The Best Animal Kingdom Rides & Shows

Plan your day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park using this guide to the best attractions and rides.

This guide includes my top shows and rides at Animal Kingdom, a list of which attractions are included in Genie+, which ones have individual lightning lanes, plus a list of every single attraction available.

Ready to plan your day? Let’s jump right into the best shows and rides at Animal Kingdom.

The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

Learn how to draw popular Disney characters from a real Disney animator.

This used to be held at Hollywood Studios, which personally I think is a better fit for it, but at least the format hasn’t changed!

This 25-minute class is held at the Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, so you’ll need to take the Wildlife Express Train to get there.

While you’re over there, check out the other attractions, like seeing inside a veterinary treatment room or petting goats and sheep at the Affection Section.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life isn’t a ride or show that you have to wait in line for. However, as the icon of the park, it is worth noting as something to stop and enjoy while you’re visiting. 

During the day, you can admire the tree from afar from various points around the park. Or to get an up close look at the magnificent carvings in the tree, take a stroll along the Discovery Island Trails.

The real magic is at night, however, when the tree comes alive with animated projections and colorful lights that appear every 10 minutes.

Wilderness Explorers

Become a Wilderness Explorer, just like Russel from Pixar’s Up in this fun, family-friendly activity that takes you around the park to earn badges.

To join in on this activity, grab an activity book from the Wilderness Explorer headquarters and complete the activities assigned to each neighborhood in the park (DinoLand, Asia, Africa, etc) to earn up to 25 badges.

• Location: Discovery Island
• Height requirement: There is no height requirement for this activity.
• Duration: This is a go-at-your-own-pace activity.

Kali River Rapids

On this water ride, you’ll board a 12-seat round raft and float along rapids set amidst the jungles somewhere in Asia. 

You WILL get wet, no matter where you sit, sometimes soaking wet. So if you don’t want to deal with soggy wet clothes, bring a change of clothes, wear a poncho, or skip!

• Location: Asia
• Height requirement: 38 inches
• Genie+: Yes, Kali River Rapids is included as part of Genie+.
• Duration: 5 minutes

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Animal Kingdom’s lone roller coaster, Expedition Everest, is an absolute blast. 

This coaster includes drops, twists, backwards runs, flashing lights, and a Yeti (Not the cup, the legendary monster).

• Location: Asia
• Height requirement: 44 inches
• Genie+: Yes, and definitely worth trying to grab on Genie+!
• Ride photo: Yes, Expedition Everest includes a ride photo.
• Single rider line: Yes, Expedition Everest has a single rider line.
• Duration: 3 minutes

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail

Animal Kingdom features several trails where you can observe a variety of animals and plant life. 

The Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is my favorite, as it is where you can see gorillas, zebras, meerkats, and other beautiful animals.

• Location: Africa
• Duration: This is a self-led trail, so you can go at your own pace.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Embark on a safari through 110 acres with over 30 types of animals roaming free, including cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, warthogs, zebras, and much more.

There are no fences between you and the animals, and sometimes the animals will walk up to the cars to investigate. 

This happened to me on a recent trip, when the driver had to stop the car to wait for some animals to cross the road. One of the giraffes sauntered right up to our side of the car to give a sniff, before walking off.

NOTE: This doesn’t mean you should pet the animals and you definitely shouldn’t feed them. Please be respectful!

• Location: Africa
• Height requirement: There is no height requirement for this ride.
• Genie+: Yes, Kilimanjaro Safaris is included with Genie+ and is worth trying to reserve.
• Duration: 22 minutes

A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King

There are several great shows at Animal Kingdom, and this one is my favorite.

As the name suggests, it is based on The Lion King, though more on the Broadway version than the animated or live action movies.

There’s singing, dancing, acrobatics, and of course, gorgeous, colorful costumes, plus a few surprise appearances from some characters, like Timon (seen above).

• Location: Africa
• Genie+: Yes, A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King is available with Genie+.
• Duration: 40 minutes

Na’vi River Journey

Although this ride is slow, it is still one of my favorites at Animal Kingdom due to its impeccable attention to detail. 

The scenery, the Na’vi animatronics, the music, the immersiveness – it all really makes you feel like you’re on Pandora.

• Location: Pandora – The World of Avatar
• Height requirement: There is no height requirement for this ride.
• Genie+: Yes, Na’vi River Journey is available as part of Genie+.
• Duration: 5 minutes

Avatar Flight of Passage

Hands down, this is not only my favorite ride at Animal Kingdom, but also my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World.

To sum it up, this simulator ride takes you on a virtual reality ride atop a banshee from Pandora.

And let me tell you, it is SUPER realistic. If you’re familiar with Soarin’ at Epcot, it’s a tad like that, but a million times more intense.

• Location: Pandora – The World of Avatar
• Height requirement: 44 inches
• Genie+: No, Avatar Flight of Passage is not included in Genie+.
• Lightning Lane: Yes, you can purchase an individual lightning lane pass.
• Duration: 4.5 minutes

Lightning lanes and Genie+ at Animal Kingdom

Check out the chart below to see which attractions are available with Genie+ and which have individual Lightning Lane passes.

Attraction	Genie+?	Individual Lightning Lane?
Avatar Flight of Passage	No	Yes
DINOSAUR	Yes	No
Expedition Everest	Yes	No
Feathered Friends in Flight!	Yes	No
Festival of the Lion King	Yes	No
Finding Nemo: The Great Big Blue…and Beyond!	Yes	No
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!	Yes	No
Kali River Rapids	Yes	No
Kilimanjaro Safaris	Yes	No
Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost	Yes	No
Na’vi River Journey	Yes	No
The Animation Experience at Conservation Station	Yes	No

List of all Animal Kingdom rides and attractions

We’ve gone through my favorite rides and attractions at Animal Kingdom, as well as those available with Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane passes. 

Below ALL rides and shows are listed, organized by the neighborhood they are located in. 

The Oasis

As you enter Animal Kingdom, you are in the area that is referred to as The Oasis. 

There aren’t any official rides or shops here, but there are some animals that you can see, such as anteaters, various birds, and wallabies.

Discovery Island

The heart of the park is an island in the middle called Discovery Island. 

At Discovery Island, you can access the following attractions:

1. Discovery Island Trails
2. It’s Tough to Be a Bug! featuring our favorite pals from A Bug’s Life
3. Tree of Life
4. Winged Encounters: The Kingdom Takes Flight
5. Wilderness Explorers

DinoLand USA

If you head right after entering the park, you’ll cut through Discovery Island and end up in DinoLand USA. Here you can find the following attractions:

1. DINOSAUR
2. TriceraTop Spin
3. Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond!
4. Fossil Fun Games
5. The Boneyard
6. Dino-Sue

Asia

Continuing beyond DinoLand USA is Asia, where you can find the following attractions:

1. Expedition Everest
2. Kali River Rapids
3. Maharajah Jungle Trek
4. Feathered Friends in Flight!

Africa

Continuing in a circle through DinoLand USA and Asia lands you in Africa, where you can find the following attractions:

1. Kilimanjaro Safaris
2. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
3. Wildlife Express Train
4. Kilimanjaro Safaris
5. A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King

Rafiki’s Planet Watch

Within Africa, you can take a train ride on the Wildlife Express to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, where you can access the following attractions:

1. Affection Section
2. Conservation Station
3. The Animation Experience
4. Habitat Habit!

Pandora – The World of Avatar

Last, but not least, is the newest neighborhood in Animal Kingdom, Pandora – The World of Avatar. In Pandora, you can find the following attractions:

1. Na’vi River Journey
2. Avatar Flight of Passage

What are your favorite rides at Animal Kingdom?

Share your favorite shows and rides at Animal Kingdom in the comments below.

For more tips on planning your days at Disney World, check out my posts about the best attractions and rides at the other parks.

1. Best Attractions & Rides at Epcot
2. Best Attractions & Rides at Hollywood Studios
3. Best Attractions & Rides at Magic Kingdom
4. Disney Genie, Genie+ & Lightning Lane Guide

This post was originally published April 22, 2022. It was last updated February 3, 2023.