Conservation Station at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (A Resorts Gal Attraction Guide)
Conservation Station is an attraction at Rafiki’s Planet Watch at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This area of the park is perfect for anyone interested in animals, conservation, or biology.
Inside Conservation Station, you’ll find a science center, veterinary treatment room, nutrition center, and several window displays with amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. Below, we’ll examine a few of these areas in more detail and explain how to locate this special park area.
Here are a few quick references for Conservation Station.
| Conservation Station | Disney’s Animal Kingdom |
|---|---|
Location: | Rafiki’s Planet Watch |
Height Requirement: | None |
Lightning Lane: | NA |
Early Theme Park Entry: | No |
Extended Evening Hours: | No |
Ride Type: | Educational Experience |
Seats Per Vehicle: | N/A |
Rider Switch: | N/A |
Good For: | Everyone |
Scary Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | Low Priority |
Perfect For: | Anyone with an interest in science. |
Special Mention: | You must take the Wildlife Express Train to access this area of the park. |
Accessibility: Guests may remain in wheelchairs or ECVs.
You must take the Wildlife Express Train from Africa to Conservation Station. The entrance to the train station sits along a path between Kilimanjaro Safaris and Harambe Market.
When you exit the train at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, a walkway leads to Conservation Station. A few other attractions are in the same area.
- Affection Section: This is the only petting zoo at Walt Disney World! This area is home to goats, sheep, and donkeys. You might even see a few pigs, but we haven’t seen them on our last couple of visits.
- The Animation Experience: This is a 25-minute art class where guests learn to draw a classic Disney character. We’ve drawn characters like Timon, Pumbaa, Simba, Dumbo, and Piglet. Pencil and paper are provided.
- Habitat Habit: This is more of a Wilderness Explorer badge area these days.
Inside Conservation Station, there are a few enclosed rooms with glass walls. Guests are invited to walk up and observe what’s going on inside. The veterinary treatment room is pictured below. If they are performing a procedure, an overhead television screen provides an even closer look.
If you’re interested in seeing this kind of thing, you’ll want to visit earlier rather than later. Here is the schedule that was posted on the day of this visit. As you can see, the last procedure was a mass evaluation of a naked molerat at 11:00 a.m. By lunchtime, these sorts of things are typically wrapped up.
The Science Center is next to the Veterinary Treatment Room. Cast members often work in this area.
Here is a look inside the nutrition area. Someone was working here in the background on the day of this visit. It’s been my experience that the earlier in the day you visit Conservation Station, the more you’ll see.
Before you leave, don’t forget to check out the invertebrate windows. You’ll see anything from snakes and lizards to scorpions, millipedes, and tarantulas. We saw some pretty vibrant (yet deadly) tree frogs on a recent visit.
The Resorts Gal Spin On Conservation Station
We’re giving Conservation Station the red light, and I hate to do that! While you won’t experience a wait for this attraction, it’s not necessarily something we would consider a must-do experience. We do think that guests should experience the Animation Experience which is in the same area. However, we often don’t make it up to Rafiki’s Planet Watch until later in the day. If you are interested in checking out this area of the park, visit before lunch!
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
Overall, Conservation Station is an educational area that focuses on the health and safety of animals and other various species. If you plan a trip up to the area, make sure to plan it around one of the animation classes. (The classes are exceptional.)
History: Conservation Station was formerly home to several other attractions, such as Eco Heros, Grandmother Willow and the Song of the Rainforest (Pocahontas), Animal Cams, Shelly’s Theater, and a Wishing Watering Hole. This area also formerly had a small gift shop called “Out of the Wild.” However, we noticed all of the merchandise and snacks had been removed on a visit in 2024.
For similar attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, try these:
- Maharajah Jungle Trek (Tiger Trail)
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
- Discovery Island Trails
- Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom
For those planning a vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort, you might like to preview our list of Disney World Hotel Reviews.
Some of our favorite resorts near Disney’s Animal Kingdom include:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Review
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Review
- Orange Lake Resort Review in Kissimmee
- Residence Inn at Flamingo Crossings Review
In the Comments:
Do you plan to visit Conservation Station at Disney’s Animal Kingdom? What are your thoughts about educational attractions in the theme parks?
