A Culinary Journey
The resort’s restaurants "recreate the flavors of Africa," said Dieter Hannig, vice president of Walt Disney World Food & Beverage. "As the world gets smaller, we have the opportunity to be a trend-setter, borrowing flavors from many of the 53 countries in the continent of Africa . . . fruits from Kenya, spices from North Africa, basic products, bold flavors."Hannig, who was once a hotel chef in Kenya, journeyed to Africa with other Walt Disney World chefs to research the latest cooking trends and to hear culinary experiences from African chefs. He’s taken that influence and instilled it in each of the restaurant locations at the new resort.
The resort’s signature restaurant is Jiko-The Cooking Place, featuring cuisines from around the globe: banana leaf-steamed Chilean sea bass with asparagus puree, mushrooms and apples; oven-baked garlic chicken tagine with grapefruit, olives and herbs; a whole roasted papaya stuffed with spicy minced beef. Appetizers are equally imaginative, like maize tamales with truffle oil, herbs and spices. Jiko is Swahili for "cooking place." Along with the adjacent Cape Town Wine Room and Cape Town Lounge, Jiko features South African wines. Jiko’s interior design, inspired by Disney’s "The Lion King," is by Jeffrey Beers, known for his wildly creative interiors.
Boma-Flavors of Africa is the name of the family "marketplace" restaurant featuring an exhibit kitchen with a wood-burning grill and rotisserie. Boma in Swahili is "an open, natural space that provides a safe and sheltered place in the bush." The 270-seat restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner.
Two other dining locations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: The Mara, named after the Mara River, a quick-service eatery serving breakfast, lunch and dinner -- and Victoria Falls, the mezzanine lounge overlooking Boma, serves gourmet coffee and teas, South African vintage wines, international beers and cocktails.
24-Hour Animal Viewing Opportunities
The savannah is home to more than 200 mammals and birds representing a cross-section of the African palette -- greater kudu, Grant’s zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, marabou stork to name a few. Thirty percent of the mammal species are Walt Disney World-exclusive to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The hoofstock and birds roam freely on the savannah where resort guests may enjoy 24-hour viewing opportunities.
Landscape: The Art of the Earth
Landscape design at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge began long before the resort opened its doors, with the first vegetation planted and secured two years ago. The rich environment is designed to simulate the landscape systems of the African continent -- forested lands, river systems, grasslands and the bush. Tall thryalis and pampas grass cover the ground in front of the resort, while red and pink hibiscus, bright clusters of red, orange and scarlet Ixora, fragrant white jasmine and green pygmy date palms border the Uzima Pool. Behind the lodge on Arusha Rock kopje is the signature tree, Peltophorum dubium -- or Yellow Flame Tree -- the canopy tree most recognized as the one on the African plain.
Art: A Celebration of Culture
Reflecting the romance and beauty of African culture, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge features an extensive collection of authentic African art. Approximately 380 museum-quality pieces are featured in public areas throughout the resort, with more than 4,000 handcrafted works in the guestrooms.In fact, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge contracted an art consultant, Mary Hannah, to bring the collection of art to Walt Disney World Resort. "The idea is to show that Africa is a vast continent full of gifted and culturally diverse people," said Charles Davis, an African art expert who collaborated with Hannah.
The centerpiece of the resort’s collection is the Igbo Ijele (pronounced e-bo e-gelay) mask, featured in the lobby. The Ijele, created by the Igbo people of Africa, is a massive creation that towers more than 16 feet tall and is eight feet in width. In Africa, the mask signifies an important event or celebration and makes rare appearances. No other Ijele, which is the largest mask in tropical Africa, is known to exist outside of Igbo land.
