My family happened to be staying in the Walt Disney World Resort on the first day of January this year. As fortune would have it, we had planned to spend a day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. One might stop to ask why this would be considered fortunate, as many consider this Walt Disney World’s “Fourth” Park, or the oft referred “Half Day” Park. For me, it is one of the number one reasons to visit the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
I have visited several amusement parks throughout my life; having lived in Pennsylvania both Dorney Park and Hershey Park are easily within a few hours driving distance. However, those parks pale in comparison to what has almost become our home away from home - the Walt Disney World Resort. The theme parks envisioned and brought to life by Disney’s Imagineers are jaw-dropping in their ability to immerse you in fabricated worlds that seem real. In no other park does this happen to me more than when I enter Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
As luck would have it, for our trip this year the Tree of Life Garden Trail had re-opened, a secluded trail found off of the beaten path in the center of the park. It is accessed near the part of Discovery Island where Pizzafari and Starbucks are located, and is one of the very reasons why I love this park above all others. There are moments when you walk through this trail when you forget that you are in a theme park in the middle of Florida. What is so poignant about this particular area of this park is that there are no rides, no kiosks, or no food booths of any kind. It is simply you, exploring the beauty and tranquility that this park - and only this park - can truly offer. The striking purples and deep reds of the flowers that decorate this trail in the beginning are just a small hint of the beauty that is yet to come.
Luckily for the park visitor, there are trails like this in several areas of Animal Kingdom, offering flora and fauna both delicate and colossal, that one could spend an entire day in this park taking in all of the sights without even walking into the queue of a single ride. And with regard to the colossal, one need only look up on this trail as you are brought right beneath the centerpiece of this park, the icon that is the Tree of Life.
At approximately 145 feet high, the tree contains over 300 intricately carved animals that are viewable from every angle. When we visited on the first of January, we had not walked this trail for years as it had been closed to the public. Now being open once more, you can really get an up close look at all of the animal carvings. One truth that can be discovered is that there is no bad side to this masterpiece.
We walked by so slowly, and there were very few people along this particular trail, that it made for almost a surreal experience considering that the park most likely contained tens of thousands of people. All our group did was constantly take photos one after the other, almost like we were in some sort of competition to see who could be the first to photograph every single animal on the tree.
And speaking of animals, there are also a few critters to be found on the Tree of Life Garden Trail. There are otters, an over-sized catfish and some ring-tailed lemurs to be found throughout the winding path. Also, along the front part of this trail, basking in the warm January sun, were a group of very content-looking kangaroos. This paddock seemed to suit them rather well, and they all stared our way and graciously did not move at all for this photo opportunity. There were several there but none were too eager to move at this particular time, so we enjoyed this quiet moment and then proceeded to move on.
As the trail traverses the side of the tree we plunged into several cave-like passages. This is just another example of places and moments that exist in this park that are hard for me to find anywhere else on property. Joe Rohde, the Lead Imagineer that guided the artistic design of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, said that this park was designed for its visitors to explore in the first person, meaning that there is no defined path; you are to discover your own way in this park. And what you will find is a level of immersion not found in any other Orlando park (both Disney and Universal). To quote Joe Rohde on this point: “There are details within details within details to anchor you in the fact that we are talking about the real world, not an illustrated children’s book fantasy world.”
Finally emerging from the caves beneath the Tree of Life, we were able to get some final shots of this trail as it was now nearing its end. I was able to capture some of the waterfalls, one of which that was captured in a previous photograph.
I will end this photo tour with another one of the subtle details that one can find in this park.
Continuing down the trail I happened to look up and spotted these wonderful orange flowers that were draped over the rock work. Again, a small touch that did not necessarily need to be there, but an Imagineer somewhere thought to add it, a subtle nod to the beauty of nature that is ever-present throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
As this is Part I, my intention will be to discuss the other areas of Animal Kingdom that I feel need a voice for the everyday fan. Too many times the rides are the only priority, and I find that disappointing for a park that offers so much more.
I have visited several amusement parks throughout my life; having lived in Pennsylvania both Dorney Park and Hershey Park are easily within a few hours driving distance. However, those parks pale in comparison to what has almost become our home away from home - the Walt Disney World Resort. The theme parks envisioned and brought to life by Disney’s Imagineers are jaw-dropping in their ability to immerse you in fabricated worlds that seem real. In no other park does this happen to me more than when I enter Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
As luck would have it, for our trip this year the Tree of Life Garden Trail had re-opened, a secluded trail found off of the beaten path in the center of the park. It is accessed near the part of Discovery Island where Pizzafari and Starbucks are located, and is one of the very reasons why I love this park above all others. There are moments when you walk through this trail when you forget that you are in a theme park in the middle of Florida. What is so poignant about this particular area of this park is that there are no rides, no kiosks, or no food booths of any kind. It is simply you, exploring the beauty and tranquility that this park - and only this park - can truly offer. The striking purples and deep reds of the flowers that decorate this trail in the beginning are just a small hint of the beauty that is yet to come.
Luckily for the park visitor, there are trails like this in several areas of Animal Kingdom, offering flora and fauna both delicate and colossal, that one could spend an entire day in this park taking in all of the sights without even walking into the queue of a single ride. And with regard to the colossal, one need only look up on this trail as you are brought right beneath the centerpiece of this park, the icon that is the Tree of Life.
At approximately 145 feet high, the tree contains over 300 intricately carved animals that are viewable from every angle. When we visited on the first of January, we had not walked this trail for years as it had been closed to the public. Now being open once more, you can really get an up close look at all of the animal carvings. One truth that can be discovered is that there is no bad side to this masterpiece.
We walked by so slowly, and there were very few people along this particular trail, that it made for almost a surreal experience considering that the park most likely contained tens of thousands of people. All our group did was constantly take photos one after the other, almost like we were in some sort of competition to see who could be the first to photograph every single animal on the tree.
And speaking of animals, there are also a few critters to be found on the Tree of Life Garden Trail. There are otters, an over-sized catfish and some ring-tailed lemurs to be found throughout the winding path. Also, along the front part of this trail, basking in the warm January sun, were a group of very content-looking kangaroos. This paddock seemed to suit them rather well, and they all stared our way and graciously did not move at all for this photo opportunity. There were several there but none were too eager to move at this particular time, so we enjoyed this quiet moment and then proceeded to move on.
As the trail traverses the side of the tree we plunged into several cave-like passages. This is just another example of places and moments that exist in this park that are hard for me to find anywhere else on property. Joe Rohde, the Lead Imagineer that guided the artistic design of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, said that this park was designed for its visitors to explore in the first person, meaning that there is no defined path; you are to discover your own way in this park. And what you will find is a level of immersion not found in any other Orlando park (both Disney and Universal). To quote Joe Rohde on this point: “There are details within details within details to anchor you in the fact that we are talking about the real world, not an illustrated children’s book fantasy world.”
Finally emerging from the caves beneath the Tree of Life, we were able to get some final shots of this trail as it was now nearing its end. I was able to capture some of the waterfalls, one of which that was captured in a previous photograph.
I will end this photo tour with another one of the subtle details that one can find in this park.
Continuing down the trail I happened to look up and spotted these wonderful orange flowers that were draped over the rock work. Again, a small touch that did not necessarily need to be there, but an Imagineer somewhere thought to add it, a subtle nod to the beauty of nature that is ever-present throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
As this is Part I, my intention will be to discuss the other areas of Animal Kingdom that I feel need a voice for the everyday fan. Too many times the rides are the only priority, and I find that disappointing for a park that offers so much more.
from one of my favorite posters! Looking forward to reading more! Great pictures too! 
