If you’d asked our family this question a few weeks ago, we would have answered “Morning!”.  With gusto!  Having had amazing experiences in Animal Kingdom early in the day, we started always making FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris at the beginning of every Animal Kingdom visit.

Best Time for Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safaris?

During our last visit to Animal Kingdom, we wanted to wait until Joseph was finished with work for the day so he could ride with us.  I ended up making a late afternoon FastPass for Kilimanjaro Safaris and honestly had very low expectations for animal viewing.  I was so very wrong!  The animals were active, were close to the vehicle and we saw things we’d never seen during our dozens of previous safaris.  One of the best was this bull elephant enjoying his enrichment activity – playing with an enormous log!

As our expedition moved through all the different habitat areas, I was having a great time!  I started wondered exactly how far from sunset it was so I could share this with you and also try to replicate it in the future.  A quick check of my weather app and I calculated we began the safari just over an hour before official sunset time.

Animals were perky and the light on the savannah was beautiful.

Many animals were right beside our safari truck.  It was a treat to see them closer than ever before!

Okay, the hyena was sound asleep, but still!  We usually only see the African painted dogs, which swap habitats with the hyenas every evening. The switch had already taken place by the time we came along, so we got to see a hyena…sort of.As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t not take a million pictures on each and every safari.  Raymond, Megan and Joseph can always be counted on to tease me about this irresistible urge.  This time was different though.  I was, as expected, snapping away, but the experience was so extraordinary that Raymond, from his place on the outside left of the safari truck, jumped in and took pictures right along with me, knowing I wouldn’t want to miss a thing.  (That’s true love for sure.)

So…Next time you find yourself booking a Kilimanjaro Safaris FastPass, check on sunset and book accordingly.  Hopefully, your tour will be as awesome as ours was.

Is Kilimanjaro Safaris an Animal Kingdom must-do for you?  What time of day was it when you saw the most amazing sights?