Free Tour Series: African-Inspired, Disney-Designed

To wrap up our Free Tour Series, we’re back at the Animal Kingdom Villas. That’s right, Kidani Village is home to two free tours! In addition to the Sanaa Cultural Tour, they also offer African-Inspired, Disney-Designed.

The afternoon I took the African-Inspired, Disney-Designed tour, it was just me and a family of four. However, we had three Cultural Representatives leading the tour. The primary Cultural Representative, a young man from South Africa, was training two new tour guides from other areas of the resort. The combination of multiple tour guides, new trainees and fairly strong accents made it very difficult for me to hear/understand all of the information presented on the tour. I’m confident that a normal tour with one guide would be easier to follow, but I still recommend standing as close to the guide as possible to make sure you don’t miss anything.

We all meet in front of a tour sign outside Johari Treasures, the gift shop inside the Kidani Village lobby.  “Johari” means jewel in Swahili. The tall, arched lobby windows overlooking the savanna form the center jewel of Kidani, which is Swahili for necklace. For those paying attention, the meaning of Kidani was also discussed on the Sanaa Cultural Tour. These two tours have a fair amount of overlapping information.

After quick introductions, we headed outside to the Animal Kingdom Villas lobby entrance, which serves as the beginning of the resort’s story. If you have ever visited Kidani Village, you may have noticed the various proverbs painted on the walls. Outside the lobby, is the opening proverb from Ghana, “Proverbs are like butterflies, some are caught, some fly away.” This quote explains why all of the proverbs throughout the resort are accompanied by little bronze butterflies.

From there, we reentered the lobby to continue the story. Just like Animal Kingdom Lodge, Animal Kingdom Villas is inspired by many different African cultures. The lost-wax cast Asante Clock that greets guests in the lobby was made in Cameroon. Our Cultural Representatives pointed out several other pieces of art and thematic details in the lobby before we moved on to the library.

The Kidani library features several more African artifacts, including photographs of Cameroon architecture. The signature piece, however, is not actually African. Next to the fireplace, hangs two large robe tapestries embroidered with the names of the Animal Kingdom Villas Founding DVC Members. It is a nice tribute to all those families who bought into the resort before it opened in 2009. These Founding Members also received personal plaques with a framed beaded necklace, paying homage to the name Kidani.

Next, we traveled downstairs to visit the resort’s only restaurant, Sanaa. This portion of the tour was essentially an abbreviated version of the Sanaa Cultural Tour without at any food. I would think there are enough to details in Sanaa that the two tours wouldn’t need to repeat, but I guess most guests don’t take the time to do both. If you are interested in both tours, I will mention that it is not really possible to do them back to back on the same day. While the Sanaa Cultural Tour starts at 4 p.m., you would probably have to skip out on the bread sampler at the end (the best part!) to catch the African-Inspired, Disney-Designed tour up in the lobby at 4:30 p.m.

After Sanaa, the tour wrapped up with a trip out to the savanna. The outdoor savanna overlook area at Kidani Village is much smaller than the one at Jambo House. However, you are on the same level as the animals and the it feels more intimate than over at the Lodge. Plus, they lure the animals towards the overlook right around the time the tour ends, so they can be viewed by dinner guests when Sanaa opens. Every time I’ve been on the overlook around 4-5pm, there have been plenty of zebras, giraffes, wildebeests and various birds close by.

Despite the difficulties in hearing the guides on the day of my tour, African-Inspired, Disney-Designed is a fun tour for folks interested in Disney themeing. The Animal Kingdom resorts are my favorite with their combination of beautiful design and African wildlife. If I had to pick just one of the Kidani Village tours, I would recommend the Sanaa Cultural Tour simply because you get to sample some of the cuisine. However, if you already have plans to dine at Sanaa, taking the African-Inspired tour beforehand would make for a lovely evening.

The African-Inspired, Disney-Designed tour is currently offered at 4:30 p.m. daily. No reservations are accepted, and all you need to do to attend is show up at tour sign outside the Johari Treasures gift shop in the Kidani Village lobby .  The tour is open to all ages and lasts 20 minutes.   As resort activities can change monthly, check the Resort Activites Calendar or call (407) 938-3000 to confirm the tour schedule.

Missed the first four installments of the Free Tour Series? You can check them out here.

Have you tried the African-Inspired, Disney-Designed Tour?  Do you plan on trying it out on your next trip? Let us know what you think!