Sunrise Safari Tour

Available only to Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level guests, the Sunrise Safari tour allows guests to get a unique safari experience in Animal Kingdom prior to park opening.  After taking a bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests enjoy a 45-60 minute private ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari.  Unlike during normal park operating hours, the safari vehicle will make numerous stops to allow guests to take photos and ask questions about the diverse array of African wildlife on the savanna.

After the private safari experience, guests are escorted to a private breakfast buffet at the Pizzafari Restaurant before being released to enjoy their day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Time & Location : 7:00am Th & Su in Animal Kingdom Lodge Lobby.  Guests must first check in between 6:30-7:00am in the Concierge Lounge to scan their park admission and receive their tour wristband.

Ending Location: Outside Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom.  Guests must take regular Disney bus transformation back to AKL.

Duration: 2-2.5 hours

Cost:

• Ages 10+ = $65 (including tax)
• Ages 3-9 = $32.50 (including tax)
• Under 3 = Free

Theme Park Admission: Required

Park Visited: Animal Kingdom

Includes: Tour, Breakfast & Gratuity

Sample Tour Content*:

• 45-60 minute ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari
• Private breakfast buffet at Pizzafari

*Disney’s tour schedules and content can change at any time due to a variety of factors. Rest assured, if for some reason the tour can’t or doesn’t go to one of the stops you’ve read about here or on other websites, your Tour Guide still has plenty of magic up their sleeves to make sure you have a wonderful tour experience.

Maximum Group Size: 64 (Guests are split into two safari vehicles)

Listening Devices Available: No

Hearing Disabilities: Yes

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Requirements:

• Guests must be staying in the Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level
• Can book up to 180 days in advance through the Itinerary Planning Office

Photography Restrictions: Photography is permitted for the onstage portion of the tour (which is most of the time).

Bag Storage: Guests carry their baggage with them.  After the tour, guests are released in to Animal Kingdom for the day.

Additional Notes:

• This is an outdoor tour – dress appropriately, wear suncreen & good shoes. Disney will not cancel or provide refunds for this tour (or most others) in the event of inclement weather (Disney will cancel for hurricanes, but not average rain).

• Not an AKL Concierge guest?  You may want to check out the Backstage Safari offered to all guests at Animal Kingdom.  Among other backstage stops, guests get to ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari in a private vehicle with tour guide narration.  The ride is faster than the Sunrise Safari, but on my tour the vehicle slowed down for photos.  Even with the stops, it took a good camera to get clear photos of the ever-moving animals on the savanna.

Book: Call Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Itinerary Planning Office at (407) 938-4755 (9am-6pm EST).  You must have an existing AKL Concierge Level reservation prior to booking the safari.

Our full DTR review is coming soon. For now, you can check our Sunrise Safari review posted over at Touring Plans here.

You can also find other DTR posts about the Sunrise Safari here.

• AllEars.net Reader Reviews 9 reviews, latest from September 2011.

• DIS Unplugged Video Montage from May 2011.  This video includes some great shots of the animals seen from the safari as well as of the breakfast at Pizzafari.  Check out the DIS Unplugged Podcast Review in the Related Podcasts section below.

• Disney Travel Adventures Review by Mic Anderson from September 2010.  This is light on the review, but heavy on the photos – including photos of the breakfast offerings (yum!)

• StudiosCentral.com Review by Aaron DelPrince from February 2010.  Includes photos and a detailed description of the tour (no spoilers).

• Sunrise Safari Video by mbrady from January 2010.  This 4 minute YouTube splices together some of the interesting things learned on the safari.

• DIS Unplugged Podcast Review by Pete Werner from May 2011.   This is a great, detailed review which discusses tour content and the breakfast offerings.  Discussion of the Sunrise Safari starts at 47:30.  You can see a video montage of his safari here.

• Know of any more podcasts that discuss the Animal Kingdom Lodge Sunrise Safari tour?  Let us know at DisneyTourReviews@gmail.com