Animal Kingdom Checklist and Printable

We love Animal Kingdom. And as Disney’s largest park, you definitely need a Checklist. While some argue it’s nothing more than a glorified zoo, we dare to disagree! The cultures of countries merge here in a way you won’t see in Epcot. But that World Traveler feeling is not all we love about Animal Kingdom. Our Animal Kingdom checklist includes Animal Kingdom Attractions, Shows, and the best Animal Kingdom Snacks too! Add in Animal Kingdom Characters, and a List of Things to Do in Animal Kingdom, and you’re all set! Get ready for a world of environmental conservation, wildlife and wonder. This list can help you make sure you’re not missing the important things on your Animal Kingdom Day at Disney. Check out everything to do on our Animal Kingdom Checklist.

Animal Kingdom park is the largest park at Walt Disney World. Covering 520 acres of land, this park includes larges savanna areas for the animals, trails that wind through animal habitats, rides, restaurants and more. Featuring the areas of Africa, Asia, and Pandora there is much to see and do here. Want only the best things? check out our Top 10 Things to do Animal Kingdom post for a bite size list. The park’s icon is the Tree of Life, seen as soon as you step foot onto Discovery Island, just over the bridge leading from the entrance. The tree of life is a massive “tree” and includes over 300 animals carved into the trunk and branches. With over 40 rides and attractions this park has a lot to do.  Whether you’re cramming this park into one day or a few days, here are all the things you need to know before you go. Including the things to do, see and eat at Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom Details

No matter when your next visit to Walt Disney World is, get started with this list of attractions, restaurants, and more. Everything you need to build the perfect Disney Vacation. Check out all the Animal Kingdom Rides, Restaurants, and Activities to help you make the most of your day. We also want to recommend if you’re in the mood for a little extra education and some animal close-ups you can’t get anywhere else, check out the Wild Africa Trek or Caring for Giants program. These special tours are an extra cost but were so cool and we thought it was worth it.

Animal Kingdom Tickets

To get started lets talk Animal Kingdom Park Tickets. While Disney World tickets are not specific to each of the four theme parks, you simply need buy a WDW ticket and it will get you into any of the four theme parks: EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom. In fact, if you’re hoping to try for two or more parks in one day,  you simply need add the Park Hopper Ticket to your purchase, and voila! Purchase a Animal Kingdom Park Ticket or Disney Vacation Package to get your Disney Vacation plans started. 

Animal Kingdom Hours

Animal Kingdom Hours are typically 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This doesn’t include Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours. As a result be sure to check out the Up to Date Hours and Event Schedules on the Disney 5 Day Calendar. Or on the My Disney Experience App, which you should have downloaded on your phone prior to your vacation. 

• Early Entry Hours ( when offered): 7:30 AM to 8:00 AM
• Animal Kingdom Daytime Hours: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Extended Evening Hours ( when offered): 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Early Morning Entry 

Early Entry Hours are available to Disney Resort Guests and allows guests to enter the park 30 minutes prior to park opening. To make the most of your extra time, we recommend arriving at the park gates, at least 30 minutes before your Early Theme Park Entry time. While some of the Animal Kingdom Park sections may not be open, it still gets you close to the action to get into lines early, or just enjoy the park. 

Extended Evening Hours

Available to Disney Deluxe Resort Guests, the Extended Evening Hours allow you to stay an hour or two after the park closes. While Animal Kingdom Park doesn’t typically host extended evening hours, you can sometimes grab extra time in the park through the holiday season and during the summer months. Be sure to check park hours before your visit in the My Disney Experience App. 

Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane

Lightning Lane allows you the option to skip the line, aka wait in the Lightning Lane instead of the regular line. The Lightning Lane line typically moves faster, and can help you  maximize your Disney Park Time. When you use Lightning Lane strategically, you select ride times in the early part of the day first, so that you can add additional rides to your account throughout the day, once those initial rides are completed. This is called “stacking” rides and can often get you onto more rides throughout the day. Read up on Single and Multi-Pass Lightning Lane Options for Animal Kingdom and how you can schedule them in advance when you stay at a Disney Resort. 

Animal Kingdom Parking and Transportation

Unlike other parking situations at Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom’s Parking situation is fairly easy and straightforward. The address of the Animal Kingdom Parking Lot is  2901 Osceola Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. Easy to just add to your GPS on your phone, once here, you can park as directed, and take the Tram towards the front gates of the park. 

Best Days to Visit Animal Kingdom

The best days to visit Animal Kingdom are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Luckily, Animal Kingdom is also probably one of the only parks you can safely visit on the weekends. While still busy, it’s nowhere near as busy as the other three. And as a bigger park, it naturally feels less crowded. Check out the full post on the Best Days to Visit Walt Disney World for a sample itinerary. 

What is the Busiest Day at Animal Kingdom?

The busiest day at Animal Kingdom is Saturday. With Monday and Sunday following close behind. The crowd levels on this days are due to the heavy influx of local Disney Annual Passholders, combined with both incoming and outgoing family vacationers to the parks. 

• Sunday is the busiest day at every Walt Disney World Park.
• Saturday the second busiest.
• Monday the third busiest.
• Friday the fourth busiest.

How Many Days Do you Need at Animal Kingdom?

Animal Kingdom is generally a 1-Day Park depending on what you want to do when you visit. With shorter park hours, it’s sometimes tough to get everything in, if you plan to do it all. Most vacationers arrive early and plan on riding the main rides. Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Kali River Rapids are Must-Do attractions at Animal Kingdom, and Festival of the Lion King is a great addition to your day. Check out how you can Fit Animal Kingdom into One Day. 

However, if you’re hoping to see the animal habitats and stroll the park, you may find that 2-days is a better goal. Animal Kingdom includes lots of animal habitat trails through Asia and Africa, as well as the Wilderness Explorer Game, which together could take an entire day in itself. As such, if you’re an animal fan, we’d recommend you plan 2-days at Animal Kingdom park to see it all. 

Hotels and Resorts Near Animal Kingdom

The closest hotel to Animal Kingdom is Animal Kingdom Lodge. A short 10 minute bus ride from the resort to the park, if you’re trip will include many Animal Kingdom days, we highly recommend this resort. There are other resorts near Walt Disney World that may also work, but none will be as close as AKL.

Animal Kingdom Club 33

If you’re a Disney Club 33 Member or just looking for the secret entrance to the Animal Kingdom Club 33 Restaurant you can find it hidden in plain sight. Just to the right, after you pass the Festival of the Lion King building, you will see a white stucco building pushed back into the foliage. You can also see large windows into the main lounge of the Club 33 at Animal Kingdom, most visible if you are waiting outside the bathroom in that area. 

Animal Kingdom Map 

Animal Kingdom is a large park. The sections of this park are separated in a way that is easy to navigate. But, if you’ve never been to Animal Kingdom, it can get confusing! Check out the Animal Kingdom Map to get a head start on where everything is! 

Animal Kingdom Rides List

With 40+ rides and attractions, Animal Kingdom Park includes trails through animal habitats, thrill rides, slow rides, and Broadway style shows as part of the lineup. If you’re hoping to get to everything in one day it’s important to have a Disney Ride Strategy. Be sure to save the busiest rides for morning magic hours or during meal times. Aim for early Lightning Lane times for your first set of high priority rides, so that you’ll have time to stack your ride selections in the app throughout the day, before the early closing time hits. 

• Zootopia Show
• Tree of Life
• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Na’vi River Journey
• Festival of the Lion King
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
• Rafiki’s Planet Watch
• Expedition Everest
• Feathered Friends in Flight
• Kali River Rapids
• Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Boneyard
• DINOSAUR ( Open through 2025, then re-themed to Indiana Jones)
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!

Animal Kingdom Characters

Some Disney characters at Animal Kingdom have set times for meet and greets throughout the day at certain locations. Character Landing at Animal Kingdom is a hotspot for characters and can be found on the right, just before your take the bridge from Discovery Island tp the back of the park. While other Disney characters at Animal Kingdom simply appear in flotillas sailing along Discovery River. Meanwhile, you can also see Disney characters at Disney Character Dining Restaurants and sometimes strolling around the park. Check out all the places you can find Characters at Disney World if you’re hoping to meet someone particular.  Note, that in Animal Kingdom you can often find Disney friends in their Safari gear. 

• DiVine
• Baloo and Rafiki
• Russell & Dug
• Kevin ( from Up!) strolls around regularly
• Koda
• Meeko
• Mickey and Minnie at the Adventurer’s Outpost
• Pocahontas at Character Landing
• Timon at Character Landing
• Moana at Character Landing
• Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Goofy at Tusker House Character Dining
• Rafiki at Rafiki’s Planet Watch
• Chip and Dale
• Daisy
• Donald Duck
• Goofy
• Launchpad McQuack
• Pluto
• Scrooge McDuck

Animal Kingdom Restaurants List

A Disney day wouldn’t be complete without amazing food! Check out the Best Animal Kingdom Restaurants to add to your Animal Kingdom day. Read the Reviews: Animal Kingdom Restaurants

Quick Service Restaurants in Animal Kingdom

Offering the most unique quick service at Disney World, Animal Kingdom park features a variety of cuisines. From fried rice, to power bowls, dumplings to falafel, loaded mac and cheese and more. Check out all the Best Quick Service Restaurants at Animal Kingdom.

• Creature Comforts Starbucks on Discovery Island
• Flame Tree Barbecue on Discovery Island
• Harambe Market in Africa
• Pizzafari on Discovery Island
• Satu’li Canteen in Pandora
• Smiling Crocodile on Discovery Island
• Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafe in Asia

Table Service Restaurants in Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom has a variety of cuisines across the restaurants available, but there aren’t actually that many. Tiffin’s offers signature dining, which lends to unique and expensive dishes. While Rainforest Cafe offers up basic family dining, you can find anywhere in America. As such, the best place to eat at Animal Kingdom is Tusker House, which offers Disney characters, buffet dining and a decent meal on a budget. 

• Tiffin’s Restaurant on Discovery Island
• Rainforest Cafe at the Entrance
• Tusker House Character Dining in Africa
• Nomad Lounge on Discovery Island

Animal Kingdom Shows

▢ Tree of Life Awakenings
▢ Discovery Island Carnivale

While Animal Kingdom doesn’t have too many actual shows the ones they do have, happen intermittently throughout the day with the exception of Awakenings which typically happens 30 minutes before park close.  

Animal Kingdom Parties and Events

While Animal Kingdom doesn’t have annual parties, or festivals, like Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, it does celebrate Earth Month every April. With specialty talks, merchandise, Disney Earth Day snacks and more, there is plenty to be had. April is one of the busiest and most expensive times to visit Disney, due to Spring Breakers, but well worth the trip for National Geographic fans. 

▢ Earth Month | April 

• Earth Day happens every year on April 22nd, but you can celebrate all month long at Animal Kingdom with a variety of activities, new treats, and events. Check out everything happening for Earth Month at Animal Kingdom. 

▢ Animal Kingdom Holiday Events | November- December

• Animal Kingdom for the Holidays is one of the best times of year to visit this park. With new holiday projections on the Tree of Life, a slew of Disney Holiday snacks, and marionette shows in the midway, this park brings beautiful animal-inspired decorations to the forefront. 

Animal Kingdom Snacks

Looking for the Best Snacks in Animal Kingdom? From Zebra Domes and the Colossal Cinnamon Roll to Pongu Lumpia, there are plenty of amazing snacks at Animal Kingdom that you can’t get anywhere else. Here are all the snack cart locations at Animal Kingdom, with a couple of important snacks to try at each! 

• Anandapur Ice Cream Truck: Yeti Sundae
• Caravan Road: Kakigori
• Dino Bite Snacks: Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich
• Drinkwallah: Cinnamon Glazed Almonds
• Eight Spoon Cafe: Loaded Mac and Cheese
• Harambe Market: Churro with Chocolate Sauce
• Isle of Java: Tiger Tail Chocolate Twist
• Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery: Breakfast Totchos
• Mahindi: Popcorn
• Pongu Pongu: Pongu Lumpia and Night Blossom Drink
• Tamu Tamu: Colossal Mickey Cinnamon Roll
• Terra Treats: The Loggerhead Mocktail 
• Trek Snacks: Popcorn
• Trilo Bites: Buffalo Chicken Chips

Animal Kingdom Attractions by Area

This section of the post includes a break down of what you can find in each Animal Kingdom section of the park. We’ve separated it into rides, attractions, games, and shows. Restaurants are marked as follows. GUIDE LEGEND: (TS)= Table Service, Reservation Recommended (QS) = Quick Service, Walk-Up Counter. (S) = Snack. Check out the Animal Kingdom Park Map for details on where to find each section within the park. 

UPDATE: DinoLand is making way for the Tropical Americas Land later this year with construction beginning soon. Dinosaur is available to ride through 2025, but after that this area will be completely under construction.

Discovery Island

Attractions
▢ Discovery Island Trail
▢ Zootopia Show

Restaurants
▢ Creature Comforts (QS)
▢ Pizzafari (QS)
▢ Eight Spoon Cafe (QS)
▢ Flame Tree Barbecue (QS)
▢ Nomad Lounge ( Lounge)
▢ Tiffins (TS)
▢ Isle of Java (S)
▢ Terra Treats(S)
▢ The Smiling Crocodile (S)
▢ Rainforest Cafe®( TS) at Main Entrance

Characters

▢ Meet Baloo and Rafiki
▢ Meet Russell & Dug
▢ Kevin ( from Up!) strolls around regularly
▢ Meet Koda
▢ Meet Meeko
▢ Meet Mickey and Minnie at the Adventurer’s Outpost
▢ Meet Pocahontas at Character Landing
▢ Meet Timon at Character Landing
▢ Meet Moana at Character Landing

Games
▢ Wilderness Explorers

Pandora

Attractions
▢ Na’vi River Journey
▢ Avatar Flight of Passage

Restaurants
▢ Satu’li Canteen (QS)
▢ Pongu Pongu (S)

Games
▢ World of Avatar Interactive App

Africa

Attractions
▢ Kilimanjaro Safaris
▢ Festival of the Lion King
▢ Gorilla Falls Exploration Falls
▢ Conservation Station
▢ Wildlife Express Train

Restaurants
▢ Tusker House Restaurant ( TS)
▢ Dawa Bar( TS)
▢ Harambe Fruit Market( QS)
▢ Harambe Market( QS)
▢ Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery( QS)
▢ Mahindi ( QS)
▢ Tamu Tamu ( QS)

Characters

▢ Meet Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Goofy at Tusker House Character Dining
▢ Meet Rafiki at Rafiki’s Planet Watch

Asia

Attractions
▢ Kali River Rapids
▢ Expedition Everest
▢ Maharajah Jungle Trek

Restaurants
▢ Royal Anandapur Tea Co. (S) | Frozen Chai
▢ Yak and Yeti Local Foods Cafe (QS)
▢ Yak and Yeti Restaurant (TS) 
▢ Anandapur Ice Cream Truck (S)
▢ Caravan Road (QS)
▢ Drinkwallah (S)
▢ Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks (QS)
▢ Warung Outpost (QS)

Shopping
▢ Expedition Everest Gift Shop 

Animal Kingdom Printable Checklist 

If you’re hoping to keep tabs on everything you can do in the park, you can get the Animal Kingdom Checklist PDF to save to your iPhone as an iBook, or file. Click the image to get the FULL PDF of Animal Kingdom Rides and Restaurants. 

Check out our printable Disney checklists for each featuring rides, attractions, restaurants and tips. 

• Hollywood Studios Checklist Walt Disney World
• EPCOT Park Walt Disney World Checklist
• Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World Checklist
• Disney BoardWalk Checklist Walt Disney World