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Credit: DisneyDisney’s Animal Kingdom is undergoing some changes, and as construction continues around the park it can be a little confusing to understand it all. Today, we are going to break down all of the ongoing construction and what you can expect to be available on your next visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids is a favorite for hot days at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but something to keep in mind is that the water raft ride typically goes down for refurbishment during the winter months. For 2021, the theme park attraction has already closed for its annual refurbishment and is currently set to reopen in early April.
Never been on Kali River Rapids? Disney describes the attraction as:
Skim across an erupting geyser, drift below a canopy of lush vegetation and be whisked along fast-moving rapids. Graze gushing waterfalls and bedrock amid the raging current. Then, as the harmony of nature is disrupted, you’ll plummet down a dramatic 20-foot slope!
Recently, a permit was filed for what we believe to be Kali River Rapids ride queue area. The improvement on the permit is described as “Provide labor, material and/or electrical for construction”. We suspect that this permit is linked to the annual refurbishment the ride undergoes every year and we hope that whatever improvements are being made to Kali River Rapids will help Guests enjoy this ride when it reopens this summer season at Walt Disney World!
Remember, the attraction will not open until sometime in April so plan your trip accordingly if you want to ride Kali River Rapids. Disney World’s refurbishment calendar is typically your best bet when it comes to tracking the re-opening dates of attractions.
Primeval Whirl
Unfortunately, Disney has confirmed the loss of an attraction at Animal Kingdom — Primeval Whirl — which is currently being disassembled and removed from the theme park. We shared images of the ride vehicles being towed away from the park and many fans shared their mixed opinions on how they felt about the closure of Primeval Whirl.
Disney has not yet announced a replacement for the attraction or any future plans, but Inside the Magic will keep you updated on what may eventually take its place.
Related: Primeval Whirl is Gone — What’s Coming Next to Animal Kingdom?
Recently another work permit was filed for Animal Kingdom. While we cannot say for certain what it is for, we believe it could be for either Primeval Whirl or Rivers of Light based on the address. Here is a look at that permit:
Again, this permit is very generic so it could be or anything but for now, we will keep an eye out for more construction work around the park!
Rivers of Light
Rivers of Light was the short-lived nighttime spectacular held at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We reported the show officially closed back in July and will not reopen, but if you have a keen eye you might have been able to spot the barges still parked in their staging area in the water at Animal Kingdom.
As the barges will likely be removed and disassembled, we will have to wait and see if anything replaces the show at Animal Kingdom. Disney has yet to announce a replacement, unfortunately, but we are hopeful that Animal Kingdom will get a new and exciting nighttime spectacular!
What do you think about all of the changes happening around Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!