Disney's Animal Kingdom is one of the least sought after parks in Disney World. I absolutely have no idea why though because this park has everything going for them. Today I'm going to rate the best lands in DAK because controversial to popular opinion I happen to love this animal themed park! There's 6 different lands so let's jump in to see which land takes the #1 spot.
First up starting with Oasis which is the entrance to DAK, and honestly isn't my favorite because of the traffic of everyone coming in. The Rainforest Café restaurant is off to the left-hand side (please dine elsewhere if you like good food) and before you enter the park there are bathrooms once you scan in that can be extremely busy.
If you see in the picture down below, the map on the my Disney experience app shows you a trail that leads from the front of the park to the other lands. All there really is here is lush vegetation throughout the entrance. I'm going to rate this land a 6 coming in last place due to the overcrowded walkways and less theming.
Oasis comes in last place at #6!
The next land that I'm going to be talking about is DinoLand USA, I feel over recent years this land needs a refurbishment and I've heard reports from different news media outlets that they may be changing this whole land entirely to a Zootopia theme. I feel like this land has kind of gone downhill but I still love it because of the nostalgia as a kid walking through this area.
One of my favorite quick service spots is in this location however, called Restaurantosaurus. They serve burgers, french fries, and salads, pretty much your standard theme park fare but they have really good food. There's also the boneyard which is meant for kids as a playground where they can "dig for fossils" and Chester & Hester's Gift Shop which has all kinds of dinosaur based goods.
The two rides in this land are Dinosaur which takes you on a time rover back in time to the Cretaceous period and Triceratops's Spin (think of the Dumbo ride but with Dino's!). I don't really care for either to be completely honest but I will still ride them if somebody in my party wants to ride them. There's also the new Finding Nemo show in The Theater in the Wild which is cute but not a must do. Coming in with the number 5 spot, DinoLand USA 100% needs a refurb but there's so many other lands to choose from so it's hard!
#5 spot is DinoLand USA
Now Discovery Island was a tough one to choose the ranking on because it's the center piece to DAK with The Tree of Life. I also love the quick service restaurant here called Flame Tree BBQ that I did a blog post about a couple weeks ago. There's also Pizzafari which has your standard theme park puffy pizza that's just...ok. This is also where you'll find the Starbucks location here at Creature Comforts. The BEST table service places to dine or drink is Tiffins and Nomad Lounge if you want a sit down meal. You'll also find the best shops for merchandise in my opinion and may be even better than Magic Kingdom's merch.
As far as attractions go there's only two in this land: Meet Mickey and Minnie in their safari outfits which is a super unique set up to take pictures if you ask me, and then you have It's Tough to Be a Bug inside the Tree of Life. I adore this show as it reminds me of when I was little but I don't like the jump scares (or bugs!). I would rate this land a 4 on my list of least favorite to most favorite lands. I think this definitely takes the cake for the middle-ish slot because it has a lot going on!
Discovery Island takes the #4 slot!
Let's head to Africa next! Now, I love a good safari trip and seeing all the animals that you can rarely see in the wild this close up, (I'm also talking about you Gorilla Falls!) and I love the Lion King Show. I also appreciate African culture and you can definitely see that in this land which I admire. This land is super unique with offerings including Rafiki's Planet Watch, where you take the train to a secluded part of the park and can do a drawing animation workshop, learn about the different animals, or go into the petting zoo.
For dining options however, my all-time favorite place to eat in Africa is Tusker House. This is a character dining location that serves up a buffet of African inspired eats that is styled like a marketplace inside. I definitely recommend coming here for breakfast as they have the jungle juice and pastry basket that's like POG juice served over at the Polynesian. There's also an array of sweet treats to choose from such as a dole whip kiosk, a bakery, & coffee shop. I'm going to have to rate this land a 3. I absolutely love the theming but the other two lands I'm going to talk about are my all-time favorites!
#3 spot is Africa! Look at that little cutie
Asia is located towards at the back of the side of DAK, and with all the neat offerings in this land there's a reason why this lands in the #2 spot! I feel the most tranquil walking through this land, I think it's because there's a lot more shade and the music Disney plays throughout the land. Asia is also home to one of my favorite rides in all of the Disney parks: Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain TM and one of my least favorite rides: Kali River Rapids (this happened to actually be Michael Jackson's favorite attraction here in DAK but hey whatever floats your boat! 😉).
Everest is the only rollercoaster that goes backwards during a ride at Disney!
Not only are there animal viewing locations, but there's also the best food in this land. I love Yak & Yeti which is a good option if you're craving Asian food. There's a quick service spot that shares the same kitchen as the table service restaurant under the same name. Honorable mention is the Feathered Friends in Flight show that has Up characters Dug & Russel. It's definitely a cute show and you should go check it out if you like birds!
Asia takes the #2 spot!
Pandora: The World of Avatar opened in May of 2017 almost 7 years ago but still wows whoever walks through this magnificent land. This was honestly a close tie between Asia and Pandora as the number one spot but I have to choose Pandora because the theming is unmatched! Imagineers really did an amazing job on what the Valley of Mo'ara looks like in the movie.
The Valley of Mo'ara has floating rocks!
There are two different attractions here in Pandora: Flight of Passage, a motion simulator that makes you feel like you're a Na'vi riding on the back of a banshee flying through Pandora and Na'vi River Journey, a relaxing boat ride through an alien like forest (PSA the shaman MAKES this ride so be sure to ride this when you go).
As far as dining options go, Satu'li Canteen is a quick service restaurant that has a selection of bowls were you get to pick what you want. There's also a kiosk bar called Pongu Pongu that has the famous Night Blossom cocktail (pictured below) which is apple & dessert pear limeade swirled together with rum topped with boba. Definitely will cool you off on a hot Florida day!
Pandora: The World of Avatar takes the #1 spot
All in all it was very tough to decide which lands were my favorite in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park, and I know everyone has different opinions on what they think is the best. Even if you come to this theme park with nothing to expect, this theme park will definitely blow you away due to the theming and culture.
I hope you all have an amazing weekend and Sivako as the Na'vi say!
-Shandilyn.
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