List of Secrets and Easter Eggs in Kilimanjaro Safaris

A compendium of secrets and Easter eggs relating to the attraction *Kilimanjaro Safaris*.

## Kilimanjaro Safaris

### Queue

* The attraction is the spiritual successor to the *Jungle Cruise* as it is based on Walt Disney's original plans for said attraction. Walt based the Jungle Cruise and Adventureland on Disney's popular *True-Life Adventures* nature films and originally wanted jungle cruise boats to pass by live-animals before audio-animatronics were settled on instead.
* Despite being named for Mount Kilimanjaro and having the mountain on the logo of its titular company, the ride is not actually set within the vicinity of Tanzania's Kilimanjaro National Park, instead being set in the fictitious Harambe Wildlife Reserve of the East-African port of Harambe. This is a common trait for attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom such as how *Expedition Everest* is set on the fictional *Forbidden Mountain*.
	+ The mountain does physically appear in Walt Disney World's attraction, *Soarin' Around the World*.
* The entirety of the Magic Kingdom park could fit inside of the land used for the attraction.
* Poacher warnings and posters for elephants Big Red and Little Red are remnants the removed, darker storyline of the original attraction. Here, guests would have happened upon the corpse of Big Red and teamed up with reserve warden Wilson Matua to chase down the poachers responsible and save Little Red.
* The removed character Wilson Matua was likely named in tribute to ecologist, E.O. Wilson.
* The poster for *Cap’n Bob's Super Safaris* uses the likeness of imagineer Joe Rohde for the titular Cap'n Bob.

### Jeeps

* The SIMBA-1 is named after Simba, the protagonist of The Lion King (1994) who was used as a central figure in promotional materials and paraphernalia for Disney's Animal Kingdom. Simba is also the Swahili word for, "Lion".
* The roadbed which appears to be dirt is actually brown concrete. It is designed with bumps to simulate a rocky safari ride.

### Ride

* Road sensors and bars are used between animal habitats to covertly prevent different species from interacting with other species, or escaping.
* Pride Rock has air-conditions built into it due to the lions having had difficulty adjusting to Floridian heat after being transferred from the Oregon zoo.
* The trees which resemble flat-topped acacias are actually trimmed southern live oaks native to Florida.
* Flamingo Island is one large, "Hidden Mickey", being shaped like the head of Mickey Mouse.
* The lion habitat of, "Pride Rock" is named for the Pride Lands' feature of the same name from The Lion King.
* Black vultures can be spotted throughout the attraction but will not be acknowledged due to being resident to Florida.
* The baobab trees are all artificial due to the real trees being ancient and difficult to transfer. These fake trees also hide surveillance technology.

### Exit

* The warden's home along the exit is a remnant of the removed character Wilson Matua.
* There are posters alluding to Little Red in the queue. Outside of the Warden's cabin is a jeep with the licence plate, "L1L R3D".
* In the wooden supports of the edit building it says, "Smythe-Wallis British East Africa Livestock Ltd.". In the backstory of Kilimanjaro Safaris, this was a colonial cattle company which was overthrown during the Harambe Revolution and had their land repurposed by Harambe citizens to create the wildlife reserve.

## Kilimanjaro Safaris Secrets & Easter Eggs in other Disney Properties

* **Adventure Trading Company**: The Daily Gnus newspapers mentioned the colonial *Adventure Trading Company* having stopped in Harambe before arriving in *Adventureland*.
* **Adventurers Outpost**: A bulletin board in the outpost has field-notes on Rafiki's Planet Watch while a chalkboard identifies days of travelling to the Harambe Reserve Main Station, Harambe Wildlife Reserve Warden Station, and Pangani Forest Trail. A mural shows parts of Harambe's gates.
* **Disney Springs**: In the *Marketplace Co-Op* of Disney Springs, Harambe is listed on a flight-board of several locations connected to Disney materials and history.
* **Lamplight Lounge**: There is a board of badges from the Wilderness Explorers missions, including those for Kilimanjaro Safaris.
* **Skipper Canteen**: There is a book in the library titled, "The Harambe Chronicles" by Wilson.
* **Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar**: There is an old photograph in this bar of Jungle Cruise character Trader Sam on elephant-back safari in Africa. The message on the photo from Sam reads, " Embarking from Harambe Village on a Safari" and the logo for Kilimanjaro Safaris is on the saddle of the elephant.

## Trivia

* Some merchandise identifies the reserve as having opened in 1998, the year the attraction opened.

## References

1. ↑ https://insidethemagic.net/2015/02/d-tales-10-kilimanjaro-safari-hides-huge-backstory-infused-with-disney-history/
2. ↑ https://www.disneyfanatic.com/12-mind-blowing-facts-about-kilimanjaro-safaris-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/
3. ↑ https://www.charactercentral.net/L1316\_DisneyCharacters\_WaltDisneyWorld\_AnimalKingdom\_AdventurersOutpost.aspx
4. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2017/10/gate-change.html
5. ↑ https://photos.mouseinfo.com/DLR-News-and-Info/June-21-2018-DLR-News-and-Info-Pixar-Pier-Media-Preview/i-zrbWSdr?\_gl=1\*18kud0y\*\_ga\*MjMyNzA1NzcxLjE2ODk4NTkxNDM.\*\_ga\_D67HPDSM0P\*MTY4OTk1MzMwOS4yLjEuMTY4OTk1NDMwNy42MC4wLjA.\*\_ga\_MPNWTGKP6M\*MTY4OTk1MzMwOS4yLjEuMTY4OTk1NDMwNy42MC4wLjA.\*\_ga\_25089693\*MTY4OTk1MzMwOS4yLjEuMTY4OTk1NDMwNy4wLjAuMA..