Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village Review
Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a villa-style hotel, and is one of the best-themed resorts at Walt Disney World. This review features room photos, thoughts on the ambiance, and our opinion on for whom these Deluxe-tier accommodations are best suited.
We won’t bury the lede: Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of our top picks for places to stay at Walt Disney World. We do a lot of resort rankings, and it’s claimed the crown as the #1 Deluxe Hotel at Walt Disney World.
On our more comprehensive Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best, Animal Kingdom Lodge scores similarly. More subjectively, we also love Animal Kingdom Lodge and routinely remark that the two lodges are our favorites as places to stay at Walt Disney World.
With over 30 different on-site resort options and hundreds of hotels in and around Walt Disney World in Orlando (we’ve reviewed all of ’em), choosing the best resort can be overwhelming–especially since it varies with each party’s priorities. As with all of them, there are pros & cons to staying at Kidani Village–including deal-breakers for some guests!
While I prefer staying in the main lodge, Kidani Village is a great alternative that offers most of the same upsides as the main building while having some unique characteristics of its own. It’s also a great use of Disney Vacation Club points, which can make it a great option if you’re renting DVC points. (See How to Save Money Renting Disney Vacation Club Points.)
One thing to note before we get going too far is to explain the distinction between Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House and Kidani Village. This review concerns the latter, obviously, which is the Disney Vacation Club wing of the larger lodge. The two are located in separate buildings, with Jambo House having nearly 1,200 rooms whereas Kidani Village has 458 rooms.
Kidani Village and Jambo House are a short walk from one another, so all of the amenities each offer are easily accessible from one another. Kidani Village benefits from its more intimate size while still having a fairly robust slate of amenities, but isn’t as ‘grand’ in scale as Jambo House.
Another thing we should start by noting is that the guest rooms at Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge are undergoing refurbishment from now through May 2026. The good news is that the first of these rooms have started to reopen as of mid-December 2025, and can now be requested! (Just keep in mind that the number of redone rooms is low right now, but will progressively increase into Winter & Spring 2026.)
During the refurbishment, guests may see or hear construction work in the area. All amenities will remain available throughout the refurbishment. Once this update is completed, construction crews will move on to Jambo House to redo the rooms there from May 2026 through January 2027. We’ve heard a few reader reports that Animal Kingdom Lodge is in rough shape right now.
We covered what to expect from this construction at length in Room Reimagining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Through 2027. What’s still unclear about this project involves the hotel side of Animal Kingdom Lodge, or just the Animal Kingdom Villas. The latter is the DVC side of the resort, and what is overdue for a refurbishment. Even so, by the time the DVC work is done in 2027, the hotel rooms might be due for another refresh.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village…
First up is the (non-literal) elephant in the room: location.
I love Animal Kingdom Lodge. Every time we arrive at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I ask myself why we don’t stay there more often. Then by the end of the stay, I’m reminded of reality.
Animal Kingdom Lodge’s location relative to the majority of Walt Disney World (save for Animal Kingdom) is inconvenient. This is an unfortunate but necessary reality, as the unique characteristics of the Lodge simply wouldn’t be possible if it were in the heart of the action.
In actuality, this is probably better characterized as a transportation problem.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the few Deluxe Resorts that is reliant on all-bus transportation to every single theme park at Walt Disney World. It’s not served by a sidewalk to any park or any novel mode of transportation that’s like an attraction unto itself, such as the Skyliner, monorail, boat, etc.
This can be a problem because bus transportation is tedious, less predictable (or more inconsistent), and just not as fun as other modes of transportation. If you’re reliant on Disney transportation, having access to one or two parks without getting on a bus is a breath of fresh air and a nice change of pace. The value of this cannot be understated.
However, that’s assuming you’re reliant on Disney transportation. If you have a rental car or vehicle of your own, this really isn’t that big of a deal. If anything, the location issue is overblown, as commute times from AKL to the parks average out to be…pretty average! This is precisely why it’s actually a transportation–and not a location–issue.
Those with their own vehicles might actually favor Kidani Village since it offers convenient, covered parking. Back when we were Central Florida locals, Kidani Village was actually one of our favorite places to stay for this reason.
Just something to consider as there’s a big difference here for guests reliant on Disney transportation versus those with vehicles. Other reviews tend to gloss over this distinction, having only considered the resort from one perspective or the other.
When viewed in (figurative) isolation, I absolutely love Animal Kingdom Lodge. And a big part of that appeal is the literal isolation.
For first-time visitors to Walt Disney World who want to accomplish a lot or those who will need to take afternoon breaks, Kidani Village might be an impractical choice.
For frequent visitors, honeymooners, or retirees looking for a slower-paced trip or a resort that they can enjoy, I can’t think of a better choice at Walt Disney World. In fact, I can think of few better “hotel experiences” anywhere.
The biggest reason for this is the huge savanna outside the lobby, where 30 species of animals roam in the view of guests. Now, I know what you might be thinking: “sure, zebra and giraffe are dope, but ostrich are creepy and isn’t a kudu something from the mind of Stephen King?!”
Fear not, these species of antelope will not kidnap your children in the dark of night, although I think it is somewhat disappointing Animal Kingdom Lodge still hasn’t acquired some Tauntaun. It’d be great for synergy.
Seriously though, the savanna is incredible, and there are few things more relaxing than sitting in a rocking chair overlooking the roaming wildlife. It’s a nice change of pace from the normal frenzy of visiting the parks, and is far and away the top draw of both Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village.
This alone would be enough to rank Animal Kingdom Lodge near the top of Walt Disney World’s resorts, but it doesn’t stop there.
The rich theming throughout the lodge is one part stunning design crafted by the Imagineers and one part authentic pieces on display, including the largest African art collection in the United States. Wandering around the resort demonstrates quite clearly that the attention to detail put into Animal Kingdom was also put into the Lodge.
No other resort at Walt Disney World makes this kind of effort to inspire and educate guests about its source material. I really appreciate how there’s more to Animal Kingdom Lodge than theming that presents an idealized version of Africa; both Jambo House and Kidani Village aspire to more than simply transporting guests to a different time and place.
The presence of Cultural Representatives at Animal Kingdom Lodge really drives this home, and the free daily tour is a nice way to gain a greater appreciation of Kidani Village. In these regards, Animal Kingdom Lodge feels like EPCOT Center: The Hotel.
For me, those are the two greatest strengths of Kidani Village, and although I don’t think it feels quite as rich as the Jambo House, it is still impressive.
Likewise, the dining in Jambo House is superior, although Sanaa is arguably most underrated restaurant in all of Walt Disney World.
Ask 10 longtime Walt Disney World fans to name a trio of underrated table service restaurants, and there’s a good chance half of them put Sanaa on their lists. Like pretty much all Animal Kingdom Lodge dining, it’s beloved by diehards and overlooked by most regular guests.
Sanaa scores a lot of points for offering a unique and excellent menu, and for reasonable price points.
Sanaa also offers incredible ambiance, with views of animals grazing outside the restaurant. The out of the way location of Kidani Village is an asset here, as it means that Sanaa is rarely crowded, which adds to its intimacy and also means you will usually have an attentive server.
The menu at Sanaa is quite remarkable for a Walt Disney World restaurant, with a lot of options that might scare away the regular tourist who simply wants meat and potatoes. You can find options like that at Sanaa, but the majority of the menu is a bit more adventurous.
We love Sanaa. Everyone recommends the bread service, which is a must-order, but don’t sleep on the Potjie Inspired, Vegetable Curry, or Tandoori Chicken. As much as I love a good burger, I can never bring myself to order it here. Just too many great options at Sanaa!
To those of you anxiously awaiting my “Top 10 Places to Nap at Walt Disney World” you can rest assured this little fireplace area overlooking the savanna will make the list.
I’m happy to report that I found this to be an exemplary napping location after arriving at the hotel around 6 a.m. on the LAX redeye.
Beyond the savanna, art collection, and stellar napping corners, there are the expected amenities that you’d find at any Disney Vacation Club (or other) resort, from a pool with water play area, to guest laundry, a fitness center, etc.
If you’ve researched hotels at Walt Disney World, you know the basics. Since Kidani Village is fairly new in the grand scheme of Walt Disney World (built in the last 20 years, as opposed to 1971), all of the amenities are fresh and modern. There aren’t retrofits, like you’ll find at the monorail loop resorts or other hotels.
The Samawati Springs Pool is a sleeper favorite for a lot of families.
It’s a large, lush, and has a nice play area, but it leaves a bit to be desired as compared to the feature pools at many other Deluxe Resorts. It lacks a hook or defining characteristic that makes it stand out–despite the size it fails to impress. Perhaps Disney needs to stock it with some merfolk and sea witches to complete the “live animal” theme of the resort?
Joking aside, it’s fair to point out that Kidani Village is the DVC wing of Animal Kingdom Lodge and not a standalone resort. Given its status and room count, Samawati Springs Pool arguably punches above its weight. This plus the main pool at Jambo House (easily accessible from here) makes for a strong one-two punch!
Now let’s take a look at the room.
This review takes a look at the Studio, but there are also 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, and 3-Bedroom Grand Villas at Kidani Village. As you can probably deduce from the names, that list of rooms gets progressively larger.
The room is themed exactly as you’d expect based on the rest of Kidani Village, and I have to say that we are big fans of the style.
The rooms have a unique character of their own that stay true to theme without going over the top into garishness. There’s a lot of texture and patterning here, from the detail in the woods to the carpet and in the art on the walls. It all works really well.
It seems Disney is working on toning down the style of many of its rooms, and in so doing swings back too far in the other direction sometimes, making them a bit on the bland side. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Animal Kingdom Lodge. The rooms strike a good balance between character and class.
By Walt Disney World standards, the bed is very comfortable, but still below the comfort-level of what you’d expect from this caliber of hotel. The sofa sleeper was also fairly comfortable (for what it is).
Thematically, the bathroom also looked nice, and the split approach with the shower and sink in one area and toilet behind another door was a setup that works well.
Having the shower also behind a separate door would be ideal, but this wasn’t bad.
Directly across from the bathroom was a small kitchenette, as is the case with all Studio Villas. This includes a mini-fridge, sink, toaster, coffeemaker, and microwave. It’s a nice little plus if you want to make a small breakfast or snack, but obviously it’s not suitable for cooking Thanksgiving dinner or that sort of thing.
That is, unless you have worn out your copy of the Microwave Cookbook and memorized its teachings. (Now that’s my kind of cookbook!)
Overall, Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite resorts at Walt Disney World. Thematically, it’s unrivaled, and the Imagineers deftly balanced culture and theme with quality and luxury, without making any compromises to either. The only compromise here is location, and that’s going to be a big one for some people.
Location is probably the main reason why Animal Kingdom Lodge doesn’t receive more accolades from Disney fans, because otherwise, it should be an easy pick for the best resort at Walt Disney World. While I prefer the main Lodge by a slight margin over Kidani Village for its more grandiose style and convenience to dining, it’s a 1b to Animal Kingdom Lodge’s 1a, in my opinion.
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Your Thoughts
Are you a fan of Kidani Village or Animal Kingdom Lodge? Why? Would you consider staying here in the future, or is it simply too far away from the rest of the action at Walt Disney World? Agree or disagree with our resort review of Kidani Village? Have other thoughts or questions? Please share in the comments below!
Staying at AKL Kidani right now. We are in Pumbaa building on the 5th floor in a Savannah view studio. I do not recommend. We are like 400 miles from the lobby. It’s a long walk just to get to the lobby and internal transportation. And we have not seen 1 animal, not even a bird! The room itself is great. Big beautiful, fully stocked, great bathrooms. Just an FYI, the couch is long enough for one person to sleep on without pulling it out. So if there’s 3 of you, it’s not bad.
AKL is our favorite hotel because of the animals, the CMs and its secluded location. Yes, traveling 30 minutes on a bus to MK is my family’s jam, we just like it. And the other paks are no longer than a 15 minute ride, it is totally doable. I like the skyliner but it would ruin the immersion and would disturb the animals, you can see how animals disappear from the savannah during the HS fireworks which also ruins the atmosphere to be honest if you have a savannah view room. I know there is a highway close however it is Disney I think they could figure out a walking path to Animal Kingdom or to an interim station towards the park maybe?
My absolute favorite is Kidani. I like that it is quieter than Jambo house. We have stayed at Kidani and absolutely loved it. We always eat at Sanaa one time and I tell my family I want to go early to enjoy the savanna before we eat.
I have to admit with older kids we tend to stay at the Epcot area hotels so everyone can come and go as they want from Epcot and Studios.
We have a car which works well for Animal Kingdom and eating out not at the parks. Toledo is our favorite these days.
The pictures of the Kidani Village rooms with the richly authentic theming, made me relive what a pathetic disappointment the room reimagining is at the Poly. It went from authentic to cartoonish. Hopefully this never happens to any of the AKL rooms.
I like the statement about the “remoteness” of AK/AKL being a transportation issue. I can agree with that. Spatially, AK, HS and Epcot are clustered somewhat equal distance, where MK is really the remote park. It’s just that there is nothing else besides buses to AK, as you described.
To me, the bus travel (only) actually fits the theme and adds to enjoyment when staying at AKL. (I also prefer staying at Jambo, but Kidani is still a close second.) Skyliner or monorail access would ruin it for me. I haven’t been to safari lodges in Africa, but I imagine there are none of these either. I’d maybe agree to the Rafiki train, but only if it takes a long time to get there and you get dust blown at you along the way. If I’m honest, I like that it’s harder to reach and not as overrun as, say, Polynesian. Maybe selfish, but I enjoy the resort more because of it. Similar to how remoteness helps the tranquil feels at FW or WL. At least before the new monster opens, I guess…
I’ve made this comment on a previous article, but after staying here for six nights back in May we found the transportation issues to be way overblown. I get that people think only having buses is a downside compared to other resorts, but there is so much more here to offer than at most hotels. We also waited no more than 5 minutes for a bus the entire trip, and as you pointed out, the actual drive time to the parks is barely longer than some other resorts. My toddler also loves buses and out of all the transportation methods we used during the trip, which was all of them, he preferred the buses. Go figure!
There is a billion dollar fix to the AKL transportation problem, but I doubt that Disney would take it on: A Skyliner West route. Add a second skyliner route between:
– AK Lodge – in the parking lot between Jambo and Kidani. Takes you to…
– Animal Kingdom – in the area the opposite side of the concourse from the bus station. Its a thru station between AK Lodge and…
– Blizzard Beach – probably taking out some or all of winter wonderland. You need to turn somewhere around here, so you might as well make it a real station, and probably have the maintenance/gondola storage here. The line turns and continues on to…
– Coronado Springs – having a skyliner here could convert the tower to deluxe accommodations and add $50/night to each room across the resort, and that’s a lot of rooms. Skyliner turns to…
– Speedway interchange – convert the existing turning point into a full station in the sky. It then has a second line coming from Coronado and then going south to…
– Hollywood Studios West station – taking out the far left bus ramp and bathrooms. This second station route provides faster access from AKL and Coronado than going all the way around, and probably also from the BW/YC/BC.
This would create a route to AK and Blizzard Beach from all the existing Skyliner hotels, Boardwalk & YC/BC, and Skyliner access to 3 parks from AKL. Adding substantial value to AKL and Coronado springs, and Blizzard beach, which would become the defacto water park for all those hotels. This would make AKL one of the best hotels in terms of park access and put it near the top in terms of what can be charged for it. Jambo is one of the bigger hotels, so this would increase the value of those rooms as well as the DVC side.
The main complications are:
a) Where to put gondola maintenance and storage
b) How to add accessible ingress/egress to the gondolas at thru stations including Riviera. The fact that riviera doesn’t have that, slows the whole system down if somebody needs extra time to get in or out of the gondola as they have to stop the system which delays everyone. There needs to be a way to move those gondolas to somewhere that can provide a stationary access point.
I think Pre Covid this was a very real possibility. Now I have lost all hope.
Skyliner expansion is a great idea and I’d love to see it as a fan of the system, but I’d shocked if it ever happens. There’s simply no bang-for-buck route like the current one, and pushing Coronado/AKL up in pricing tiers does have downside risk.
I would’ve said the same thing in 2019, for what it’s worth. I don’t think there have ever been credible rumors of this–just speculation. If there were actually a plan for this, we’d be seeing the next DVC resort built over here, instead of Disney Lakeshore Lodge (the location of Reflections in 2019 further reinforces that this wasn’t on the table).
I totally agree and we talk about this every time we go to Disney! No one ever would have thought they would have built the first one, so who knows. It would really pull together the rest of the resorts. I would at least like to see a HS > Coronado > All Stars section. Obviously going all the way to AK park is a no brainer as well; I think they should get on this connection before the new areas open in 2027, personally. Coronado would instantly fill up at I think $100 more per night; similar to Pop and CBR if it were connected to AK and HS, both with new expansions to explore.