Disney4me Posted 5 hours ago Report Share Posted 5 hours ago When it comes to Disney World, there are so many special experiences that you might not know about! Tree of Life If you’re looking for new Disney experiences that not everyone has, Animal Kingdom is a great place to start. Not only can you get a unique experience, you might even learn a thing or two (and don’t we all love edutainment?!) We’re diving into Caring for Giants to see if it’s worth your time and money on your next trip to see the mouse. Over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, things can get pretty wild! There are several amazing attractions, underrated delicious food options, and behind-the-scenes tours that will blow you away. One of those tours is Caring for Giants! This tour is an hour-long experience where you can get even closer to the African Elephants that call Animal Kingdom their home. Elephants on Kilimanjaro Safaris This tour is an additional fee, but it’s only $39 per person, which feels like a steal in Disney World. To start off our tour, we checked in for our designated time at the Animal Tours booth right outside of Kilimanjaro Safaris. There, we met our tour guide, and they kicked off the experience. Tour check-in! This tour started by taking us backstage (behind the scenes in the parks), where we couldn’t snap any pictures. We spotted the 45 Kilimanjaro trucks used on the attraction before we started driving behind the ride itself! They gave us some cool insight (like that road behind is called Perimeter Road), and we got to see the animal barns (aka the animal enclosures). A view of the enclosures from the Wild Life Express Train While we were backstage, we also spotted different piles of labeled soil and rocks. They also taught us about the 60 acres of land outside of the theme park where they care for the land and animals. For the different animals on property, they grow 8 different types of leafy greens to feed them, and we got a sneak peek at their greenhouses. They even shared that 85% of their animal food is grown on property, how cool is that?! Behind the scenes The tour continued by passing the conservation building, the Wildlife Express Train, and the Kilimanjaro trucks throughout the experience. Disney houses two different types of elephants, African and Asian. There are 9 elephants total at Animal Kindom and they can even tell their birthday by their poop sample. (Suddenly, we’re glad we don’t work at Animal Kingdom.) A sample! The elephants get their teeth brushed every night (okay, maybe we do want to work here?), and they even show you up close examples of their teeth and hair from their tails. Elephant teeth! When designing the park, the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) helped Disney design the park for the desired animals in mind (specifically elephants!) A super funny tidbit they shared on the tour is that the theme park’s newest baby, Tucker the giraffe, likes the other animals, so they had to make a new fence so he wouldn’t jump into the elephant section. Sorry, Tucker, you have to pay the $39 like the rest of us. Tucker on Kilimanajro Safaris! Our tour guide shared that there are 24-hour zookeepers and vets at the park to care for the animals. While the animals can come inside at night, they don’t have to! If they want, they can stay on the Savanna at night, which we didn’t realize. Do you think the animals feel like it’s a sleepover if they don’t go into their enclosures? Elephant tail hair! When it comes to the elephants specifically, our tour guide gave us tons of neat insight. For example, the palm tree holding the hay is fake, so Disney can adjust the height as needed! They make it higher so the elephants will stretch their tusks, which is good for them. Kinda like us, gotta stretch to keep the body in good shape. They also feed them 4 different types of hay to mix up their diets. Expect Mack, he also gets oat hay for his arthritis and cold therapy when needed. (Us too, Mack.) The elephants! To earn their sweet potatoes and apple treats, the caregivers make all of the elephants do yoga. Do you think that class has any open spots for us? They also shared fun information on each elephant. Luna, for example, loves apple juice! A look at the big girls and guys! The tour itself puts you roughly 80-100 feet away from the elephants, but it isn’t guaranteed that you will see a ton of these large creatures. They’re real animals, capable of making their own choices, and if they choose to hide behind the giant trees, they can. The Elephant Team only cares for the elephants, so they get lots of special care and attention. Info during the tour All proceeds from this tour go to elephant conservation (because it’s very important!), and Disney shared examples of the work being done. In Africa (the real continent), they are building roadways with grass on top so that the elephants can travel more easily. Are they mooning us? This tour was incredibly insightful and well worth the price! It went quickly, but the Cast Member who served as our tour guide was so knowledgeable, and she really took her time answering every question that was asked. She knew every single elephant and could identify different traits in each of them. This paper is made from elephant poop fibers! Going backstage was also a really unique part of this experience, but if you don’t want the Disney magic ruined, you might want to skip this. While we wouldn’t say this is something worth doing every time you go to the park, we would say this is a super affordable, special experience that is worth doing at least once. Even more elephants! If you’re interested in more special and unique Animal Kingdom experiences, you can learn about the Wild Africa Trek here! As always, be sure to keep following DFB for more Disney reviews, tips, and tricks! EVERYTHING You Need To Know About Eating at Animal Kingdom Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Have you ever done a behind-the-scenes tour? Tell us in the comments! The post This Is The BEST Tour In Disney World -- And It's Less Than first appeared on the disney food blog.View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.