Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village: A Complete Guide

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Kidani Village fire pit

Credit: Disney

If you’re a fan of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there’s nowhere better to spend your next Walt Disney World Resort vacation than Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village. This gorgeous Resort has space for your entire family — and will help you make a lifetime of memories with every visit!

Tree of Life Animal Kingdom
Credit: Disney

What is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village?

Located just next to the incredibly popular Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House, Disney built a Disney Vacation Club Resort and named it Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village or simply Kidani Village for short.

The two resorts are very similar in design but Kidani Village feels a lot more intimate, quieter, and calmer. The lobby is massively scaled-down when compared to Jambo House, which makes sense given that Kidani Village has 458 rooms — a majaor contrast to the 972 within Jambo House!

Kidani Village
Credit: Disney

Kidani Village also includes a great themed pool, splash zone, an arcade, gift shop, tennis, shuffleboard, basketball courts and, perhaps famously, one of the best restaurants in Walt Disney World, Sanaa.

Kidani Village Rooms

Kidani Village features both Studio rooms and one, two, and three-bedroom Villas. As this is a Disney Vacation Club Resort, most of the rooms at Kidani Village are bigger than their counterparts at Jambo House. Due to the differences in the room sizes, a one-bedroom room at Kidani Village has the ability to sleep up to five people, whereas a two-bedroom can house up to nine.

Let’s take a look at the room types in a bit more detail:

Kidani Village One-Bedroom Villa

Kidani Village one bedroom villa
Credit: Disney

The smallest option available at Kidani Village, these Villas sleep five and contain a kitchen, bathroom, and living room in addition to the bedroom. The chair and sofa in the living room both fold out to allow the space to sleep five.

Kidani Village Two-Bedroom Villa

Kidani Village 2 bedroom villa
Credit: Disney

With the ability to sleep nine, this room type includes one king bed and two queen beds, alongside a queen-size sleeper sofa and one twin-size sleeper chair. One of the main benefits of a two-bedroom Villa is that there is a bit more space to move around, particularly in areas like the bathroom.

Kidani Village Three-Bedroom Grand Villa

The Kidani Village Grand Villas are two stories and can sleep up to 12 people. They include four bathrooms, a master bedroom, and two additional bedrooms with two queen beds in each room. The upstairs area of a Grand Villa features a seating area overlooking the main floor and an outstanding view of the Resort’s savanna.

Deluxe Studio

Kidani village deluxe studio
Credit: Disney

A Deluxe Studio sleeps up to four adults and includes a kitchenette with a small fridge, a microwave, and a balcony. It’s possible to get a Deluxe Studio with a savanna view for a truly magical look at Kidani Village.

What species of animals are at Kidani Village?

Around half of the rooms at Kidani Village give guests a view of the savanna and there are a huge range of animals to view from the comfort of the Disney Resort hotel. In fact, the Resort has over 200 hoofed animals and birds, including:

  • Zebras
  • Giraffes
  • Gazelles
  • Kudu
  • Flamingos
  • Nyala
  • Impala
  • Waterbuck
  • Spur-winged Geese
  • Ground hornbill
  • Red river hogs
  • Okapi
  • Ruppell’s Griffon vulture
  • Somali wild ass
  • Ankole cattle
  • White-bearded wildebeest
  • Addax
  • Eland
  • Pink-backed pelican
  • Ostrich
  • Radiated tortoise
  • Guineafowl
  • African spoonbill
  • Marabou stork
  • Blue crane
kidani village animals
Credit: Disney

What is the best way to see all the animals at Kidani Village?

We’ve already mentioned the incredible views that come with staying at one of the Grand Villas, but we also know that they’re a luxury that not everyone can afford. Thankfully, Kidani Village has excellent savanna viewing areas throughout the resort and cultural representatives and Cast Members are available to discuss the animals you can discover on the Resort grounds.

In addition to this, speak to the front desk to learn about some of the special tours and talks that may be taking place during your visit. Tours will come at an additional fee, but will get you closer to the animals than you can get in any of the rooms or viewing areas.

Can I stay at Kidani Village if I’m not a Disney Vacation Club Member?

The good news is that you don’t have to be a member of the Disney Vacation Club in order to enjoy the wonderful Resort that Kidani Village is. There are a couple of options available to you if you’re interested in staying at Kidani Village. The easiest would be to check availability — if the rooms aren’t booked, then sometimes you will be able to grab a room at the Resort as part of the normal Walt Disney World booking process.

The other option is to rent points from a Disney Vacation Club owners. This can get a little complicated and we won’t go into the specifics here, but just know that it is an option if you want to research the process.

Recreation & amenities available at Kidani Village

Samawati Springs Pool
Credit: Disney

As with all Walt Disney World Deluxe hotels, Kidani Village has a huge selection of amenities and recreation options available. Take a look at the full list below:

Samawati Springs Pool

An oasis featuring a 128-foot-long pool side, two whirlpool spas, and a gently sloping entry point that is supposed to resemble a natural watering hole. The pool also has a bar, Maji Pool Bar, where you can grab a cold refreshment and snack.

maji pool bar
Credit: Disney

Survival of the Fittest Fitness Center

The onsite fitness center, Survival of the Fittest, features a full-service exercise facility where you can work on everything from your strength training to cardio.

survival of the fittest fitness center
Credit: Disney

Community Hall

The community hall includes ping-pong, video games, foosball, billiards and is also the place to visit to grab your tennis, shuffleboard and basketball gear. Arts and crafts alongside children’s books are also available in the community hall.

kidani village community hall soccer game
Credit: Disney

Other recreation and amenities include:

  • Jogging paths
  • Safari So Good arcade
  • Basketball half-court
  • Two lighted hard tennis courts
  • Huge selection of movies to view for Disney Vacation Club Members
  • Bus transportation to Disney’s theme parks
  • Disney’s Magical Express complimentary service
  • Shops where you can find everything from groceries to souvenirs
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi access
  • Online check-in service
  • Laundry and Housekeeping services
  • Locker rentals
  • Merchandise delivery and pickup
  • Mail services
  • Lobby concierge
  • Barbeque area
  • Pet care

What Amenities for Kids are Provided at Kidani Village?

In addition to the Samawati Springs swimming pool (featuring a huge 128-foot-long pool slide) and arcade, Kidani Village also includes Uwanja Camp.

This water playground is inspired by animal observations sites and has three different zones:

kidani village uwanja camp
Credit: Disney

Observation Station
Children 4 years of age and younger can climb across a rope bridge, unscramble animal images and frolic through a gently bubbling geyser and shallow cistern pool.

Departure Zone
A leaky water tower and mischievous Venus flytraps squirt children 5 to 7 years of age.

Base Camp
Kids 8 years of age and up can douse each other with overflowing buckets and water cannons.

Kidani Village also offers an in-room babysitting service that’s available for children ages 6 months to 12 years. It’s important to note that this service is handled by a third-party company and not solely managed by the Walt Disney Company.

What are the Dining Options at Kidani Village?

While Kidani Village doesn’t have the largest selection of dining options at Walt Disney World, you need to remember that Jambo House is just a short walk away. That said, it does have what we regard as one of the best restaurants at Walt Disney World.

Sanaa

Sanaa restaurant logo
Credit: Ryan Ogilvie / ITM reporter

Sanaa offers the experience of African cooking with Indian flavors as you view exotic animals roaming the savanna as the sunsets. The menu offers a huge range of options but if you’re not having the bread service then you’re going wrong. Seriously, if you only try one thing at Sanaa, have the bread service.

Sanaa bread service
Credit: Ryan Ogilvie / ITM reporter

Other menu items include:

  • African-inspired biryani with shrimp, chicken on vegetables
  • Potjie inspired – Choose one from the Journey – Goan Seafood Curry, Butter Chicken, or Braised Beef. Choose one from the Harvest (Plant-based) – Chickpea Wit, Aloo Masala, or Cilantro-Coconut Vegetables. Served with scented Basmati Rice
  • African triple chocolate mousse
  • Serradura (Butterscotch Pudding, Almond Coffee Streusel, Pineapple, Mango, and Breton Shortbread)

Sanaa Lounge

Sample unique African wines and speciality drinks at the lounge inspired by the spice markets of Africa. Indian-influenced appteizers are also available to have with your drink. The menu includes:

  • Blood orange margarita
  • Bacardi mojito
  • Piña CoLava (Bacardi Raspberry Rum blended with flavors of Coconut, Pineapple, and Raspberry Purée)
  • Red sangria
  • White sangria
  • Godiva chocolate martini
  • Many different types of African wines

You can also enjoy the bread service at the lounge.

Sanaa bread service dips
Credit: Ryan Ogilvie / ITM reporter

Maji Pool Bar

Despite there being no quick service location at Kidani Village (if you’re desperate for quick service food it’s a short walk or bus ride to Jambo House), the Maji Pool Bar does offer a few classic quick-service dishes. Items on the menu include:

  • All-beef hot dog with chili and cheese
  • Caesar salad with tandoori chicken
  • Kenya coffee barbecue sandwich
  • Warm pretzel
  • Seasonal cupcakes, brownies and cookies

The bar also stocks a large range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Attractions Close to Kidani Village

Tree of Life Animal Kingdom
Credit: Disney

The closest theme park to Kidani Village is Disney’s Animal Kingdom, just a short two to three minute drive by car or Disney Bus from the hotel. Outside of this, you can reach all other theme parks within the Walt Disney World Resort relatively easily, just keep in mind that outside of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the journey to the other parks does take a lot longer — around 15 minutes to get to Magic Kingdom in your own car.

With a perfect savanna view, one of the best-themed Resorts on Walt Disney World property, and a restaurant you’re not going to want to miss, Kidani Village really is one of the best hotels at Walt Disney World Resort!

Let us know what you think of Kidani Village in the comments below!

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