Review: 3 top rides for young children in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

After having traveled to Disney Parks four times with children aged 1 to 6, I’ve found that the entertainment and character greetings are sometimes the most magical parts of the holiday for the very youngest and ride preferences can vary widely depending on personalities, but I wanted to put together a guide with some of the favourites for young children:

Kilimanjaro Safaris
One of the highlights for us in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been Kilimanjaro Safaris, which is an 18-minute expedition in an open-top safari vehicle with a guide, driving around on bumpy roads designed to duplicate remote African roads. There are more than 34 species of African wildlife in the open plains you drive through, including lions, hippos and elephants, and the first time we went we were stunned by how close we got to a giraffe. Animals appear to be roaming around, and for us, Kilimanjaro Safaris has been a truly unique animal attractions that’s been very different from visiting a traditional zoo.

If your child likes this, you might also want to try: taking the 7-minute Wildlife Express Train to animal conservation area Rafiki’s Planet Watch, or following a self-guided trail in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, such as Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, where you can get to see a troop of gorillas and some other animals along the route. For another animal-themed ride, I would suggest Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise, which takes visitors on a 10-minute long river cruise with an entertaining skipper as a guide. Along the river there are various animals to spot, albeit no real ones. Instead, the animals appear life-like and are likely to seem real to young visitors.

Na’vi River Journey
The latest addition to Animal Kingdom is Pandora-The World of Avatar, and this land brought the family-friendly slow boat ride Na’vi River Journey attraction to the park. In Na’vi River Journey, the boats travel through an exotic rainforest and jungle with glowing plants, and it is a dark and mystical adventure. The highlight is seeing the impressive Shaman animatronic, which is 10-feet tall, and in our house, we continue singing and imitating the floating dance moves of the Shaman.

If your child likes this, you might also want to try: Magic Kingdom’s It’s a Small World, a classic, slow-moving boat ride taking riders on a journey through a world of singing dolls, and Epcot’s slow-moving boat ride the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, which follows Donald’s adventures around famous sights in Mexico.

TriceraTop Spin
In DinoLand USA, families can find TriceraTop Spin to take flight in a cute dinosaur and spin around up high. The gentle ride lets families board a 4-person dinosaur that can be steered up and down by moving a joystick in the back row and tip forward and backwards by using the joystick in the front row. The short carnival-inspired ride is a great choice for families with young children visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and it is not included in the FastPass+ programme.

If your child likes this, you might also want to try: Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Astro Orbiter in Magic Kingdom are all similar rides to TriceraTop Spin. To access Astro Orbiter, you take a lift up one level in Tomorrowland, and the ride is on the rooftop on that level, so it feels higher up than the others and this could be worth considering if you’re travelling with someone who is scared of heights. Dumbo the Flying Elephant benefits from an interactive queuing area, which means that riders joining the stand-by queue can spend time in an indoor play area where youngsters can run around and play before their letter is called and they can return to the queue to ride.

Planning a Walt Disney World holiday? Read my reviews of top Epcot attractions for young children HERE; top Disney’s Hollywood Studios attractions for young children HERE; top Magic Kingdom attractions for preschoolers HERE.

Tags: Disney, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Family travel, Florida, Orlando, Walt Disney World