Maharajah Jungle Trek is another attraction that’s pretty mind blowing with a story that you have to be paying attention to figure out. Years ago, lots of years ago, the Maharajah set up this area as hunting grounds. The Maharajah was then killed in a hunting accident. His family turned the area into a nature preserve. Through the years the natives of Anandapur have used this trail as a tribute to the Maharajah and his family.
Long story short … walk down the trail to see all kinds of wild animals.
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Photo by Express Monorail
The Attraction
The Maharajah Jungle Trek is a self-paced walk-through attraction. There is never any wait except you sometimes have to wait to get close to the windows where you can see the animals.
The first animal you’ll see on your tour is a Komodo Dragon. The Komodo Dragon is one of the parks most interesting animals. It’s the biggest lizard in the world. It can live to be up to 60 years old, although the average is somewhere around 20.
Next comes the Malayan Tapir. The Tapir is a shy animal that eats bark and leaves. They start out brown and turn black and white.
The next area is Dad’s favorite area in all of Animal Kingdom. It’s the “bat cave.” (OK, it’s not actually a cave, it’s a building with netting around it, but there are a bunch of bats here.) There are a couple of species of bat in the “bat cave”. There are Fruit Bats, Rodrigues Fruit Bats, to be exact, who have golden fur that covers their head, neck and shoulders. They are sometime called Golden Bats. Also, there is the Malayan Flying Fox. This species of bat is the largest species of bat and can have a wingspan of up to 6 feet.
You can skip the “bat cave”, if you’d like. No one will call you chicken. On second thought …
After the “bat cave” comes the prettiest area of the trail. Enter the ruins of the Maharajah’s Palace where the Panthera Tigris has taken over. (Hey, if a family of tigers want’s to take over my house, I’m not going to be the one to try and stop them.) There are 6 female tigers that roam this area. Check out the paintings on the walls of the ruins.
As you cross the bridge if you look to the left, you’ll see Elds Deer and Blackbuck. Elds Deer are come from Burma and are endangered. The Balckbuck is a form of antelope and are the fastest antelope in the world. They can travel up to 50 miles an hour. They share this area with the Sarus Crane. These birds are the tallest flying birds in the world. They can reach up to 6 foot tall and can have up to a 10 foot wingspan.
The final area is a peaceful bird sanctuary. Birds you might see include Masked Plovers, Indian Pygmy Geese, a male Argus Pheasant and King Parrots.
Disney’s Maharajah Jungle Trek page
Oh dear (oops deer)
Photo by Samantha Decker
Dad’s Ride Information Table
Maharajah Jungle Trek |
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| Description: See animals as you walk down a trail | ||||||||||||
| Height Requirement – none | FASTPASS: no | Length of Ride: 10 minutes or as long as you want | ||||||||||
| Type of ride: Walk through | ||||||||||||
Dad’s Ratings
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Other Information: You can skip the bat pavilion |
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Dad’s Bottom Line
The Maharajah’s Palace is a good place to see tigers especially in the mornings. What kid doesn’t want to see tigers and a Komodo Dragon. Ladies, the bats haven’t bitten anyone yet. (There’s always a first time. Right Mrs. Mom’s Mom?)
