On her most recent trip to Animal Kingdom, Fry Bucket got to do something TONS of members of our team are super jealous of.
There are lots of special tours around Disney World, but one of the most notable is over in Animal Kingdom. The Caring For Giants tour gives you a closer look at the beautiful elephants on Animal Kingdom property, teaches you all about them, and helps you learn what Disney does to protect these gentle giants. But is it worth the extra money on your trip? We’ve got Fry’s honest review here, and the answer is YES!
The Caring For Giants tour costs $39 per person (plus tax) and typically has multiple tour options throughout the day. To start our tour, we checked in at the front and then walked backstage with our group to get to the truck that drove us to the elephant area. Of course, there were no photos allowed backstage!
While Fry didn’t get to take pictures, we can tell you what she saw! 45 Kilimanjaro Safari trucks were kept back there, and as they drove behind the attraction (which is called Perimeter Road), she got to see the animal barns/enclosures, which are hidden from guest view normally. She also saw tons of different piles of soil and rocks and learned that Disney has 60 acres outside of Animal Kingdom, partially used for growing eight different crops for the animals. In fact, 85% of the food the animals eat is grown by Disney!
Now this tour takes you to the OTHER side of the elephant area, so Fry saw Kilimanjaro Safari trucks driving by on the main path, but then it was time to go behind the elephant barn, which got the truck to its final location at the other side of the enclosure. There are two different types of elephants at Animal Kingdom — African and Asian — and there are 9 elephants total.
We also learned that caretakers can tell the birthday of an elephant based on a poop sample, and we got to SEE one of them, what hair looks like from an elephant’s tail, as well as a FULL elephant tooth! Did you know the elephants here get their teeth brushed every night? We didn’t until the tour!
The American Zoo Association helped Disney design the park, and told them how enclosures needed to be designed for each animal they wanted. For example, Fry learned that you have to have at least 3 elephants in any zoo!
Interesting enough, the newest baby giraffe, Tucker, likes other animals so they had to make a new fence so he wouldn’t jump into elephant section! (Apparently he especially loves to hangout with the wildebeests.)
Zookeepers and vets are ready to help 24/7 in Animal Kingdom, and Fry learned that the animals can go into their enclosures at night, but they don’t have to — they can also stay out on the savanna, if they prefer. The palm tree in the elephant enclosure holding their hay (and they have four types of hay!) is actually fake! This allows for Disney to adjust the height of it so the elephants can scratch their trunks, which is good for them.
We learned too that the elephant team ONLY works with the elephants, no other animals. Elephants require a lot of special care, and in Africa, roadways of grass are being built so that the elephants can travel, and all proceeds from this tour go to elephant conservation!
Now, while it’s not guaranteed you’ll see lots of elephants on this tour, as sometimes they’re on the other side of the tree by the water, we do feel this is a great experience for animal lovers, especially those who adore elephants. We did get super lucky and got to see a ton of them — including baby Cora running around! Our Cast Member guide was very knowledgable and was happy to answer any and all questions about the elephants, even the adorable and sometimes silly questions from the kiddos!
This is probably a once in a lifetime tour for many people, but thanks to the lower cost, maybe it’s something that animal lovers would choose to do every few years, since you never know what you may see. We highly recommend this tour, and think it’s a great way to amplify your DAK experience. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney World news and reviews!
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Would you ever do this tour? Tell us in the comments!
I’ve done this and it is well worth the money. Theres also a rhino one as well where you visit their barn and actually get to touch one. Both tours were super informative and it was nice to step behind the scenes into a more quiet space and appreciate Animal Kingdom and its creatures. Booking took a little luck and perseverance because they only offer it once or twice a day and it’s a small group. Don’t give up! So worth it.