Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of the popular attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
The attraction is an open-air safari through 110 acres home to 34 species of wildlife and is designed to look like an actual African reserve. While riding, guests are treated to incredible views of African wildlife roaming free through forests, grasslands, and savannas.
Read the official description for Kilimanjaro Safaris below:
“Explore the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, home to 34 species living in 110 acres of picturesque open plains, shady forest landscapes and rocky wetlands. Your rugged safari vehicle is driven by an expert guide, who helps point out animals and shares fascinating wildlife facts during this extraordinary 18-mintue expedition.
Unique Animal Encounters: Spot a shy hippopotamus nestled in a still pond. Behold a regal lion sunbathing on a rocky perch. Drive past a gentle giraffe gazing on the tall trees or wave hello to swinging baboon. Other amazing animals you may encounter include rhinos, cheetahs, crocodiles, elephants, hyenas and zebras plus many more!
Since animals have minds of their own, every expedition is a unique and unforgettable experience. Be sure to keep your eyes open and have a camera ready.”
One of the best elements of this attraction is the fact that every time you ride it, you’ll have a different experience. It’s fair to say you’ll never know what the animals will be up to!
Saying that, one guest riding the attraction recently was in for a unique experience. A female guest witnessed a fight break out on the savannah. Don’t worry! The fight didn’t involve two humans, it involved two rhinos.
According to Inside The Magic (ITM), via the female guest, the altercation happened in front of the ride vehicle. The female guest was able to capture the entire altercation on video. Watch below:
As you can see in the above video, at one point, the two rhinos bump into ride vehicle – the force was strong enough to shake the entire vehicle. Talking to the established outlet about the incident, the female guest said:
“We were on the Kilimanjaro Safaris today [yesterday – 28th August] at Animal Kingdom and these two rhinos come running out in front of us out of nowhere, fighting. Our safari guide had to throw his brakes on. The rhinos proceeded to fight right in front of us, even ramming into our safari truck, which gave us all quite a shock. We had to sit on the trail for about 15 minutes until our driver got the clearance to proceed. It was the craziest thing we’ve ever experienced!”
In spite of it being a bit scary in the moment, the female guest reassured ITM that everyone was safe:
“It was just a great experience. That’s what makes the safari so great, you never know what might happen. It’s different every time.”
H/T Inside The Magic
I was the “female guest” who recorded this video. It was absolutely the most thrilling Safari we had ever been on! The action ensued even after the end of this video. The rhinos continued to chase each other, riling up other animals. Even the cheetahs were pacing their pen excitedly when we got up ahead. We were then greeted by our two friends again, but by then they had separated. They were each on the side of the road, just steps from our Simba One. Truly amazing!
Dianne, thank you for capturing this amazing moment. We’d love to mention this in the article if you don’t mind.