This area needs a serious revamp. I was walking through today and it felt dead, soulless. Safari Village has always been a patchwork quilt of themes and appearances, but with Volcano gone I’ve realized how disjointed the area is. The theming is just “African” enough that the area still has some sort of overarching feel, but everything feels outdated and forgotten. Even the sound system here is muffled and almost impossible to hear. I once considered Safari Village one of the park’s most beautiful areas, but now it has fallen behind; it feels nearly untouched since the Paramount days. It’s hard to believe this section is in the same park as International Street and the Hanover Hill district of Candy Apple Grove.
I hope that whenever Volcano gets replaced, the park does some serious planning to refresh the entire area- a la Candy Apple Grove in 2016 and 2018, Soak City in 2015, and Planet Snoopy in 2013. I’m fine with keeping the African theme, but infrastructure work is desperately needed. Replace the barely-audible sound system. Add a bathroom. Add congruence to the various forms of pavement in the area. Tie Backlot into the area’s theme.
I love Safari Village as an idea, but right now, it feels like the red-headed stepchild of an otherwise quickly-improving and rapidly-beautifying park.