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Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Activities Guide

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Every resort at Walt Disney World offers daily resort activities for guests. I’d argue that Animal Kingdom Lodge offers the best options of any Disney resort!

This fall my family stayed five nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge and only went to the theme parks one day, so we had lots of time to try out the resort activities.

I’ll describe the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort activities we participated in below with lots of pictures and details of our favorites.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Tours

My favorite resort activity has to be the Animal Kingdom Lodge tours given by cast members. Read on to learn all about them. 

Animal Kingdom Lodge Restaurant

Animal Kingdom Lodge Culinary Tour of Jiko & Boma

Every afternoon, Cultural Representatives from Africa lead a tour of the two incredible table service restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House: Jiko and Boma. 

The Animal Kingdom Lodge culinary tour starts at 4:15 pm every day (check at the front desk to confirm this time). You just show up in the Jiko lobby area. No reservation are required and anyone can attend!

Design Elements in the restaurant

The cast members who led our tour explained the how the design elements in the restaurants symbolically represent African culture and nature.

For example, in Jiko you’ll find the shape of wheat stalks in the flooring which represent an abundant harvest in Africa. I was (once again) bowled over by the thought that goes into every single detail at Walt Disney World!

Tour of Boma Restaurant

Aletta from Namibia led our tour of Boma, and here she is explaining how people from her country use the pots that inspired the columns in the restaurant.

In addition to learning about the design of the restaurants, you’ll get to learn about their culinary offerings – and even taste some!

Zebra dome dessert at Boma

At Jiko, we were offered a sample of the bread and dips from the Taste of Africa appetizer. At Boma, we got to sample some soup (ours was an amazing African peanut soup) and their signature dessert, the Zebra Dome.

The tour lasts 45 minutes and there’s need to register ahead of time – just arrive in the Jiko bar area by 4:15 pm.

African-Inspired, Disney Designed Tour

Every day at 4:00 there is a tour of Animal Kingdom Lodge that starts in the Kidani Village lobby. You just meet by the Johari Treasures sign right outside of the gift shop. 

The tour is about how Disney Imagineers incorporated traditional Afrcan design elements into the Lodge. I haven’t taken this one myself but I imagine it is fascinating – it is also free. 

Animal Kingdom Lodge Tours: Cultural Tour of Sanaa

Also in the Kidani Village section of Animal Kingdom is a tour of the table service restaurant Sanaa at 4 pm. YOu meet at the check-in desk on the ground floor. 

You will be given a tour of the gorgeous restaurant by a Cultural Ambassador from Africa and a sample of food. The tour is free and doesn’t require reservations. 

Starlight Safari

You can pay $74.17 and get a nighttime tour of the savannas on an open-sided safari vehicle at Animal Kingdom Lodge. You’ll get night vision goggle to view the animals that call the savannas home. 

Two tours leave nightly from Kidani Village at 8:30 pm and 10:00 pm. Reservations are required – get all of the details on the Starlight Safari here.

If you take any of these Animal Kingdom Lodge tours you will be in for a treat!

African Face Painting

little girl having her face painted

Every day from 2:00 – 3:00 pm kids can get their face painted in traditional African fashion by a Cultural Representative.

This takes place in the patio area outside of the Mara, the quick service restaurant at Jambo House, or inside the Mara if the weather isn’t great.

little girl with her face painted

Phumalane decorated my daughter’s face in the style of an African princess on her wedding day. Can you tell she loves to have her picture taken?

Considering that face painting in the theme parks costs at least $15, this activity offers great value!

(Tip: Learn how we rent DVC points and paid only $150/night for our stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge!)

Cookie Decorating at Boma

cookie decorating

The activity my little one was most excited about was cookie decorating, of course. Every day from 1:30 to 2:00 pm kids and their grown-ups can decorate African wildlife-shaped cookies at tables inside of Boma.

There’s no need to register for this activity and you don’t have to be a guest at Animal Kingdom Lodge to participate. I have read on other sites that you do need a kiddo with you, but I couldn’t confirm that because I went with my daughter.

Decorated Cookie

Here is her adorable lion with a gummy bear collar. I decorated a cookie, too, but I ate mine before I could get a picture. Oops!

Decorated cookie and plate

Another girl made this giraffe scene and she was kind enough to let me take a picture. It is amazing to me that there is no cost to participate in this activity.

The best part of the cookie decorating was chatting with the two Cultural Representatives who led it while we decorated. I learned so much about life in Africa and how they came to be working at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Poolside Activities

resort pool

We spend lots of time at the pool during our stays at Animal Kingdom Lodge (check out my full review of the resort in this post). Our little one loves the water, and she is finally getting old enough to participate in some of the fun poolside recreation activities!

hula hoop activity

Every day from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Cast Members lead games and activities at both Animal Kingdom Lodge pools. They change daily and include everything from hula hooping contests to Name That Disney Tune.

Kids can win free prizes (usually beach balls and other water toys) when they participate.

My four-year-old daughter played water balloon games and a critter roundup, and we played Bingo together. You can see more examples of the poolside activities on the sample September Recreation Calendar here. 

Mini Cake Decorating

mini cake decorating

Every day at 3:30 in front of Sanaa (at Kidani Village) kids can decorate their own animal-shaped mini cake with help from Cultural Representatives.

toppings

We were the only people decorating cakes that day so we had our choice of cakes and toppings! Those little candy rocks were incredibly good.

We enjoyed talking with Kefilwe from Botswana who helped us with our cakes, and learning that she is scared of chickens! (Note: we keep chickens at home and she said she would run away from them, which my daughter thought was hysterical.)

Wildlife Viewing

animals at animal kingdom lodge

Last but not least is the activity that makes Animal Kingdom Lodge such a unique place – viewing the animals that make the savanna their home.

giraffezebra

Here are some pictures I have taken on various trips to the Lodge over the years. All of them were taken from the public viewing areas.

animal kingdom lodge

I personally think the wildlife viewing and photography opportunities are better at Kidani Village than Jambo House. The animals seem to be closer and more active there in my experience.

For a few hours after sundown, you can view the animals with night vision goggles at either overlook. I’ve never tried this but it sounds like something older kids would really get a kick out of!

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Activities Summary

The activities I highlighted in this post are just a small sampling of what’s offered at Animal Kingdom Lodge. There’s also free (unlimited!) marshmallows to roast at the nightly campfire, educational wildlife activities, and more.

Most activities are free, and there are plenty geared towards adults if you are visiting without little ones in tow.

Animal kingdom lodge recreation calendar

You can view a sample calendar of resorts activities from September 2017 here, but keep in mind the options and times can change from month to month

For me, the highlight of participating in these activities was the connection we made with Cultural Representatives.

The activities gave us a chance to spend some time chatting and getting to know these incredible people who traveled halfway around the world to share their experiences with us. Cast Members really are what makes Walt Disney World so special.

I encourage you to schedule a day (or more!) to experience the resort activities at your resort during your next stay at Walt Disney World.

Do you agree that Animal Kingdom Lodge offers the best activities of any resort? Or are there better options elsewhere? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

An overview of the amazing FREE resort activities at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge! Cookie decorating, face painting, tours, and more, all for free!

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PegP

Friday 15th of March 2019

I read a lot of blog posts trying to decide where to stay each time we visit Disney, so I've read quite a few on the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But I have to say that yours was the most informative one I've read yet. All the others talk about the rooms, dining, and pool, but yours went into great detail about the activities they offer. That was greatly appreciated. I'd been hesitant to stay there because of the distance to all of the parks, but this post convinced me that the Animal Kingdom Lodge is where we need to go next year. Thanks!

Leah

Saturday 16th of March 2019

Thank you so much, Peg! AKL is such a special place for me and my whole family. It is really hard to leave the resort because there is so much to do there. We usually only go to the theme parks one day during a five-day stay and are content with hanging around the resort during the day and going to another resort for dinner. I hope you have the best stay there and please let me know if you have any questions!

Animal Kingdom Lodge Reviews: Pools, Restaurants, and Savannahs - OH MY! - The Frugal South

Friday 22nd of February 2019

[…] The resort activities at Animal Kingdom Lodge are so incredible, I’ve written an entire post just about them here! […]

DeAnn McCoy

Tuesday 18th of September 2018

Thank you so much for this article. I appreciate you mentioning that the activities were open to any WDW guest. Were there any activities you can recall that they required you to be a guest of AK Lodge ? I am staying at a value resort but would love to participate in some of these activities.

Leah

Thursday 20th of September 2018

Hi DeAnn! They did not check our MagicBands for any activity. They are open to guests staying at any Disney resort! Plus they have a new kids' activity center open during the pool renovation that has even more fun (low cost) crafts and activities. Open to anyone.

Michelle

Saturday 8th of September 2018

Do you know where and when they release the schedule for Fort Wilderness?

Ep 8: Why You'll Love Animal Kingdom Lodge + How to Stay There On the Cheap - The Budget Mouse

Thursday 28th of June 2018

[…] Animal Kingdom Lodge Free Resort Activities […]

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