A new, awesome experience is heading to Kilimanjaro Safaris in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It will be a more up-close-and-personal experience with the wildflife that inhabits the savannah and guests will also have the opportunity to be informed of the the animals and their behavioral patterns. Two guides will lead a group of 10 to 12 guests out on a 3 hour personalized trekking adventure through an undeveloped forest region of the Harambe Reserve and will then board a specially designed vehicle for the rest of the adventure. Operation will be during park hours and there will be several tours a day. By speculation only, adventurers will begin in Harambe Village to receive a briefing of the trek and safety equipment. Most likely, there will be some physically demanding areas along the trek, so don’t be surprised if there is an age requirement and a waiver. Guests will explore the forests of the Kilimanjaro Safaris on foot while following the guides along unmarked paths. New construction such as rope bridges, viewing areas, restrooms (thank goodness), and maybe even a zip line will add infrastructure and will aid in adventuring into the unexplored areas of the savannah. No direct contact with the animals is planned. The second half of the trek will be on the new, specially designed vehicle I mentioned earlier. There aren’t any details about that yet, unfortunately. Supposedly there will be a cliff edge viewing of the hippos that will require a safety harness. The trek is planned to open in December 2010 and it’s shaping up to what I can only expect will be an amazing adventure.
