The Harambe Market invites guests to Disney's Animal Kingdom to visit a bustling marketplace in Africa complete with four themed shops offering authentic African street foods for a quick meal, snack, or chance to sample unique beverages.
“Boats, trains and travel led to the discovery of exotic spices that were traded and brought from foreign lands,” Chef Lenny DeGeorge says. “These foods have been tailored for the locals. With the ribs, we have a ras el hanout spice blend, which has about 20 different spices mixed in. The berbere spice is on the chicken skewer and the kebab sandwich. We used madras curry powder in the corndog batter.”
The four quick-service shop windows are built into unique colorful store fronts, and each one offers a different fare.
- Kitamu Grill: featuring skewered chicken and a kebab flatbread sandwich.
- Famous Sausages: showcasing a corndog made with a South African boerewors sausage dipped in curry-infused corn batter.
- Chef Mwanga's: spice-rubbed Karubi Rib paired with green papaya-carrot slaw.
- Wanjohi Refreshments: (wanjohi means "brewer" in Swahili) quenches thirsts with craft draft beers like Safari Amber Lager; six South African wines by the glass, The Starr of Harambe frozen drink with Starr African rum and mango puree in a souvenir mug, red Sangria with Van der Hum tangerine liqueur, and non alcoholic tangerine lemonade or fountain beverages like Sparberry from Zimbabwe.
What I really appreciate is that there are helpful Cast Members armed with combined menus, so you don't have to travel to each storefront, ready to help with any questions you may have about the food and atmosphere of the Harambe Market.
The Harambe Market has been created to explore! Built around a Colonial-era train depot design complete with a 1960s water tower, Harambe Market is completely themed and full of charm!
Walt Disney Imagineering developed the authentic Harambe Market concept during travel and research in Africa, says Walt Disney Imagineering art director Joan Hartwig.
“When guests come to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we want them to be excited by the adventure of experiencing different cultures,” she says. “For Harambe Market, we had the opportunity to travel in east Africa and bring back details that our guests will be able to experience here. So when guests finish their safari, they can come to a real east African marketplace and sit down and enjoy the authentic flavors of Africa.”
Harambe Market is full of covered and shaded tables for dining with fans, and the marketplace offers direct access to Kilimanjaro Safaris, the Wildlife Express train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, and a lush path to Asia attractions like Expedition Everest.
Looking around Harambe Market, you will find several nods to the park's Festival of the Lion King theater district. It really helps "you feel like you are actually in a real village in Africa," says Walt Disney Imagineering show producer Emily O'Brien.
“You have the whole gamut of experiences, with the central area, the theater district, specialty vendors and a great market. Guests will really feel like they’ve been transported to another place for a really fun experience.”
Competing the Harambe Market is Zuri's Sweet Shop where you can find African wares and over 80 custom created items for the park's newest expansion.
I really enjoyed my time in the Harambe Market! The area is vibrant and alive with the aromas of delicious African treats, sounds from near-by attractions, and is stunning to explore with a lot of fun details.
WFTV
