Why Book Kidani Village Over Jambo House?
When booking a room at Animal Kingdom Villas, you can choose between Jambo House or Kidani Village. Both buildings offer incredible theming and views of the savannas. Some guests prefer to book Jambo House with its grand lobby and wider range of dining options with The Mara, Boma, and Jiko. However, Kidani Village is not to be overlooked! Here’s why you may want to consider Kidani Village for your next Disney stay.
Great Availability
Kidani Village has a much larger room inventory than Jambo House. This leads to better room availability, making it much easier to book as a DVC Member or rent as a Guest. This helps particularly if you’re looking to book or rent at the 7-month mark or under.
Larger Rooms and Extra Bathrooms
By square footage, the Studios, One Bedroom Villas, and Two Bedroom Villas at Kidani Village are larger than those at Jambo House. Also, unlike the rooms at Jambo House, the One Bedroom Villas have 2 full bathrooms, and the Two Bedroom Villas have 3 full bathrooms, which makes it so convenient when you are sharing accommodations with a larger travel party.
Kidani is also a better choice if you prefer Dedicated Two Bedroom Villas since those at Jambo House are all Lock-off Two Bedroom Villas.
Sanaa
With its savanna-view tables, Sanaa is something of a hidden gem. While many people think of Boma or The Mara when it comes to Animal Kingdom Lodge dining, Sanaa is a real treat. The bread service there is a must. It comes with naan and 9 different accompaniments, such as a sweet mango chutney and a spicy red chile sambal. Among the entrees, there’s butter chicken as well as braised beef, lamb, or shrimp curry.
For less adventurous diners, there’s the Sanaa burger at lunch and the pork tenderloin or flat iron steak at dinner. Kids ages 3 to 9 can choose simpler entrees like cheese pizza or grilled cheese.
At breakfast time, you don’t have to trek over to Jambo House. Sanaa offers quick-service breakfast, including banana bread french toast, a naan breakfast sandwich, short rib hash, and, of course, Mickey waffles.
If you don’t have time to dine at the restaurant, don’t forget that you can also order food to go from Sanaa.
Samawati Springs Pool
The Samawati Springs Pool at Kidani Village has a more thrilling and larger waterslide than the one at Uzima Springs Pool at Jambo House. Guests with kids will especially appreciate the water play area (Uwanja Camp) by the Samawati Springs Pool since Jambo House does not have one.
Children ages 4 and under can enjoy climbing through cargo crates and splashing near a bubbling geyser and shallow cistern pool at Observation Station. Departure Zone is for kids ages 5 to 7 and features a leaky water tower and African irises that squirt water. At Base Camp, kids ages 8 and up can have a blast with the water cannons.
Transportation
If you’re arriving with your own vehicle, Kidani is advantageous for its covered parking garage. It definitely helps with keeping your vehicle cooler or staying dry when getting in or out of your car during those Florida storms.
When taking the buses to the theme parks, Kidani is typically the first stop to be picked up and the first stop to be dropped off when returning from the parks.
Community Hall
While Jambo House does have Simba’s Cubhouse for crafts, Kidani Village has an actual community hall with more crafts, such as African jewelry, ceramics, tumblers, and canvases. You can also play video games, billiards, and foosball. It’s also where you can check out grilling tools or tennis racquets, basketballs, or shuffleboard equipment. As a bonus, there’s a balcony at the community hall that overlooks the savanna.
Starlight Safari
Kidani Village is also where you go for the Starlight Safari, a nighttime excursion on a safari vehicle to find zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and more. This hour-long tour is popular, and there aren’t many spaces available, so you’ll want to book it 60 days out from your check-in date.
Rent DVC points to stay at Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge and save up to 65% on a DVC villa compared to booking directly through Disney! Browse the confirmed reservations, or request a free quote to rent DVC points.
