Move over, Lion King! The newest popular animal at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Bakso the tiger cub, and guests eager to visit him are now forming a lengthy queue.
Bakso the Tiger Cub Causes Extended Queue
Bakso is a Sumatran tiger cub who debuted on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in Disney’s Animal Kingdom just last week. Bakso was born back in September 2024, but he spent several months backstage bonding with his mother, Sohni, before debuting in the park. To keep guests updated on Bakso’s progress, Disney uploaded nine live-streamed videos called “Tiger Tuesdays TV.” Bakso is the first baby tiger born in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in seven years, so his debut caused a lot of excitement.
Now that word of the new tiger has gotten out, many more guests than normal have been visiting the Maharaja Jungle Trek. When we visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom early in the morning this week, guests waiting to enter the exhibits had started lining up outside.
The Maharaja Jungle Trek opens at 9 a.m. each morning, even if guests use Early Entry to get into the park sooner. Once the trail reaches capacity, Cast Members make guests wait behind a scansion rope until the number of people already inside decreases.
As a result of the increased demand, guests are forming a line outside the trek and down the guest walkway near the entrance to Kali River Rapids. Since Kali closed in January for an extended winter refurbishment, this path is often uncrowded.
Guests wait along the right side of the path, across from the restrooms located behind the Kali River Rapids entrance.
A Cast Member is stationed outside to watch the line and allow more guests into the trek after waiting.
We returned later in the afternoon that same day to check on the line, and it had grown substantially. The end of the queue was now near the regular entrance to Kali River Rapids, which has its signs covered during the refurbishment.
Cast Members estimated that the line was running at about a 50-minute wait from the time you joined the end to the time you entered the trek area.
Guests stand on the right path that overlooks part of the Gibbon monkey exhibit.
As a note, Cast Members also reminded the guests waiting in line that spotting Bakso is not guaranteed. Bakso may be brought backstage at any time based on his condition, and Cast Members never force the animals into areas where they can be easily seen by guests.
Will you be visiting Bakso in the coming weeks, or have you seen him already? Let us know in the comments.
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