Animal Kingdom changes once the sun goes down.
Pandora – The World of Avatar begins glowing, Expedition Everest looms in the distance, and parts of the park can feel completely different than they did just a few hours earlier.
The problem is that guests don’t always get much time to experience it.
That makes Extended Evening Theme Park Hours particularly interesting whenever the perk comes to Animal Kingdom. Eligible Disney World hotel guests get additional time in the park after regular operating hours, creating a rare opportunity to explore Animal Kingdom late into the evening.
But anyone hoping that would mean the return of nighttime rides aboard Kilimanjaro Safaris is out of luck.
Disney has revealed the attractions scheduled to participate, and Kilimanjaro Safaris isn’t included.
Disney Keeps the Attraction Lineup Small
Extended Evening Hours isn’t available to every Walt Disney World visitor.
The perk is offered to registered guests at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, and certain other participating hotels. Disney has confirmed Extended Evening Hours will continue through 2027.
The number of attractions available varies significantly depending on the park.
Animal Kingdom currently has just four listed:
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Na’vi River Journey
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
It’s difficult not to notice how short that list is.
Magic Kingdom has more than 20 attractions listed for its Extended Evening Hours. EPCOT currently has 10, while Disney’s Hollywood Studios has eight.
Animal Kingdom has four.
Granted, Animal Kingdom has never had the attraction count of Magic Kingdom. Still, the limited selection makes every omission more noticeable.
None stands out more than Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Nighttime Safaris Were Once Part of Animal Kingdom
Guests who visited Animal Kingdom during its earlier push into nighttime operations may remember riding Kilimanjaro Safaris after dark.
It offered a different experience than the daytime version.
Animal behavior can vary throughout the day, and riding through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve in darkness changed the atmosphere considerably.
But regular opportunities to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris late at night eventually disappeared.
Extended Evening Hours could have provided the perfect way to revive them.
Rather than keeping the attraction operating late every evening, Disney could have reserved nighttime safaris for these select dates. That could make Extended Evening Hours at Animal Kingdom feel like something more than simply additional time on attractions guests can already experience throughout the day.
Disney apparently isn’t going that route.
A Missed Opportunity for Extended Evening Hours
The decision becomes even more surprising when considering just how limited the Animal Kingdom lineup already is.
Two of the four participating attractions are located in Pandora. Expedition Everest gives guests another major ride elsewhere in the park, while Zootopia: Better Zoogether! rounds out the list.
Adding Kilimanjaro Safaris would immediately give guests another substantial experience and another part of Animal Kingdom to explore.
It could also give longtime visitors something they haven’t been able to experience regularly in years.
Of course, Disney can change the attraction lineup. The company specifically warns that Extended Evening Hours attractions are subject to change and may not always operate.
So there’s still a possibility that Kilimanjaro Safaris could eventually appear.
But its absence from the current list isn’t particularly encouraging for anyone waiting for nighttime safaris to return.
Extended Evening Hours seemed tailor-made for something like this: fewer guests, later operating hours and a park that arguably becomes even more impressive after sunset.
Instead, Animal Kingdom will operate only a handful of attractions.
Nighttime Kilimanjaro Safaris once helped Disney prove that Animal Kingdom wasn’t just a daytime park. Years later, Disney has a rare chance to revive that experience.
At least for now, it has chosen not to.
