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 - Starlight Safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge
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 Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, allowing us to participate in 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. After a long day of traveling, it hit the spot. After the Mara, we made our way from Jambo House to Kidani Village.
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 guests checked in and filled out some paperwork about 15 minutes before the experience began. A valid photo ID was required for adult guests at check-in as well.
Giraffe eating up close at the Starlight Safari tour at Disney World
Checking In to the Tour and Night Time Goggles
Promptly at 8:30, we boarded the safari truck, an open-sided safari vehicle similar to those used inKilimanjaro Safaris. 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 get a good look at the animals in the dark. While the naked eye reveals almost nothing at night, looking through the monocle opens up an entire world of wildlife. The difference is truly fascinating.
The ride 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 cast members were incredibly knowledgeable and shared interesting facts about the animals, the savanna, and Disneyas a whole. The cast member 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. They were open to questions along the way from guests, and there were many.
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. At each stop, the driver made each person got their pictures before moving on with the tour. We were able to take great night pictures of Zebras and Giraffes.
Getting Reservations for the Starlight Safari Tour
For more information on costs, tour times, minimum age requirements and more, be sure to check the Disney World website. Behind the scenes tours are usually made up of a small group of guests, making them difficult to get reservations for. If you want to participate in this tour, you need advanced reservations. On a side note, booking this experience was quite challenging; I had to use a third-party reservation alert tracker to notify me when openings became available. Even with a third party tracking, I was unable to get tickets for each person in our group. On this trip, we were 5 guests in total, however I was only able to score 3 tickets for Starlight Safari.
I used Mouse Dining to track this activity as well as several dining reservations that I was unable to book during my 60-day booking window. A general reservation note for Disney World, I highly recommend Mouse Dining if you're having trouble securing and Disney reservations.
The Starlight Safari was so much fun and an excellent start to our magical vacation. Where else will you encounter a close up visit with such wonderful animals. It is a must-see for any animal lover on a Disney Trip.
