Read on for a tour of Disney's Animal Kingdom park!

The Animal Kingdom is Disney's newest theme park at Walt Disney World. The park opened in 1998, and it's still young, so it's been known as a half-day park. That being said, expect this to be a shorter tour, as there are still a bunch of things here I haven't done. I was too busy riding Expedition Everest 10 times in a row. And it's really not a half-day park. There's much to explore.

Oasis

This is the first part of theme park, right after the entrance. There are beautiful exhibits here that it seems many people pass by. By looking at these waterfalls and animals, you'll get a feel for the park.

Discovery Island

Discovery Island serves as the "hub", just as the castle is at the Magic Kingdom. Discovery Island is home to the Tree of Life, a HUGE sculpture that has detailed carvings of a variety of animals.

Under the Tree of Life is a 4D show called It's Tough to be a Bug. Starring the characters of Pixar's a Bug's Life, you'll enjoy this very fun show. There are a bunch of surprises along the way.

One of my favorite restaurants is on Discovery Island. It's called Flame Tree Barbeque. They have very good pulled pork sandwiches and babyback ribs.

Camp Minnie Mickey

Not much to see here. Mostly character meet-and-greets, nothing you would be interested in unless you're looking for the more prominent characters.

Africa

This area is home to the Animal Kingdom's signature ride, Kilimanjaro Safaris. REALLY awesome ride, a must-do. You board a safari (duh) and get to explore the huge amount of land and the animals living back there. Keep an eye out for rhinos, lions, elephants, and giraffes. The coolest part about this ride is that these are real animals, and this is the closest you might get to them. Sometimes, the animals can get really close, crossing in front of your safari vehicle.

Also located in Africa is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. This is another great way to get pictures of animals.

Rafiki's Planet Watch

I've never wandered back here. Plain and simple. However, I DO know that it is home to exhibits where you can see animals being treated by veterinarians.

Asia

Home to the best ride in the park, IMO, Expedition Everest. This is a roller coaster going through the Forbidden Mountain, guarded my the Yeti. While waiting in line, look at the various artifacts pertaining to the Yeti. As you are going up into the mountain, look around. You can spot Spaceship Earth at Epcot, and the Sorcerer's Hat at the Studios. This ride is so cool because it's unique- you go both forwards and backwards. You even encounter the Yeti himself. Not to be missed.

Flights of Wonder is a live show where you get to see majestic birds of huge sizes. A very cool show if you're into that kind of thing, for sure.

Kali River Rapids is the one ride in Disney where you'll get the most soaked. This is a raft ride that is very fun- you're bound to get soaked, no doubt.

Dinoland

A pretty oddly themed land. The main chunk of Dinoland is called Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama. It's supposed to be like one of those roadside traveling amusement parks. This kind of sucks, IMO.

The best ride in Dinoland isn't part of Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama, luckily. It's called Dinosaur, an indoor ride which includes many encounter with, as the ride's name suggests, dinosaurs. The dinos on this ride are some of Disney's most complex audio-animatronics they've ever built, second to the Yeti at Everest. The ride vehicle is special, too- the body of it bounces around via hydraulics, so you feel like you're careening through a bumpy, dark forest at full speed, avoiding realistic dinos along the way. This ride is incredibly well themed.

And that finishes the tour of Disney's Animal Kingdom. the next tour is Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. Stay tuned.