Disney Animal Kingdom Jambo House or Kidani Village?

Two locations to choose from – Jambo House or Kidani Village?

The decision has been made to stay at the Disney Animal Kingdom Resort, now it comes down to location. Do you stay at Jambo House or Kidani Village? If your plans are to stay in one of the (DVC) Disney Vacation Club Villas at the Animal Kingdom Resort, it is important to know the difference since Villas are available in both locations. It is also one that will take some digging to determine which one is best for your visit.

Villa Locations

Knowing the location of the Jambo House and Kidani Village is a good place to start. Looking at the Animal Kingdom Resort map, it is easy to see the two main sections. On the right side of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Map, a horseshoe shaped set of buildings is the main Jambo House and the long string of buildings to the left make up the Kidani Village. Although both of these areas make up the Animal Kingdom Resort, they operate separately from one another but do share all of their amenities. Each have their own lobby, guest services and separate guest check-in.

The Lobby

Get ready to be amazed! There is no question, the Lobby at the Jambo House is much more impressive than the one at Kidani Village. If it is your first time to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, even if you are staying at the Kidani Village, you have to take the time to see the huge, 6 story building that makes up the entrance to Jambo House. In comparison, it truly dwarfs the Lobby at the Kidani Village. To be fair, the Kidani Lobby was never supposed to compete with the one at Jambo. Since it was only for Disney Vacation Club Members and Guests, it really did not need to have the same feel.

The Pools

It is very important to understand that you have access to both the Samawati and Uzima Pool no matter where you stay. The Uzima Pool is located in between the Zebra and Giraffe trail wings of the Jambo House. It is the largest of the two pools but it does not have as large of a water slide. The Samawati Springs Pool is not as large as the Uzima Pool but is has a much larger 128-foot water slide and also has the Uwanja Camp Splash Park with tons of water fun for the smaller kids. Both have 2 Hot Tubs and plenty of seating and fun for the family. It is worth going to both of them while staying at the resort.

The Savannas

From the Kidani Village you get access to the Sunset Savanna and the Pembe Savanna from their Villas. The Jambo House can see the Sunset, Arusha and the Uzima Savannas. No matter where you stay, the best views are had from the higher floors. If you get a Savanna View room, it is worth asking for one higher up.

Jambo House or Kidani Village Rooms and Villas

Choosing based on the actual Villas at the Jambo House and Kidani Village at the Disney Animal Kingdom Resort is a tough one. There are pros and cons to each side. If you are planning to stay in a standard room, you don’t have any other option than Jambo. If you are staying in one of the Deluxe Studios or Villas, you have the preference of staying in either complex. Decisions, decisions. It really is tough to decide but if you are staying for the first time, you might enjoy staying at Jambo better just because of the massive lobby and the “Wow factor” when you walk through the door. The Villas, for the most part, are a little smaller at the Jambo but the views and the larger pool have to be taken in to account. Let’s break down the actual differences between these two.

Looking at this breakdown, you might wonder why you would ever stay at Jambo House if you are a DVC member or renting a Villa. Well, it all goes back to the appeal of the Lodge and Pool I think. If you are not planning on staying in your room a lot anyway, the size of the room might not matter. The biggest appeal of the Kidani Village would have to be the extra bathrooms in the 1 and 2 Bedroom Villas. If you have ever traveled with a lot of people, family or not, then you know how important it is to have as many places to get ready as possible. For this reason alone, if you have more than 4 guests, you have to consider the Kidani.

Value Options

The chart above does not show the Value rooms that are available at Jambo House. These rooms are a little smaller than the standard rooms but they have the same amenities as the standard or regular rooms. If you are on a tight budget but you still want to have everything that the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers, the value option is available for you.

Additional Information

More information can be found on the Animal Kingdom Jambo House or Animal Kingdom Kidani Village. You will also find a nice breakdown of Animal Kingdom Lodge Facts that break down all of the information on the resort in one convenient location.