Rafiki's Planet Watch
| Rafiki's Planet Watch | |
|---|---|
| Park | Disney's Animal Kingdom |
| Land / area | Rafiki's Planet Watch |
| Type | Themed land |
| Opened | April 22, 1998 |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering
|
| Status | Operating |
Rafiki's Planet Watch is a themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida, devoted to animal care and conservation. Unlike every other land in the park, it cannot be reached on foot from Discovery Island (Disney's Animal Kingdom) or any other area. Guests can only get there, and back, by train. That deliberate separation gives the area a quiet, out-of-the-way character and makes the journey part of the experience.
History
The area opened with the park on April 22, 1998, under the name Conservation Station.[1] It took its present name, after Rafiki, the mandrill from The Lion King, in October 2000, when the overall destination became Rafiki's Planet Watch and the name Conservation Station was retained for the main building within it.[2] Some accounts date the change to the park's Millennium Celebration period, but contemporary park sources place the renaming in 2000.
The land closed on October 21, 2018, prompting speculation that it might not return. Disney instead refurbished it, and it reopened on July 11, 2019, with a major addition: The Animation Experience at Conservation Station, an instructor-led drawing class introduced as part of the park's celebration of The Lion King.[3][4]
Throughout its life the area has carried the park's conservation message most explicitly. Exhibits and cast members address habitat protection, wildlife research and the work of the Disney Conservation Fund, as well as what guests can do at home.
Attractions and entertainment
- Wildlife Express Train — a narrow-gauge railway running about 1.2 miles from Harambe station in Africa to Rafiki's Planet Watch. The roughly seven-minute ride passes backstage animal housing and care areas that cannot be seen from public paths.
- Conservation Station — the main building, where guests can watch animal care through large viewing windows at the veterinary treatment room, see how food is prepared for the park's animals, and view smaller animal exhibits and conservation displays.
- Affection Section — an outdoor petting area where guests can brush and interact with domesticated animals such as goats and sheep, with hand-washing facilities at the entrance and exit.
- The Animation Experience at Conservation Station — a step-by-step drawing class, added in 2019, in which an instructor teaches guests to draw a Disney animal character while explaining how animators study live animals.
- A walking path from the station to Conservation Station, lined with conservation displays and, at times, animal encounters and character appearances, including Rafiki himself.
Dining
Rafiki's Planet Watch has no restaurant. Refreshment options are limited to small snack and drink stands near the station and Conservation Station, and many guests eat in Africa, where the train returns them, instead. The absence of a full dining location reflects the land's role as a half-day, exploratory detour rather than a hub.