Nostalgia is a powerful thing. This July 2019, a fresh take on the ‘90s Disney classic, The Lion King, roars into cinemas. And luxury companies in Kenya and Tanzania are taking the hint, offering “Lion King Safaris.” Finally, you can take a journey beyond the cartoon universe and into the very real pride lands.Â
11-Day Family Safari: Pride of Africa
Luxury tour company Zicasso promises an 11-day “Family Safari: Pride of Africa,” which whisks you from the Serengeti to Nairobi. The adventure includes 10 nights in luxury hotels and accommodations, games throughout the drives, meals (hopefully no bugs? no promises), private tours, airport pickups, and local flights within Africa. Of course, the safari is fun for the whole family.Â
Hakuna Matata, amiright?
Plus, the “Carefree Lands,” where Simba lazed away his youth and early teens (as we all did), is a feature on the tour. Guests spend three nights in this Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where, we can only assume, a singing warthog greets you.
After the final song-and-dance number, guests proceed to Olduvai Gorge for a bit of Lion King Safari Drama. This was, in fact, the place of the treacherous wildebeest stampede. RIP Mufasa.
Afterwards, guests catch Serengeti National Park, before heading off to the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Sure, the elephants and giraffes are side characters in the great story of Simba’s life. But they’re essential to the ecosystem of the pride lands.
The safari gives them their due.
An alternate Lion King Safari with Original Travel whisks you to Masai Mara, where people flock yearly to see the wildebeest migration. It also offers a Timone- and Pumba-inspired gaze at the starry night sky in the Samburu, which we can only imagine is life-affirming.
The Original Travel Lion King Safari also includes a final four days resting on the beach — which we don’t remember from the original film. But we’ll allow it, because we’re beach bums at our core.
Of course, having all that Disney magic to yourself does come at a cost. For the Zicasso itinerary, prices start at $5,625 USD, and international flights are not included. For Original Travel, think higher: $8,335 USD per person. As we said, nostalgia is a powerful — er — expensive thing.
