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Bruegge
02-20-2014, 11:13 AM
Planning a short day in AK in June.

Plan on knocking of EE, KS and Dinosaur as early as possible...(like everyone else ..I know)

I want to take the girls,, DW, DD15, DD10 on one of the three trails

Discovery island
Pangini
Maharajha

We haven't been on any (I think)

I have read the info on each.

If you were only going to take the time for ONE nice slow walk ... which would you pick and why??

It'll be hot so is one more "undercover" than another... Does one have more animals??

Thanks,

Scott

Janmac
02-20-2014, 11:35 AM
I prefer the Maharajah Trek because I like the tiger habit a lot. It looks so much like an palace in ruins. The fruit bats on this trail might put the kids off, tho.

The Pangani Trail is my sister's favorite because she likes all things gorilla. If I remember correctly the hippo area is kind of fun because of the underwater viewing ability.

We usually breeze thru these trails in about 2 1/2 seconds so we do both. When we brought my newbie cousins they spent easily 30 minutes in just the aviary section alone on the Maharajah Trek. So we only did one of the trails.

We don't usually do the trails every trip except for Discovery Island which to me isn't the same as the other trails.

If I were doing one, I think I'd pick the one with the animals your kids would like best. Hopefully they'd pick animals on the same trail.

Jan

mickclub1955
02-20-2014, 11:56 AM
My DW and I love the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Everytime we go, we have to go and see her tigers.

MrPeetrie
02-20-2014, 01:19 PM
I like the Pangani Trail. My DW likes the Maharajah Trek better. Both are wonderful if you take the time to fully explore them.

Dulcee
02-20-2014, 01:42 PM
I love the Tiger trek. The bats are the best part!

joonyer
02-20-2014, 05:18 PM
I vote for the tigers too. They are magnificently beautiful to watch.

DizneyRox
02-20-2014, 09:16 PM
The heat may impact the tigers viewing. in 98, I remember seeing them playing at the fountain, etc. in recent years, viewing was only of them sleeping in a corner .

I prefer Gorilla Falls, they may all have similar areas of cover, etc. I can watch the gorillas forever. if the hippos are in view, they can be fun. I don't know if the meercat area is still populated, but if they are around, they can be fun.

I can't suggest the Rafiki Planet Watch area if there's only one choice. its truly hit or miss. I've seen all sorts of cool stuff on the train ride, and in the exhibit building, not so much on the walking trail.

Ms. Mode
02-21-2014, 08:17 AM
The heat may impact the tigers viewing. in 98, I remember seeing them playing at the fountain, etc. in recent years, viewing was only of them sleeping in a corner .

I prefer Gorilla Falls, they may all have similar areas of cover, etc. I can watch the gorillas forever. if the hippos are in view, they can be fun. I don't know if the meercat area is still populated, but if they are around, they can be fun.

I can't suggest the Rafiki Planet Watch area if there's only one choice. its truly hit or miss. I've seen all sorts of cool stuff on the train ride, and in the exhibit building, not so much on the walking trail.

I agree! We all prefer the Pangani Trail...just love the gorilla watching. We saw baby Lily soon after she was put out there and we like to visit to see her progress. :thumbsup:

Disney4us2
02-21-2014, 12:16 PM
I would also suggest going to Rafiki's planet watch. We did that last week and went to the vet window to watch procedures. It was very interesting. They do procedures every day around 10am except for Wednesdays. The first train out to Rafiki's is around 9:30am It is so much more than going to pet the goats. While we were there we observed a bandage change on a peafowl...pea hen. She was pecking at herself and created a wound. We also saw a bandage change on a zebra finch.

NayLuvsDisney
02-21-2014, 12:37 PM
I personally love Maharajah bc it makes you feel like you are in a different place! The tigers are awesome!

Honestly though, they are all pretty awesome so it won't be disappointing!

Gator
02-21-2014, 02:05 PM
AK in June. Only :thedolls: likes it as hot as it gets in this park in the summer.

You may want to throw in Nemo: The Musical. First, it's air conditioned, so that's a big plus in the summer. Second, the show is really great! It could be the best live show that Disney has ever produced.

If you don't want to do Nemo, then head for The Tree and do It's Tough to Be a Bug. Fun show, air conditioned, and the line is in the shade mostly.

The trails are great if you decide to those, and the aviary at the end of Maharaj is really cool. But when it's as hot as it's going to be, you'll be wishing you chose an indoor attraction.

mom2morgan
02-21-2014, 10:01 PM
Maharajha- BUT they really aren't very long at all - it isn't any length of walk, really - so I think you could do more than one. I was suprised (and relieved) at how short the trails were, because my feet were in pretty rough shape ;-)

Sylvia
02-22-2014, 03:13 PM
You can't go wrong with any one of the three trails on your list. I think you should plan to visit all trails if possible, since all are different. If you can only pick one, you should base your choice on the one where you'll be able to visit the animal your family most wants to see.

We always spend a couple of days at AK. The animal viewing trails are always at the top of our list, along with the Safari. There are many animals along each trail; Maharajah has the Tigers and Pangani has the Gorillas. We also walk along the Discovery Island trails since there are also many animal viewing areas along the trails.

If you have time, and the heat hasn't gotten to you, or you aren't tired, I think you should do all three. And also, don't rule out taking the relaxing train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch for the reasons already stated.

Animal Kingdom is an amazing park to visit; there is so much to do and to see. Whatever you decided to do, enjoy your day at AK.

pcoleman
02-22-2014, 11:00 PM
Maharajah for me too. Love the tigers, DD loves the fruit bats. Several opportunities to get out of the sun. Aviary at the end has some wonderful birds and all in the shade. Like others have said they are all short and we almost always get all three done.

joonyer
02-23-2014, 12:10 AM
And don't forget to take in Flights of Wonder. Amazing and funny show. It's an under-appreciated gem!

LVT
03-01-2014, 10:33 AM
I also loved the Maharaja trail. 1. I enjoy bird spotting 2. The tiger area has a pool and I got a kick out of the large cat laying in water.

As was mentioned, these trails are short.

Davy Crockett
03-04-2014, 09:31 AM
Maharajha - for us because of the big cats & Bats.

The only thing I can add as I don't see anyone mentioning it GO EARLY! With the heat all the animals no matter which trail will bed down quickly as they will move in the early morning and right before dusk, so if you really want to see a variety of animal life and get some good pictures I would do this first thing upon arrival.

Also a much cooler walk in the AM.

FaithTrustPixieDust
03-05-2014, 05:04 PM
The Pangani Trail is my sister's favorite because she likes all things gorilla. If I remember correctly the hippo area is kind of fun because of the underwater viewing ability.


I ditto this, but I seem to be in the minority here.

Also echo the vote for Finding Nemo the musical. It's a welcome rest and a wonderful show!