Animal Kingdom Lodge: Savanna Views and DVC Ownership

DVC Market Team  |  August 17, 2025  |  194 views

Animal Kingdom Villas: The One That Surprises Everyone

I can't tell you how many buyers come to me saying "I'd never buy at Animal Kingdom Lodge" and end up buying there anyway. It happens all the time. The resort doesn't have the flashy location of Bay Lake Tower or the EPCOT-walkable appeal of Beach Club. It's tucked away in its own corner of Disney property, bus-only transportation, no monorail, no boat, no Skyliner. And yet, once people actually stay there, something clicks. You wake up, walk to your balcony, and there are giraffes and zebras grazing 30 feet below you. That's not a figure of speech. Actual giraffes. Right there.

Animal Kingdom Villas (AKV) is one of the best value plays in all of DVC, and I think it's genuinely underrated on the resale market. The theming is incredible, the dining is some of the best on Disney property, and the resale prices are significantly lower than the monorail resorts. You give up location convenience, but what you get in return is an experience that no other DVC resort can match.

Two Buildings, Two Personalities

AKV is actually two separate buildings with different characters, different pools, and different dining options. Understanding the difference between Jambo House and Kidani Village is important because your contract is tied to one or the other (though you can book at either using the same points during the 11-month or 7-month window). If you're new to how that works, read about booking priority.

Jambo House is the original building. It's the one with the massive lobby that feels like stepping into an African lodge, complete with a four-story atrium and traditional artwork everywhere you look. This is where Jiko and Boma are, two of Disney's best restaurants. Jambo has fewer DVC rooms than Kidani because it was originally built as a standard Disney hotel. The DVC rooms were added later and carved out of one wing.

Jambo House is also the only AKV building with value rooms. These are smaller studios (about 316 square feet) with limited or no views, and they cost significantly fewer points than standard or savanna-view rooms. If you're on a tight points budget and want to stay at AKV without burning through your allocation, value rooms are a smart option. Learning about point costs for each room type will help you plan. You're still at the resort, you still have access to everything, you just can't see animals from your room.

Kidani Village opened two years after Jambo and was purpose-built as a DVC property. The studios are bigger (366 sq ft vs 316), the room designs are more modern, and Samawati Springs is arguably the better pool. The vibe at Kidani is quieter and more intimate. It also has its own savanna with different animals than Jambo's, so the views are equally good but different. Sanaa restaurant at Kidani serves Indian-African fusion with bread service that people specifically travel to Disney just to eat. I'm not exaggerating. The naan and accompaniments at Sanaa are famous.

The Savanna Experience

This is the thing that converts skeptics into buyers. There are over 30 species of African animals living on the savannas at AKV, spread across four different viewing areas. Giraffes, zebras, ostriches, ankole cattle, wildebeest, and more. They're right there. From your room. At 6am when you're drinking coffee on the balcony.

Savanna view rooms are worth the point premium at AKV. I don't usually push people toward premium views (at Bay Lake Tower I tell most families to go standard), but at AKV the savanna view IS the experience. Standard view rooms face the pool or parking areas, which is fine if you just need a place to sleep. But you're buying AKV partly for the animals, so get a room that lets you see them. The savanna view premium is about 15-25% more points, and I think it's the best points upgrade in all of DVC.

The animals are most active in the early morning and late evening, which works out perfectly for a typical Disney day. You see them when you wake up and when you get back from the parks. During the hottest part of the afternoon, they tend to rest in the shade, but even then you'll usually spot a few wandering around. And at night, the resort loans out night-vision goggles so you can watch the nocturnal activity. Kids go absolutely crazy for this.

The Dining Situation

AKV has some of the best food on Disney property. That's not just my opinion. Ask anyone who's eaten at Jiko or Sanaa and they'll tell you the same thing.

Jiko is the signature restaurant at Jambo House. African and Mediterranean cuisine, beautifully plated, with an extensive South African wine list that's been award-winning for years. This is a special-occasion restaurant. Dress code is resort casual, so you don't need a suit, but leave the tank tops in the room. Plan on $80-120 per person for dinner with a drink or two. It's worth every dollar.

Boma is the breakfast and dinner buffet, and it's one of the best buffets at Disney. Over 50 items at dinner with African-inspired dishes alongside familiar American options. The bread pudding at Boma is legendary. Breakfast at Boma is also excellent and easier to get a reservation for. Budget around $40-50 per adult for dinner.

Sanaa at Kidani Village does Indian and African fusion, and the bread service is the star. You get five different types of naan with nine sauces and chutneys, and it's so good that people order multiple rounds. The main courses are solid too, but I've been to Sanaa three times and the bread service is what I think about. Some tables have direct savanna views, so you can watch animals while you eat. Try getting that at Steakhouse 71.

Views and Point Costs

View Category	What You See	Point Premium
Value (Jambo Only)	Parking lot, rooftop, limited views	Lowest (great budget option)
Standard	Pool, parking, or partial views	Base
Savanna View	Animals on the savanna	+15-25%
Club Level (Jambo)	Concierge services + views	+30-40%

Value rooms at Jambo House are something special because they let you stay at this resort for surprisingly few points. A value studio during Adventure Season (the cheapest time) can run as low as 57 points per night. That's less than a standard studio at most resorts. If you just need a home base and plan to spend all day at the parks, value rooms are a steal. The rooms themselves are clean and functional, just smaller and without a view.

Transportation: The Honest Tradeoff

I'm not going to sugarcoat this. Transportation from AKV is bus-only for everything. There's no monorail, no boat, no Skyliner. You're at the mercy of Disney's bus system, and on busy days, that can mean 25-30 minute waits plus a 20 minute ride to Magic Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom park is the closest destination, about a 5-10 minute bus ride. Everything else is 15-25 minutes if the buses are running on time. Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs, all bus only. If you're a family that rope-drops Magic Kingdom every morning, this will frustrate you. No question.

But here's the flip side. Most families I work with visit AKV specifically because they like to spend more time at the resort. They go to a park in the morning, come back mid-afternoon, hang out at the pool, eat at Sanaa or Boma, and watch the animals from the balcony. AKV is the kind of resort where you build in resort days because there's genuinely stuff to do there. If your vacation style is all about maximizing park time from open to close, this isn't your resort. If you like a balance of parks and relaxation, AKV is hard to beat.

Resale Market: A Great Value

At $95-115 per point resale, AKV is significantly cheaper than the monorail resorts. A 200-point contract costs $19,000-23,000 compared to $29,000-33,000 for Bay Lake Tower. For a detailed look, see this resale price comparison across all resorts. That's $10,000 in savings on the purchase alone, plus lower annual dues ($8.75 per point vs $9.00 at BLT). Read more about dues and how they factor into total cost of ownership. Over 10 years, you're saving thousands in both purchase price and ongoing costs. You can verify the latest numbers on current dues rates for every resort.

ROFR risk is moderate at AKV. Disney exercises occasionally, especially on contracts priced under $100 per point, but the pass rate is much better than premium resorts. If you're offering $105+ per point, your odds are good. Loaded contracts with current year points face slightly more risk, same as any resort.

The contract expires January 31, 2057, giving you 31 years of ownership. Plenty of time for a family with young kids to get decades of vacations out of the purchase.

Who Should Buy AKV

AKV is perfect for families who want a unique Disney experience beyond just park hopping. Larger groups will especially appreciate the two-bedroom and Grand Villa options here; check out our tips about large family planning at DVC resorts. If your kids are into animals, if you appreciate good food, if you like resorts where there's something to do besides swim in the pool, this is your place. The savanna experience is genuinely one of a kind, and the value on the resale market makes it accessible to families who can't afford Bay Lake Tower or Beach Club prices.

Skip AKV if your whole trip revolves around Magic Kingdom and you need to be at the park gate by 7:45am every morning. The bus situation will drive you crazy. Skip it if you have zero interest in animals or African theming, because that's the entire identity of this resort. And skip it if you need EPCOT walking distance for Food and Wine Festival, because BoardWalk or Beach Club are built for that.

Jambo vs. Kidani: Which Should You Buy?

If you're deciding between a Jambo House contract and a Kidani Village contract, here's my take. Kidani is the better buy for most families. The studios are larger, the rooms are more modern, the pool (Samawati Springs) is more fun for kids, and Sanaa is right there for the best bread service on Disney property. Kidani also tends to have slightly better availability because it was built as a dedicated DVC property with more rooms in the system.

Jambo House makes sense if you specifically want value rooms (Kidani doesn't have them) or if Jiko and Boma are a major draw for you. The lobby at Jambo is also more impressive, which matters to some people. And Jambo has club-level rooms with concierge service, if that's your thing.

On the resale market, Jambo and Kidani contracts are usually priced within a few dollars of each other. Sometimes Kidani runs $2-5 more per point because of the larger studios and newer build. But the difference is small enough that I'd pick based on which building you prefer, not which is cheaper. Both are great values compared to the monorail resorts.

One thing to keep in mind: even if you own at Jambo, you can book at Kidani during the 11-month window (and vice versa), because they share the same home resort designation. Disney treats "Animal Kingdom Villas" as one resort for booking purposes. So your choice of Jambo vs. Kidani contract mostly affects your value room access (Jambo only) and maybe bragging rights. You can stay in either building regardless of which contract you own.

But if you want a resort that actually feels like a destination, not just a place to sleep between park days, Animal Kingdom Villas delivers something no other DVC resort can offer. Those giraffes on the balcony at sunrise? That alone is worth the price of admission. Start finding AKV contracts on our marketplace today.