Disney's Animal Kingdom is divided into six themed areas. The park's Discovery River separates Discovery Island from the other lands. The park is home to approximately 2000 animals representing around 200 species.
Oasis Oasis is the park's logistic equivalent to
Main Street U.S.A. and provides the transition from the park's entrance to the world of animals. The main paths feature animal exhibits and dense vegetation and trees lead deeper into the park and then onto Discovery Island. Between the parking lot and the Oasis sits a
Rainforest Cafe, which can be entered from both inside and outside the ticketed area.
Discovery Island Discovery Island is located at the center of the park and is an island within the park's Discovery River waterway. It serves as the "central hub" connecting the other sections of the park by bridges, with the exception of Rafiki's Planet Watch. It was originally called
Safari Village, as Discovery Island was the name for the small zoological park located in Walt Disney World's Bay Lake but was renamed after that area, which closed in 1999.
The Tree of Life, the park's sculpted, man-made
baobab tree, is located in this section and is surrounded by trails and animal enclosures. Inside the Tree of Life theater is
Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, a
4D film inspired by
Zootopia. The park's largest gift shops and two of its major restaurants are on Discovery Island.
Pandora – The World of Avatar illuminated during the night Pandora – The World of
Avatar is themed to the fictional
habitable exomoon,
Pandora, from
James Cameron's
Avatar and devoted to the many extraterrestrial fauna and flora that inhabit it. The land's marquee attraction is
Avatar Flight of Passage, a 3D
flying thrill simulator that mimics an exhilarating flight on a
banshee across the Pandoran landscape. Another attraction, the
Na'vi River Journey, is a dark boat ride through Pandora's
bioluminescent rainforests. The area opened on May 27, 2017.
Africa Africa, set in the fictional
east African port village of Harambe, resembles the local villages found in
Kenya,
Tanzania, and
Uganda. Some snippets from Africa that were duplicated by the Disney Imagineers included a fortress that was found in
Zanzibar, and a water-stained, crumbling old building that was found in Kenya. Harambe includes a "hotel”, restaurants, an outdoor bar with live entertainment, and different marketplaces. The village is the namesake of the
Harambe Wildlife Preserve, the fictional home of the area's main attraction,
Kilimanjaro Safaris. Prior to boarding, the attraction's queue takes you through the Safari Booking Office, along with a small paddock where
radiated tortoises and
black crowned cranes can be seen while waiting. Guests then climb aboard an open-sided safari vehicle for an expedition to see African species in several large field enclosures, replicating the African savannas, rivers and rocky hills. The safari features the
okapi,
greater kudu,
saddle-billed stork,
bongo,
black and
southern white rhinoceros,
hippopotamus,
pink-backed pelican,
Nile crocodile,
Masai giraffe,
blue wildebeest,
springbok,
Ankole cattle,
African wild dog,
spotted hyena,
common eland,
waterbuck,
sable antelope,
African bush elephant,
mandrill,
greater flamingo,
Hartmann's mountain zebra,
common ostrich,
cheetah,
African lion,
common warthog, and
Nigerian dwarf goats. On the adjacent
Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, visitors trek into the forest to see animals such as the
Western lowland gorilla,
Angolan colobus,
okapi,
yellow-backed duiker,
Grévy's zebra,
meerkat,
Kenyan sand boa, and
naked mole-rat, as well as a walkthrough
aviary. On the western side of the Africa area is the Harambe Theater, which is home to the
Festival of the Lion King, a live
stage show based on
Disney's 1994
animated film,
The Lion King. Conservation Station at the
Affection Section petting zoo
Conservation Station is the only section of the park not connected to Discovery Island; it connects only to Africa. Guests board the
narrow-gauge Wildlife Express Train for the short trip to and from the area, which consists of three sub-areas. Inside Conservation Station, it showcases the various conservation efforts supported by the Walt Disney Company. It also gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Disney's Animal Kingdom's animal care facilities, including a veterinary examination room complete with a two-way communications system so the veterinary staff can answer guest questions. From 2019 to 2026,
The Animation Experience at Conservation Station was also present in this location. Nearby was the Affection Section, an outdoor petting zoo that featured domesticated animals like
goats,
sheep,
cattle,
pigs,
donkeys, and
alpacas. In May 2026, the area will be renamed to
Jumping Junction and will soon be home to animals native to Australia, which may introduce animals like
kangaroos to this part of the park. Opening with the park in 1998, this section originally opened under the name "Conservation Station" before being renamed in late 2000 to "Rafiki's Planet Watch". Since 2026, the latter name has been dropped in favor of Conservation Station once again, all in anticipation for the "Bluey's Wild World" overlay this summer.
Asia and surrounding panorama in Asia.
Asia, set in the fictional kingdom of Anandapur, evokes the traits of
Cambodia,
Bhutan,
India,
Indonesia,
Mongolia,
Nepal,
Thailand and
Tibet, China. The first expansion area added to Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1999, Anandapur translates to "place of many delights" in
Sanskrit. According to the park's fictional history, Anandapur was established as a royal hunting preserve in 1544. Asia contains both the riverside village of Anandapur and Serka Zong, which is set in the foothills of the
Himalayas. The visual focal point of Asia is
Expedition Everest, a
steel roller coaster ride through a forbidden Himalayan mountain guarded by the elusive
Yeti. Nearby is
Kali River Rapids, a
river rapids ride. The
Maharajah Jungle Trek leads guests through the forests and ruins outside the village, which are home to species such as the
water buffalo,
bar-headed goose,
Sumatran tiger,
blackbuck,
Sarus crane,
swan goose,
lion-tailed macaque,
Malayan flying fox,
Komodo dragon and over 50 bird species. In the Anandapur Theatre,
Feathered Friends in Flight is a live bird show featuring birds such as the
black crowned crane and
bald eagle. At the eastern edge of Asia is the Theater in the Wild, which hosts
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!, a
live-action puppet musical stage show based on the story of the 2003
Disney·
Pixar animated film
Finding Nemo. ==Former areas==