It's the Circle of Life and it moves us all

Animal Kingdom's 500 acres are home to 1,700 animals representing 250 different species throughout the park. A ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari will allow you to see many of them as they take you through the African Savannah.

Gracing the landscape in Asia is the incredible Expedition Everest. The attraction features a two-way track system that takes guests forward, then backward when attacked by the mythical yeti that guards the "forbidden mountain."

In Asia, you can also get soaked on Kali River Rapids while learning about deforestation and meander down The Maharajah Trek - which is a trail that features bats, komodo dragons, deer, birds, and tigers.

Pandora - The World of Avatar is an extremely immersive area of the park that allows guests to walk into the world of the Na'vi. This land inspired by James Cameron's Avatar has floating mountains, two attractions, and so much more. Flight of Passage is a thrilling attraction that allows guests to fly on the back of a banshee as they glide around Pandora. Na'vi River Journey is a slow-moving boat ride that showcases the beauty of the bioluminescent forest of Pandora but is otherwise kind of boring, seemingly lacking the all-important "story."

There are also some unique dining experiences at Animal Kingdom. The Flame Tree Barbecue remains one of our steady favorites, and Satu'li Canteen is a favorite quick service location on the property with incredible, fresh, customizable bowls.

In an effort to accommodate the needs of the animals who live there, Animal Kingdom typically closes earlier than the other Walt Disney World theme parks, so we always recommend going in the mornings. It also seems to be the hottest of all the parks and required a lot of backtracking, so we try to avoid spending too much time there in the afternoon.

There aren't many rides for little ones, but they will love exploring the animal trails, learning from the guides, and meeting characters. You may want to consider participating in the Wilderness Explorers to earn badges by completing fun learning activities at various locations throughout the parks.

We feel like the appeal of Animal Kingdom is not totally apparent on a first visit. It is a little overwhelming, and you are just trying to experience the attractions it has to offer. If you have a longer trip, we really recommend spending two days here and giving yourself the time to really engage with it.

We love some of the extras they offer here, like encounters with the elephants or rhinos, jungle treks over crocodiles, or a sunset dinner on the savanna - they are all additional costs but worth it to truly understand what makes this park special.

These are just highlights of each of the lands. For descriptions of all attractions at Animal Kingdom visit our mini-website here.