Calling All AK Park Fans!!!!

[petey]

Hello All, Will be headed to the World for 9 days/8 nights In late Jan-early Feb and staying @ AKL. Was considering taking the Backstage Safari one morning and wanted to get your feedback on this tour, good or bad. Please
chime in with any thoughts, as before you know it the end of January will be
here. I do not know how popular this tour is, or how far in advance it is necessary to book. Please help!!!!! Hope everyone had a great New Year's. I know the people lucky enough to be at the World did.

 

[GoochDSA]

My fiance and I did this tour back on New Year's Day '09. I had wanted to book the KttK durring that trip but it was booked up. So, wanting to do the tour I decided to book the Backstage Safari instead. I did it more for her than for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't want to give anything away, but it was a great tour and well worth the time and money. We did end up going on KttK on a different trip (it was also fantastic). Just keep in mind that the minimum age is 16 and they are strict about it.

Since you are staying at AKL, did you look into the Wanyama Safari or Sunset Safari at all? We did this in October and it was one of the best experiences we have had. $190 sounds like it is a lot of money for a tour, but it is well worth it. You really get up close and personal with the animals (a giraffe stuck its head into our safari vehicle) and the guide works on the grounds and can give you a lot of information about each species as well as in some cases individual animal habbits. After exploring all 4 of the savannahs you get a fantastic feast at Jiko. The service is top notch, the chef will talk about each of the breads and spreads, appitizers, entrees and desserts (the meal starts with the bread service, then 3 appitizers are served family style, then the pallet cleansor, then 3 entrees are served family style, then coffee and 3 desserts are served to each person), and that doesn't mention the wine pairings that are included (as well as the tip). If you can swing the $190 per person, I would highly suggest it even more than the Backstage Safari. I would also suggest doing it earlier in the trip this way you know what you are looking at durring your stay. The Wanyama is available to anyone, over the age of 8, staying at AKL (Jambo or Kidani).

If you happen to be staying Club Level at AKL, you also have the chance to go on the Sunrise Safari. We also did this back in October. It was ok. Basically you go through KS a lot slower than you would normally. We went through it in about 75 minutes or so when the actual ride durring the day is about 18 minutes. After the safari you go for a decent breakfast buffet at Pizzafari. While it was a fun experience, I liked the Backstage Safari better. The Sunrise Safari is available to all ages staying CL at AKL.

 

[stillgoofy]

Did the Backstage safari with my daughter a couple years ago. Loved it and I felt well worth the money. Remember if you have a Disney VISA you get 20% off tours.

 

[petey]

Hi Gooch DSA, I have already had the pleasure of doing the Wanyama Safari, and I agree with everything you said. It was an experience I will always remember. The Safari was outstanding, and to end with a dinner @ Jiko was
the perfect way to end the experience. There is so much to do at AKL. They have night vision googles to view the animals after dark, pretty neat, and Victoria Falls (the hotel bar/lounge) is also nice to spend some time at. You meet interesting people from different parts of the world.

 

[GoochDSA]

Since you have already done the Wanyama, I would totally go with the Backstage Safari. You spend a lot of time looking at the different areas for the different species, spend some time in the hospital they have (you can wave at the people in the Conservation Station), take a glimps at the "kitchen", along with some other things. A lot of what you get to see may depend on the timing of your tour group. For example, one of the elephants got something caught in their foot, wich they just so happened to be tending to while we were walking by, so the head of the elephants was explaining what they did and what they were doing while we got to watch them repair the wound for a little bit. It was pretty neat. I wish I could tell you how far in advance you need to book it, but we did the tour on New Year's Day and booked it in July (everything books up quick that time of year). I personally like to book something the moment I know it is something I want to do.

I have also heard good things about the Wild Africa Trek at AK. The only negative thing I have heard is how expensive it is. If you haven't been on KS since the tour started, you can see some of the areas that the tour group uses.

This past trip was our first stay at AKL after visiting it a couple of times for Jiko. It did not disappoint. The staff is so nice and friendly and are really willing to sit and talk to you about where they are from and such. It is a great resort to explore. We tried to use the night vision goggles but there were no animals to be found. So instead I opened the google sky map app on my phone and we were looking up at the stars with the goggles. Me, my fiance, another couple that just happened to be there at that time and the CM handing out the goggles had a great time with it.