Animal Kingdom Lodge part of Harambe?

[urbanvegan]

This may be an odd question, but is the story of AKL meant to be an extension of the village of Harambe in Animal Kingdom? Some of the Disney resorts exist in fictional communities (i.e. Old Key West is meant to be the town of Conch Flats) and I wasn't sure if the resort had been designed as such.

I know it seems like a bit of minutiae, but does anyone know?

 

[Master Yoda]

I do not know the official answer but I have always considered it as part of Harambe.

 

[Captain Hank]

I'm pretty sure that I've seen an Animal Care vehicle out there with the Harambe Wildlife Reserve logo on it. I always assumed that it was located somewhere on the outskirts of the reserve, but not necessarily in Harambe itself. The reserve would have to be pretty large--we are supposed to be gone on Kilimanjaro Safaris for two weeks, after all.

 

[Rob562]

While not exactly pertaining to this discussion, have you ever noticed the map of Harambe on the wall in the Safaris queue? It pretty accurately lays out the buildings you can see, as well as filling in the "gaps" of sections of Harambe you can't see (such as the "New Town" section. the village you see in the park is supposedly the "Old Harambe")

As you can see, the Preserve extends well off the top of the map. And even though it's not in the right direction, the AKL could conceivably be off there. (Though there is a building at the top edge of the map labeled "Kujikwaa Tembo Lodge", so there's kind of a prescedent set for lodges...)


There's a similar map posted in Asia for the town of Anandapur:

-Rob

 

[JLW11Hi]

I love it when they have these backstories, especially the ones that connect various parts of the resort. (Like the hurricaine that created Typhoon Lagoon and wrecked Pleasure Island) Its too bad they aren't promoted as much as they should be.

 

[urbanvegan]

I had never looked at those maps before, Rob, thanks! I'll have to check those out this weekend. It's amazing how easy it is to miss things like this in a crowded park.

 

[Captain Hank]

Whoah, I definitely need to look for those next time. Thanks!

 

[Rob562]

Whoah, I definitely need to look for those next time. Thanks!

The Harambe/Wildlife Preserve map is in the queue for the Safari, in the room with the "reception desk".

The Anandapur map is behind the rikshaw photo spot, roughly across the pathway from the Yak & Yeti store.

There's a third map that I'll have to post when I get home tonight that's of Dinoland as it was originally laid out. It's found on a bulletin board across the pathway from the entrance to the Bone Yard.

-Rob

 

[Rob562]

OK, here's the map from Dinoland.

If you seek it out, I highly suggest you read everything else on the bulletin boards, too. There's some really humorous things, as well as some great insight into the well thought-out backstory for Dinoland.

-Rob

 

[magic cait ball]

I read kujikwaa tembo and was immediately intrigued. Kujikwaa Tembo translates (from swahili) to stumbling elephant!! How great is that? Kujikwaa Tembo Lodge is the stumbling elephant lodge. I always knew knowing Swahili would come in handy at some point.

while i'm at it, a few other fun translations
safari- journey
tamu tamu (the restaurant in AK)- Delicious Delicious, or Tastey Tastey
pole pole! (it used to be said in the old safari script when crossing the bridge)- it means "slow! slow!"

 

[Rob562]

I read kujikwaa tembo and was immediately intrigued. Kujikwaa Tembo translates (from swahili) to stumbling elephant!! How great is that? Kujikwaa Tembo Lodge is the stumbling elephant lodge. I always knew knowing Swahili would come in handy at some point.

while i'm at it, a few other fun translations
safari- journey
tamu tamu (the restaurant in AK)- Delicious Delicious, or Tastey Tastey
pole pole! (it used to be said in the old safari script when crossing the bridge)- it means "slow! slow!"

Cool. I was able to find a translation site last night that translated "tembo" to be elephant, but it couldn't translate "kujikwaa".

And Tamu Tamu is the bar, not the restaurant. But it's still apropos!

I have a co-worker who is from Kenya. One day when he said goodbye to me in Swahili (sounded like "qua-heri") I mentioned the "goodbye" they use on the safari (sounds like "qua-harini") and he explained that what he said is for saying goodbye to a single person, and what the safari driver says is for saying goodbye to a group.

I had also found this painted on the wall around behind Tusker House:

He said it roughly translates to "It is not allowed to tie up animals in front of this wall".

-Rob

 

[Rob562]

There's a similar map posted in Asia for the town of Anandapur:

Something I just noticed with this map. They use it to explain away a few things on Kali.

Do you see where there's hotels/lodging supposedly up-river from Anandapur? The river that they're located on is actually where the waterway goes back to the raft storage area. They used the map to explain away the extra waterway that you can see on the ride!
Kali Rapids' ride path circles the large "island" on the right-hand side of the map. And you can also see at the far side (where the red #3 is), there are two routes. One is a narrow one, the other is wider as it goes around the smaller island. The storyline on Kali is that the logging operation along the river has messed up the ecosystem of the river and diverts you into the narrow gorge where you have the drop into the splashdown. I guess the wider path to the far right on the map is the route you were "supposed" to be taking on your journey.

-Rob

 

[magic cait ball]

Cool. I was able to find a translation site last night that translated "tembo" to be elephant, but it couldn't translate "kujikwaa".

And Tamu Tamu is the bar, not the restaurant. But it's still apropos!

I have a co-worker who is from Kenya. One day when he said goodbye to me in Swahili (sounded like "qua-heri") I mentioned the "goodbye" they use on the safari (sounds like "qua-harini") and he explained that what he said is for saying goodbye to a single person, and what the safari driver says is for saying goodbye to a group.

I had also found this painted on the wall around behind Tusker House:

He said it roughly translates to "It is not allowed to tie up animals in front of this wall".

-Rob

that sign is cool! and from what i get, your friend was right. (i mean, also hes from kenya, and im just some girl from long island ) )

and you were right about goodbye, its Kwa heri for one person.

also, dont know if anyone wants to hear this, but jambo, its not really correct. it's kind of the tourist-y greeting. next time, try saying "habari"

 

[Captain Hank]

I just found some additional interesting information about AKL:

The building that reflects a horseshoe layout is based on the traditional kraal, or corral, design used in villages throughout Africa. The inhabitants of the African village constructed their kraal to keep their homes and livestock safe from harm.
*Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is built atop an extinct volcanic plume which serves as the source of a natural wellspring around which the local inhabitants constructed their kraal.