Starlight Safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
In April 2024, we enjoyed the most magical family vacation at Disney World, starting with a Starlight Safari tour. To read more about our trip, check out A Journey Through the Magic: Our Disney World Vacation.
Arrival Day at Disney World
On our arrival day, we participated in the Starlight Safari Tour at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, following dinner at the Mara Quick Service restaurant. The Starlight Safari is a behind-the-scenes experience available at the Walt Disney World Resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge, allowing us to enjoy a fun Disney adventure without needing a theme park ticket.
This made it a perfect way to kick off our trip without wasting a park ticket for a partial day at the parks. It was an amazing start to our Disney adventure!
Giraffe seen at Animal Kingdom lodge
Dinner Near Starlight Safari
The Mara is located at the Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It offered a decent choice of food, you can order from the counter or select from their prepacked offering (sandwiches, salads, etc.) Considering the price and speed, the food was okay for a quick meal (our favorite Disney food was 1900 Park Fair). After a long day of traveling, it hit the spot. You can pre-order food in the My Disney Experience app.
The Starlight Safari Tour
My son and I love animals, so we were both eagerly anticipating the Starlight Safari—and we were not disappointed! The safari meets outside Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village, where we filled out some paperwork about 15 minutes before the tour began. A valid photo ID was required for check-in as well.
Giraffe eating up close at the Starlight Safari tour at Disney World
Promptly at 8:30, we boarded the safari truck, an open-sided safari vehicle similar to those used in the Kilimanjaro Safaris tours. Each seat was equipped with night vision goggles (more like a monocle), and we were shown how to adjust them. The kids thought the night-vision devices were the coolest thing ever!
I was amazed at how the night vision device allowed us to see animals in the dark. While the naked eye reveals almost nothing at night, looking through the night vision monocle opens up an entire world of wildlife. The difference is truly fascinating.
The tour takes you through the Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannas, giving you a unique perspective of the savannas that you can't get from the Lodge itself. The safari vehicle actually drives on the open Savanna of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. You almost forget you are in Florida and feel as though you are riding an open-air safari vehicle in the African Savannas, it is such a unique experience.
Zebra up close during the Starlight Safari tour at Disney World
The tour’s cast members were incredibly knowledgeable and shared interesting facts about the animals, the savanna, and Disney World as a whole. The cast member giving the tour was an animal specialist who has worked at Disney for 15 years and is one of the animal caregivers, explained how they care for all the animals, including their barns and veterinary needs.
My son was in awe and has decided he wants to pursue a job like this when he gets older. The tour guide truly inspired both of us to explore potential careers at Disney World that he might want to pursue in the future.
During our tour, we saw giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and several types of birds up close—so close, in fact, that we could almost touch them! We paused to watch a group of giraffes eating and lounging, giving us the perfect opportunity to take pictures.
The Starlight Safari was an unforgettable experience and an excellent start to our magical vacation. It is a must-see for any animal lover on a Disney Trip. The nighttime tour was one of the coolest experiences we had, and I highly recommend it to fellow animal lovers. Seeing the animals up close in their natural habitat, under the cover of darkness, was so much fun.
Getting Reservations for the Starlight Safari Tour
Disney Enchanting Extras truly enhanced our Disney vacation. For more information on extra costs, minimum age requirements, tour times, and more, be sure to check the Disney World website. Behind the scenes tours are usually made up of a small group, making them difficult to get reservations for. Booking this experience was quite challenging; I had to use a third-party reservation alert tracker to notify me when openings became available.
I initially tried to secure five reservations for the Starlight Safari but only managed to get three. I used Mouse Dining to track this activity as well as several dining reservations that weren’t available during my 60-day booking window. I highly recommend this service if you're having trouble securing all your reservations in advance.
To read more about our most recent Disney Trip check out our other posts.
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