AK in the evening

[Alice121078]

We always do the Safari about 9 or 10 and there are always animals out. We are going to change it up in August and do it around 4 this time.

Please post how it is! That’s the time we are thinking of doing it.

 

[Alice121078]

I've had better luck with viewing animals in the morning than in the evening. I was excited about seeing the Painted Dogs that they introduced when they extended the Safari operating hours into the evening, but they were in the den sleeping when we went in the evening, during the day they had been running around. Apparently they didn't get the memo that they were evening entertainers. I still had fun, it is worth doing any time of day. I would however recommend arriving a bit earlier if this is the only day you have at AK. Check the show times online for your dates, specifically for Finding Nemo the Musical, and Festival of the Lion King both are indoors and the last show was at 5PM and 6 PM respectively in February. The Maharajah and Gorilla Trails closed at 7pm. The Gorilla's that we're very active at park opening we're no were to be seen at 5Pm, but each day is a different story. The trails around the Tree of Life are open until park close. My kids enjoyed finding and identifying the animals carved into the tree. The Winged Encounters last showing is at 3:30 in front of the Tree. It doesn't last long but it is impressive if you don't have a bird phobia. A large group of parrots fly freely around the tree then swoop over the crowd and come to roost on a nearby perch. Up a Bird Adventure last showing was 5PM but that is outdoor bleachers. You are wise to recognize the importance of down time. I would select the items that would fit your families interests, but bear in mind that Disney gives the animals a big area to roam and rest away from the crowds, so sometimes the animal experiences are unbelievable and other times they're a bust. My family just cracks a joke and moves on it's all about togetherness and managing expectations and I'm not one that has the luxury of going often, so I make the best of the hand that is dealt.

Thanks. We’re going to be up late the night before, so I don’t want to push it with our 2 year old - I’d rather let him sleep in (if he will, lol), and just see what we see after the worst heat of the day is over. Since we live only 3 hours away, we can always go back. If the temps are surprisingly nice or our son pops out of bed st 6 AM that morning, I’ll rethink things.

 

[Dis Dragon]

Look at when Civil Twilight is when you're going and plan to be there around that time. We've been there first thing in the morning and at evening twilight, the animals were all over the place at night. The trick is to get there through it before it gets dark, so you want to be on the ride about 30 minutes prior.

 

[Dancemom]

I always do the safari first thing in the morning and usually see many animals. However, last Friday, 6/14 we were at AK I’m the evening and had a FP+ for the safari. We went at 8:00 pm and there were many animals out and about. I’ll try and attach a few pics. I just took these with my phone. I didn’t have my good camera with me because I wasn’t expecting to see this many animals.

 

[Alice121078]

I always do the safari first thing in the morning and usually see many animals. However, last Friday, 6/14 we were at AK I’m the evening and had a FP+ for the safari. We went at 8:00 pm and there were many animals out and about. I’ll try and attach a few pics. I just took these with my phone. I didn’t have my good camera with me because I wasn’t expecting to see this many animals.

Amazing! I can’t believe the giraffes were so close to the Jeep!

 

[Dancemom]

Amazing! I can’t believe the giraffes were so close to the Jeep!

The giraffes were quite content “ people watching” as we drove by and stopped for a few pics. Our CM was great! He talked the whole time about the animals, drove extremely slowly and stopped often so we could take a quick picture.

 

[maryj11]

A good time for the Safari is right before sunset. We went around 8:00 last year as the sun was going down and the animals were active . Lions were roaring, which I have never heard before . Going after dark is not really a good idea because it is hard to see. This month the animal trails close at 7:00.

 

[bizeemom4]

I felt so silly riding the safari truck in the dark. It's like letting your dog out in the back yard in the middle of the night and then trying to watch what he's doing. You can't see anything! LOL.