We've had a nice time in Harambe so far. We've seen the sights, shopped, dined and taken in some local color, but now it's time to get down to business. After all, the main reason most people come to Harambe is to tour the Harambe Wildlife Reserve and see native wildlife in a natural environment.
By far the most popular way to see the reserve is aboard a Tembo Truck with one of the guides from Kilimanjaro Safaris. This type of excursion would typically last anywhere from a few hours to the whole day (not "two weeks" as is often ad-libbed by Safari Cast Members).
The base of operations for Kilimanjaro Safaris is located just past Mzee Mbuyu ("Old Man Baobab"), where Harambe's historic district borders the reserve. Visitors here are welcomed and presented with a quick lesson in Swahili. Impress your guide when you ask to see duma and kifaru (that's cheetah and rhino to you and me).
If you haven't already reserved a truck by phone or online (or with a Fastpass for that matter), just stop in to the Booking Office, and they can take care of you.
Spend a moment here, and you may notice details like the first money they ever took in (a 200 shilling note) or the framed business license from the Harambe Council of Commerce. The date on the license tells us this office was established in 1996, although surely Kilimanjaro has been operating out of Nairobi and Mombasa for much longer. If you're in the room long enough, you may even hear the phone ring... and the answering machine pick up.
The Booking Office is also filled with references to other safari touring options offered by Kilimanjaro, as well as promotions for some of the things that can be seen on the reserve. Among these attractions is Big Red, the matriarch of a herd of elephants living on the reserve. She gets her name from her habit of covering herself in some of Harambe's distinctive red clay soil, something elephants do to help stay cool and protect from sunburn.
Big Red has recently had a calf who has taken up the same habit, earning the nickname Little Red. Although Big Red and Little Red don't figure as prominently into the story line of Kilimanjaro Safaris as they once did, they remain in spirit.
Even better, several real African elephant babies have been born at Disney's Animal Kingdom since it opened, giving Guests the opportunity to witness elephant mothers and calves interacting just as they would in the wild.
"Although Big Red and Little Red don't figure as prominently into the story line of Kilimanjaro Safaris as they once did, they remain in spirit."
ReplyDeleteWas the poaching storyline and the props that related to it removed from the attraction?
No, the threat of poaching is still part of the story being told, and most of the props remain (including the Animatronic baby elephant in the finale scene). The live and recorded narrations have changed, though, and no longer revolve around Big Red being missing and injured by poachers.
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered WHY the Big Red/ Little Red aspect was removed from the story line. Is there a known reason?
ReplyDeleteThe main reason for removing the search for Big Red/Little Red from the narration was that it became confusing once there were actual mother and baby elephants to see on the safari. It was determined that the poacher story could still be told without getting so specific.
ReplyDeleteMzee Mbugu not Mzee Mbuyu :)
ReplyDelete"Mbuyu" is the spelling on the plaque against the tree in the park. Mbuyu also happens to be the Swahili word for baobab (Mzee roughly translates as "elder"). "Mbugu" is used as either a word for tse-tse fly or the name of a tribe of people in Tanzania, depending on the dialect.
ReplyDelete