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3. The Foliage

 Theme Park Tourist

A key component of all areas of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is, of course, the plant life on offer. More than any other Disney Park, Animal Kingdom is deeply intertwined with the land upon which it sits — and nowhere is that more acute than at the entry to the famed Harambe Wildlife Preserve.

Yes, there are buildings in Harambe, but they way in which they sink within the trees and foliage surrounding them — often with grass growing right up along side the buildings — feels both authentic and unusual, like you’ve become connected to nature in ways you haven’t seen before.

Even among the rest of the areas of Walt Disney World, which itself is not wanting for green space, it is far more likely to see buildings and plants sectioned off from one another — or, at least, with clearly defined borders. In Harambe, these lines are blurred. The pathways are less exact, the plants are less well-kept, the tree canopy is more full and intertwined.

Harambe feels like a fundamental part the natural world, and that is a key component both to our enjoyment of it as tourists, but also its place in the fictional story of wildlife conservation that Disney has cultivated. 

4. The Food

 Theme Park Tourist

If Epcot has the culinary celebration that is World Showcase, Animal Kingdom’s answer is the decadent flavors on hand in Harambe. Now, no, the food isn’t all authentic to what you’d find in Eastern Africa — and that is unfortunate. But, Disney has managed to cultivate something impressive here.

First, there is the Harambe Market — a kind of outdoor food hall with ribs, gyros, vegetables, and shaved ice. This food is absolutely delicious, and among the best you’ll find in Disney's Animal Kingdom. It’s not quite as adventurous as true foodies might hope for (for that, you’d probably have to check out Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge or leave Disney property entirely) but for food inside a theme park land, it’s difficult to find fault with. The flavor profile is, indeed, more in line with a generic African palate — so hey, that’s something.

Then, there’s the Dawa Bar — a quaint and charming place that offers both Disney’s traditional bar drinks but also a handful of international and African beers and inspired concoctions.

Last, but certainly not least, is Tusker House Restaurant. Mostly well-known for its hard-to-reserve character breakfast, this restaurant also has some incredible traditional African foods — from curries and hummus to tabouli and seafood. It is all, to a dish, excellent. And, as a buffet, it’s hard not to get your money’s worth.

Non-World Showcase food within Disney Parks can be hit or miss. Thankfully, it’s all a hit in Harambe.

5. The Ride

 Jennifer Lynn, Flickr (license)

Image: Jennifer Lynn, Flickr (license)

A visit to Harambe isn’t complete unless, of course, you ride Kilimanjaro Safaris — Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s signature attraction and one of the best theme park rides on planet earth.

This article isn’t about how great Kilimanjaro Safaris is, however — rather, how fantastic it is that this ride seamlessly blends in to the theme park area surrounding it. Other rides feel, somewhat, as though they’re simply in a land by happenstance. The Safaris are unique in that the village of Harambe feels, in some ways, like the beginning of the attraction itself.

The village of Harambe is as much a character in Kilimanjaro Safaris as any animal. It is the place from which you are venturing into the savanna, and it is the place to which you are returning when your safari is complete. It is such a realistic place, that you can’t help but feel a bit thankful when the ride is over — it feels, in part, like home.

Harambe is one of Disney’s best themed lands because it convinces you that you are in a real place, inhabited by real people, and you are simply a tourist there for the day seeing the sights. It isn’t “immersive” in the way Black Spire Outpost on Batuu is. But, it also isn’t trying to be.

Disney doesn’t care if you feel immersed, they want you to feel at home. And in Harambe, they are wildly successful.

 
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