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The
Jungle Trek begins as you walk through the Anandapur Royal Forest and
cross a bridge to see many Komodo Dragons beneath you. Soon you will
enter the Malayan Tapir area where you can see them grazing for food
and living in their environment. Then you enter the Bat Cliffs of Anandapur
where guests can see such things as the Rodrigues Fruit Bat and the
Giant Flying Fox.
Type of attraction: walking exhibits
Our rating: 3 out of 4 Readers' Overall Rating:
3.4
Children: 3.5 Pre-teens: 3.3
Teenagers: 3.5
Young Adults: 3.4 Middle Aged: 3.5
Older Adults: 4.0
Travel a beautifully detailed trail through India viewing tigers and
other exotic animals.
Wander and explore through the Anandapul Royal Forest and hunting lodge.
See creatures such as giant (and scary looking) fruit bats, colorful
birds and of course, tigers. Along the way you may also encounter
Komodo Dragon and tapir.
This is a self guided tour through the tropical jungles of India. Here
you will see many unusual plants and animals. The feature animals of
this attraction are the 6 female tigers. You can look over short walls
and through well maintained windows to get a clear view of these beautiful
tigers
Description: Amidst the colorful ruins of the Maharajah's Palace
dwells a live menagerie of tigers, tapirs, Komodo gragans, giant fruit
bats and Asian birds.
Guests with any mobility concerns should proceed through the standard
queue.
MAHARAHAH JUNGLE TREK
Animal Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
The People of Anandapur and the Royal Anandapur Wildlife and Forestry
Authority trust you will enjoy your walk and ask that you respect and
honor these lovely creatures with behavior appropriate for peaceful
co-existence.
Wander through the ancient ruins of India and see tigers, bats and birds
and more on this self-guided walking tour.
ATTRACTION
As you begin your journey through this magnificent are be sure to take
time to look at the art and architecture surrounding you. Almost immediately
upon entering the land of Anandapur, you will feel as though you have
been transported half way around the world.
When you crossed the bridge into Asia, even before you actually enter
the Maharajah Jungle Trek, chances are you heard the Gibbons!
The Gibbons are members of the ape family, not the monkey family. They
have longer arms and no tails. Amid the temples and memorial pillars
of Anandapur you will find the white-cheeked gibbon Hylobates concolor
and the larger siamang Hylobates syndactylus . Both live in family groups.
The Siamang inhabit the tropical rain forests of the Malay Peninsula
and Sumatra.
The Siamangs will likely be overhead and swinging from tower to tower.
If you listen, you can hear the "hoots" that allow them to
mark their territory and communicate. The Siamangs are the loudest land
mammal, their vocal sac can inflate to the size of their head. They
can actually get quite loud at times. Their voices can be heard up to
2 miles away.
The male gibbons are black and the females golden. The white-cheeked
gibbon live in tropical forests in Vietnam with a life span of about
25 years.
Come around the bend into the first animal viewing area and discover
the home of the Komodo Dragon Varanus komodoenis . Komodo dragons are
indigenous to Indonesia and are the world's largest lizard. They seek
warm areas during the morning and cooler areas during the day. The average
life span is 20 years, however they can live to be 40-60 years old.
Komodo Dragons are solitary animals except when breeding and eating.
Next along the path is the female Malayan Tapir Tapirus Indicus, an
endangered species. Tapir skin is very tough, like a rhino, which
attracts hunters.
Found in the deep forests in Asia, they are shy herbivores, feeding
on bark, buds and leaves. When born, the Tapir skin color is all brown
and later turns into the black and white you see here.
The Tapir you see here at the Animal Kingdom is 16 years old. She has
very poor eyesite and relies heavily on her sense of smell. There is
a small pool in the Tapir area so she can get some relief from the heat.
They can grow as large as 600 pounds.
The Bat Community, home of the Rodrigues Fruit Bat Pteropus rodricensis
and the Malayan Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus is next. (There is a bypass
if you wish to skip this section.) You can see the bats hanging
from the vines and trees in the enclosure. They also will sometimes
wrap themselves in their paper-thin wings to preserve body hear or fan
themselves to stay cool.
The Rodrigues are sometimes referred to as "golden bats" because
of their mantle of golden fur that covers portions of their head, neck,
and shoulders and contrasts sharply with the dark brown fur over the
remainder of their body. Rodigues is a small volcanic island in the
Southwestern Indian Ocean.
The Malayan Flying Fox is among the largest of the bats and has a wing
span of 6 feet. This largely nocturnal mammal feeds on fruit and nectar.
The most beautiful section of the Maharajah Jungle Trek is next which
will bring you into the heart of India. It is called Tiger Forest. Paintings
adorn the old crumbling wallsThere are several viewing areas for the
Asian Tigers Panthera tigris.
There are 6 Female Tigers in the Maharajah collection. Be
sure to visit the Tigers in the early morning hours. They can sometimes
be found stretching on a tree trunk or playing in the water.
Some of the viewing areas are through glass. However, near the
end of the tiger section is a bridge upon which you can get a good view
of the Tigers and their Pond.
Looking
left while on the bridge, you will see a field with Elds Deer and Blackbuck.
The Elds Deer Cervus eldi come from Burma and eastern India. The Elds
Deer are an endangered species.
The Blackbuck Antilope cervicapra are one of the fastest antelopes in
the world. They can travel up to 50 miles per hour. The Blackbucks have
the cork screw twisted horns.
Co-existing with the Elds Deer and Blackbuck are several species of
birds. The Sarus Crane will get your attention quickly as they are the
world's tallest flying bird. Males can grow to six feet tall with a
ten feet wing span. Also in this area are barheaded geese and white
wing wood duck, both native to South East Asia.
A beautiful peaceful bird sanctuary completes the Maharajah Jungle Trek.
(Be sure to pick up a colorful bird identification chart.) Paintings
on the walls and running water from the fountains provide a quiet serene
atmosphere. In the pond, you might find Masked Plovers and Indian Pygmy
Geese. The male Argus Pheasant can often be found strutting along the
ground. Up in the trees you might find the King Parrots. There is generally
a guide in this area, often with binoculars, who can answer questions
and point out the birds.
As you exit the bird area, the sounds in the distance of the Kali River
Rapids ride remind you where you are and what lies ahead during your
day at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
TOURING TIPS
Get your FastPass for Kali River Rapids and then stroll through the
Maharajah Jungle Trek.
The nice thing about the Maharajah Jungle Trek is that you go at your
own pace, and spend as little or as much time as you wanted to see and
photograph the animals. (Aileen Thompson)
Photographer Bruce Carlson on the Tigers!: Taking pictures of the tigers
in Asia can be rewarding as well as frustrating. Too often I've seen
people leave the area after only a few minutes of observing these beautiful
creatures. Although hot summer days will find the tigers relaxing throughout
the day, if you arrive at the fountain location within 30 minutes of
the park closing, you'll find them anxiously pacing near the gates as
they wait to be fed. More than once I've caught tigers jumping on each
other, swatting their buddies with their huge paws and even starting
a brief altercation. Patience is the key and have that camera near your
eye as it could be the highlight photo of the trip.
Be sure to ask the Guides any questions you might have about the animals
you encounter during your trek. Many of the Guides are native to Asia.
Just before entering the aviary you can usually find a Bird Identification
Sheet.
Assistive Listening Devices from Guest Services Can Be Used Here.
Reflective Captioning Available.
For more information on Animal Kingdom Live Entertainment, Visit Steve
Soares' WDW Entertainment Website.
KIDS AND CHARACTERS
There are plenty of viewing areas for kids and lots of educational opportunities
too.
My 4 year old daughter loved the trail! (Donna S)
Disney Characters are typically not found in Asia.
Animal Kingdom Characters At A Glance
Character Meet and Greet FAQ!
DINING
For eating opportunities in Asia, check out the Chakranadi Chicken Shop!
WDWIG recommends the chicken satay! Anandapur Ice Cream offers refreshing
treats for hot days!
Animal Kingdom Restaurants At A Glance
Menus From Around the World
Vegetarian and Other Special Diets
SHOPPING
Outside the jungle trail, Mandala Gifts has Asian themed souvenirs
and tiger apparel available.
INTERESTING FACTS
Nepal, India, Thailand and Indonesia are represented through the architecture,
animal carvings and ruins scattered throughout the trail.
You will find the Gibbons on the Nepalese-styled monument tower and
at the ruins of a Thai designed temple.
Pros
Beautifully themed, animals are very close and easily seen.
Cons
Identification sheets for the aviary tend to all end up at the exit.
The Bottom Line
To miss the Maharajah Jungle Trek is to miss much of what makes Animal
Kingdom a special place. Even if you're not into animals check it out
for the scenery.
My family and I visited the Maharajah Jungle Trek on both of our recent
trips to Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. We tend to love the detail
that the Disney Imagineers put into all they do, but we were thrilled
to find that they had outdone themselves on the theming of this area.
What is the Maharajah Jungle Trek? On its most basic level it is small
zoo, with exclusively Asian animals. But to call the Disney way of sharing
these marvelous creatures "just a zoo" is to do an injustice
to all who created this beautiful place. The Maharajah Jungle Trek takes
you to the continent of Asia....temple ruins, a village square, and
yes.....the jungle. The detail that is put into the scenery is simply
splendid. Unfortunately I have never visited Asia, but the scenery definitely
looks and feels authentic. And as you explore the continent of Asia
you have the opportunity to see many of the creatures who make this
continent their home, in some cases up close and personal. The headliners
are the tigers and the giant fruit bats...but there are many others.
One thing Disney does particularly well is aviaries. The former Discovery
Island consisted primarily of a giant aviary where the birds fly freely
around. The Maharajah Jungle Trek also features an aviary. Within it
are a variety of species of colorful Asian birds. They even supply you
with an identification reference card at the entrance to the aviary
so that you can figure out which bird is which. The only problem with
the system is that all the available identification cards end up at
the aviary exit quickly and don't get moved around to the entrance.
I do recommend trying to visit the Trek very early in the day or shortly
before closing. I believe that this attraction closes an hour before
the rest of the Animal Kingdom park. We were lucky enough to be the
last family admitted on our one visit. This was absolutely wonderful!
We pretty much had the viewing of the animals all to ourselves. If you've
ever visited a crowded zoo you will understand what a treat this was.
I was able to get a stunning photo of one of the tigers looking up at
me. I will admit it was a bit unnerving to realize that I might look
like tasty meal.
I recommend the Maharajah Jungle Trek to everyone....young and old.
Those who need assistance to get around may not be able to access a
few of the viewing areas, but for each type of animal there is at least
one viewing area that is accessible to all.
Pros
Animals closer than you can imagine!
Cons
The walk, but it can't be helped (and can't hurt).
I must admit that before deciding to actually go the Disney's Animal
Kingdom, I had my doubts. Quite a number of people had told me that
it wasn't that great. Thankfully, I'm one of those people who will still
check it out for myself! The Maharajah Jungle Trek was one of the highlights
of our Disney vacation! It is a self-guided walking tour through a beautiful
jungle. Instead of sending a guide with you, there are guides at each
of the animal areas to answer your questions and provide you with interesting
facts about what you are looking at.
The bats were real scary, at first they are behind a glass wall and
suddently as you move along, there is no wall at all! Just big window-openings
without glass! They just hang there and you instantly recall all of
those scary bat movies you watched as a kid. It's quite a thrill!
Along the way you many other animals most of which are just over a short
(maybe 4') wall. The Tigers, however, you may view through glass. Then
there's the gorillas! There's something to be said about viewing animals
that are so much like ourselves! I was really surprised as we moved
along the trek to see that the gorillas were not caged in or seperated
by anything large. It was as though they could join us for the rest
of the tour whenever they wanted!
We just had a blast - we felt like explorers and the kids loved it!
Maharajah Jungle Trek - Asia - Animal Kingdom
The Maharajah Jungle Trek is one of the most beautiful parts of Animal
Kingdom. As you begin your journey through this magnificent land be
sure to take time to look at your surroundings. Almost immediately upon
entering the land of Anandapur the art, architecture and landscaping
will immediately transport you half way around the world to Asia. As
you cross the bridge into Asia, even before you actually enter the Maharajah
Jungle Trek, chances are you will hear the Gibbons! They are LOUD!
Their voices can be heard up to 2 miles away. The Gibbons are members
of the ape family, not the monkey family. They have longer arms and
no tails. Amid the temples and memorial pillars of Anandapur you will
find the white-cheeked gibbon Hylobates concolor and the larger siamang
Hylobates syndactylus. The Siamangs will likely be overhead and swinging
from tower to tower. If you listen, you can hear the "hoots"
that allow them to mark their territory and communicate.
The Siamangs are the loudest land mammal, their vocal sac can inflate
to the size of their head. The male gibbons are black and the females
golden.
Come around the bend into the first animal viewing area and discover
the home of the Komodo Dragon Varanus komodoenis. Komodo dragons are
indigenous to Indonesia and are the world's largest lizard. They seek
warm areas during the morning and cooler areas during the day. The average
life span is 20 years, however they can live to be 40-60 years old.
Komodo Dragons are solitary animals except when breeding and eating.
Next along the path is the female Malayan Tapir Tapirus Indicus, an
endangered species. Tapir skin is very tough, like a rhino, which attracts
hunters. Found in the deep forests in Asia, they are shy herbivores,
feeding on bark, buds and leaves. When born, the Tapir skin
color is all brown and later turns into the black and white you see
here. The Tapir you see here at the Animal Kingdom is 16 years old.
She relies heavily on her sense of smell. There is a small pool in the
Tapir area so she can get some relief from the heat. They can grow as
large as 600 pounds. |
