A trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom is never complete for our family until we’ve explored the Maharajah Jungle Trek!
Located in the back of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, behind Kali River Rapids, is the Maharajah Jungle Trek – home of giant bats, a Komodo dragon, various types of deer and birds and, the star of the show, tigers! This attraction is a self-guided walking tour through the Anandapur Royal Forest, so your family can view each animal on the trek at your own pace.
As you enter the trail, be sure to grab one of the trail maps. These maps are a thick plastic and they must be returned at the end of the trek, but they’re definitely worth picking up especially if there are children in your party – they can search for each type of animal and match them to the pictures on the maps!
The front and back of the Maharajah Jungle Trek maps.
As you enter the trail, the first animal you’ll come to is the Bar-Headed Goose – these geese are often hanging out down in the water looking for food. Also in the same area is the Komodo dragon!
The day we visited the Komodo Dragon was out catching some sun
As you continue around the trail you’ll see the bat area next. This area houses Rodrigues Fruit Bats and Malayan Flying Foxes. These bats are typically sleeping during the daytime, but it’s not uncommon to see them climbing around a bit during your visit!
These bats are MUCH larger than the ones we’re used to seeing in the midwest!
Next on the trail you’ll see the Asian tigers – probably the biggest star of the Maharajah Jungle Trek! There are several different viewing areas in the tiger area, all themed like the ruins of a Asian city where the tigers now rule.
In my experience, you’ll almost always find one of the tigers laying along this wall.
While you’re in the area, make sure you heed the warning of the locals! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is extremely detailed in the theming and this area is absolutely no exception.
After the tigers, you’ll come around to the Elds Deer, Blackbuck and Banteng. There’s usually a cast member in this area who will answer any of your questions about any of the animals on the trail! They’re very knowledgeable and, in my experience, they are often from an area of the world where some of these animals are native residents!
The last stop on the trek is the bird area – in this area you walk into an enclosure where all of the birds are kept and you can walk around with the birds in their habitat. If you have a member of your party that is a bit skittish of birds (or you’re in a hurry to make it to your next Fastpass+) you can skip this area and just continue to the exit of the trail.
A bit of history of the Anandapur Royal Forest
The Maharajah Jungle Trek is a perfect example of the exquisite theming of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and it’s a don’t-miss for our family each trip! The trail is a great place to take a leisurely stroll while you’re waiting for your next Fastpass+ or dining reservation or let your kids run off a little energy that they built up while waiting in lines and the animal viewing is top of the line. If you’ve never checked out the Maharajah Jungle Trek in the past, put it on your list for your next trip!
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