true that the park needs more rides, particularly since it has lost one in the last few years (Primeval Whirl) without gaining any. But there is still plenty to do at the park to build an enjoyable day. (For what it’s worth, the park will probably see more cuts in the immediate future as part of a reimagining that will include a brand new land.)

Animal Kingdom is a great “chill” park. While it has some fantastic rides (Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest are two of the best rides at Disney World) the bulk of the enjoyment of the park comes in between the rides.

You’ll watch stage shows. You’ll grab a beer and watch the Harambe Village Acrobats. You’ll walk the zoological trails and watch the animals.

For comparison, Magic Kingdom is a beast. It will exhaust you. Epcot can also be quite leisurely, but if you’re drinking (or even eating) around the world, it will wreck you. Hollywood Studios is stressful with its dense lineup of marquis rides. Animal Kingdom is a great balance.

With the possible exception of Dino-Rama, Animal Kingdom’s lands are all beautifully built and detailed. It’s really a pleasure to be in the park. And none of this is to say your day will be too “slow.” It’s still a some work to do everything at Animal Kingdom.

GENERAL Animal Kingdom PLANNING

None of our content for adult trips stands on its own. As an adult, you still need basically the same preparation for a trip to Disney World as any family. In particular, you’ll want to read our Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy and our Animal Kingdom One-Day Plan.

If you’re not convinced by my lengthy discourse about Animal Kingdom, you might decide it only requires half a day. A solid morning could easily cover the major rides most days, so I’m not going to tell you that you have to stick around if you’re on a tight schedule, but I made my feelings clear on this already.

Best Rides at Animal Kingdom for Adults

There are five rides I’d consider the best rides at Animal Kingdom for adults:

Flight of Passage
Expedition Everest
Kilimanjaro Safaris
DINOSAUR
Na’vi River Journey

These are must-do rides. Flight of Passage is a unique experience and unquestionably one of the best theme park attractions in the world. Expedition Everest is a thrilling, surprising coaster. It also has a single rider line, which can be particularly good for adult-only trips.

Kilimanjaro Safaris is a little more tame (pun intended), but it’s a unique experience to see live animals in an open habitat. DINOSAUR (which, again, may get closed in the not-too-distant future) is pure thrills, while Na’vi River Journey is pure artistry.

As for the other rides at the park…Kali River Rapids is a fine rapids ride, but I don’t find it to offer anything special. You will probably get wet, you might get really wet, but you aren’t guaranteed a thrilling soak. TriceraTop Spin is a standard aerial carousel that doesn’t even offer particularly good views. Most adults should feel comfortable skipping it.

Other Attractions & Entertainment for Adults at Animal Kingdom

We’ve long praised Animal Kingdom’s amazing streetmosphere. With acts like the Tam Tam Drummers in Harambe and Viva Gaia on Discovery Island, it’s hard to walk through Animal Kingdom and not be entranced by music and dance at some point. We really recommend using the times guide and My Disney Experience app to catch as many of these shows as possible.

There are three live indoor shows. Festival of the Lion King is widely praised and a must-see. Feathered Friends in Flight is missable (in our opinion). And the Finding Nemo show is good and relatively easy to fit into a day. In a full day at the park, you might struggle a hair to fit all three in.

I highly recommend It’s Tough To Be a Bug for adults. While it sounds like it would be for kids (and it is, as with most everything at the parks), adults will definitely get a kick out of parts of it, too.

Maharajah Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail are both zoological trails worth a walk. If you just take a quick peek at animals, they’ll take you no more than 15 minutes each. Stop and talk to the animal handlers or watch the animals, and they’ll take longer.

Then there’s Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Rafiki’s is a set of zoological exhibits (and the Animation Academy) reachable only by the Wildlife Express Train from Harambe.

Kids love the petting zoo, and animal- or science-loving adults will probably find enough to justify the visit, but the transit time to and from Rafiki’s means many adult guests will reasonably skip it.

It’s worth mentioning here that many things at Animal Kingdom operate on hours more limited than the park hours. Kali River Rapids often opens late, and the zoological trails and Rafiki’s often close early. The shows also have limited showings. Our favorite streetmosphere—Tam Tam Drummers—often have their last performance around noon.

As with any Disney park, there are plenty of characters to meet at Animal Kingdom. If it’s the mouse himself you’re interested in, you can meet Mickey as part of the Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost greeting.

Dining and Drinking at Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom Starbucks is located on the pathway from Discovery Island to Africa and is called “Creature Comforts.”

The quick service restaurants at Animal Kingdom are some of the best at Walt Disney World. From the delicious (and pretty healthy) bowls at Satu’li Canteen to the famed ribs at Flame Tree Barbecue, you really can’t go wrong in the park. Again, with “atmosphere” being a big thing at Animal Kingdom, consider eating at Flame Tree Barbecue just for the beautiful, lagoonside seating.

The table service lineup is also respectable, with Tiffin’s, Tusker House, and Yak & Yeti all having ardent supporters. You can read more about Advance Dining Reservations at Disney World and the Disney Dining Plans. For what it’s worth, Tusker House is one of my favorite character dining experiences, particularly for adults.

Like Epcot and Hollywood Studios, alcohol is widely available and openly carried at Animal Kingdom. We actually have a separate post covering the best places to get a drink at Animal Kingdom, but I’ll tell you our top two are the indoor, travel-themed bar Nomad Lounge and the outdoor bar in Harambe, Dawa Bar.

If it’s instagrammable green beer you’re looking for, head to Pongu Pongu in Pandora—The World of Avatar and order a Grog Ale (usually also available at Satu’li Canteen).

All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered

Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.

Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.

When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!

Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.

Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.

Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.