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I paid $185 for a private safari at Disney World. Up-close interactions with wildlife weren't even the best part.

I paid $185 for a private safari at Disney World. Up-close interactions with wildlife weren't even the best part.

Jenna Clark

I paid $185 for a private safari tour at Disney's Animal Kingdom.Jenna Clark

I paid $185 to go on a private safari tour in Animal Kingdom at Disney World.
The ticket included a two-hour safari, African-inspired food, drinks, and a souvenir at the end.

I live 10 minutes away from Disney World and visit the parks frequently, but I'm always learning about new offerings. I recently discovered Savor the Savanna — a two-hour, private safari tour at Animal Kingdom.

Although I've experienced the park's 18-minute Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction, I wanted to see what the add-on experience was all about.

Here's what the private safari tour was like.

The Savor the Savanna tickets are limited, so they have to be bought in advance.

Animal Kingdom offers a private safari tour called Savor the Savanna. Jenna Clark

There are only 12 tickets available for each Savor the Savanna tour, so they must be booked in advance via the My Disney Experience app or Disney World's website.

The two-hour tour is held at 3:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. every day, weather depending.

I booked a ticket two days in advance for the earlier time and paid $174 before tax. The tour ticket doesn't include park admission, which is required to access this event. Fortunately, I didn't need to buy a park ticket because I have an annual pass.

I checked in at the Curiosity Animal Tours kiosk.

I checked in at a kiosk for my private safari tour. Jenna Clark

I entered Animal Kingdom and made my way over to the Curiosity Animal Tours kiosk just in time for the 3 p.m. check-in.

Upon arrival, I was asked to sign a waiver.

I signed a waiver before Disney's Savor the Savanna tour. Jenna Clark

I had to sign a waiver before the tour that covered topics including medical treatment, insurance, and assumption of risk.

I received a personalized name tag.

Everyone on the tour got their own name tags. Jenna Clark

I wasn't expecting to receive a name tag when I checked in for the tour, but was glad that I did so I could keep it as a souvenir.

Our safari vehicle was different from the standard Animal Kingdom attraction.

Our safari vehicle had benches lining its perimeter. Jenna Clark

The Kilimanjaro Safaris ride vehicles have seats in horizontal rows, but our private-tour vehicle had wooden benches lining the perimeter.

I enjoyed the seating style because it created a welcoming environment.

The vehicle seating layout created an intimate atmosphere.

Our tour guide and seating layout created a welcoming environment. Jenna Clark

Our tour guide, Emma, was friendly and knowledgeable — she encouraged questions and ensured everyone could capture photos.

I liked that we were all able to face each other throughout the experience. It made the tour more intimate.

We had extra time to speak with a park employee working with the giraffes.

We stopped to check out the giraffes. Jenna Clark

At the beginning of our tour, we met John, a park employee who works closely with the giraffes in the savanna.

He shared fun facts about the animals and answered questions in great detail.

Since the vehicle was stopped, people could also stand up and take photos of the giraffes and other nearby animals.

We stopped at the Boma Platform for refreshments and great views of the savanna.

The Boma Platform offered great food and drink options. Jenna Clark

We arrived at the Boma Platform, an enclosure-inspired stop, about 40 minutes into the tour.

Boma is a popular restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and we were welcomed with a table of similar African-inspired cuisine, including various cheeses, fruits, breads, and salads — the chicken salad was my favorite.

The stop also offered a raised view of the savanna with binoculars for an even closer look at the animals.

Various regional wines were also available to sip on.

We were also offered multiple wines at the Boma. Jenna Clark

Although I don't drink, there was a selection of regional wines available for guests 21 and over.

We could also have complimentary pineapple, orange, and guava, or POG, juice.

Having complementary POG juice was a nice perk. Jenna Clark

A glass of fan-favorite POG juice at Disney restaurants can cost upwards of $6, but we were able to have as much as we wanted during the rest stop.

I found the unlimited supply of juice to be a bonus, especially since I don't drink alcohol.

Dessert was my favorite part of the meal.

The fudge pop was my favorite Animal Kingdom dessert. Jenna Clark

There were three desserts available at the Boma stop, and the fudge pop was the best dessert I've ever had at Animal Kingdom.

Toward the end of the tour, we had the opportunity to see rhinos up close.

I got to see rhinos for the first time ever. Jenna Clark

This was my first time seeing a rhino in person, so it was a unique and fun experience.

The tour ended with everyone getting a small souvenir.

I was gifted a souvenir at the end of the Savor the Savanna tour. Jenna Clark

In exchange for the lanyard that held my name tag (I could keep the paper part with my name on it), I was gifted a wooden coaster with Savor the Savanna engraved on the front.

Although this tour was pricey, I found it to be worth the value.

I would buy a Savor the Savanna ticket again because the experience was worth it. Jenna Clark

Kilimanjaro Safaris is about a 20-minute attraction, but Savor the Savanna is nearly two hours, so I deemed the $185 ticket to be worth it.

I was able to ask many questions and had access to delicious food and unlimited POG juice.

Although the ticket is pretty pricey — especially since it doesn't include park admission — I'd definitely do the tour again for a special occasion.