Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Flight of Passage is located within Pandora – the world of Avatar inside of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. After entering the park, you will pass through the Oasis and cross the Discovery river heading into Discovery Island. Bearing left, you will see signs directing you toward Pandora. You’ll keep left, crossing back over the Discovery river, entering Pandora. The first ride you should see will be the Na’vi River Journey. Continue to the right of Na’vi River Journey and you will reach the entrance to Avatar Flight of Passage.

An overview of what to expect while experiencing the Flight of Passage ride in Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can also check out how we rank this ride compared to the others at the Animal Kingdom here.

Backstory for Avatar Flight of Passage

Let me start by saying that if you have not seen the movie, Avatar, then you should watch it before your trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That being said, the Navi, who are the inhabitants of Pandora, ride on the backs of the Banshee as they fly through the air. The Banshee is a winged, dragon-like creature native to Pandora. In order to ride the Banshee, the Navi must first experience a sort of “rite of passage” as they select a Banshee with which they will connect with though a neural interface. Once the connection is made, a Banshee will be, “bonded” with a single Navi rider for life.

Queue experience

The queue for Flight of Passage is extensive, as the wait times for this attraction, prior to the pandemic closure, would often reach two and three hours.

You’ll wind your way through a lengthy outdoor queue.

There will be some fantastic views of the Valley of Mo’ara

You will then enter into the caves filled with Navi art

Through the caves, you will enter an old military bunker left by the humans, where you will queue up for the pre-show

Pre-Show

This is where you will be linked to your own Avatar so that you can ride your Banshee.

You must first be scanned for micro-parasites.

Ride experience

Once you’ve been scanned for parasites and matched to your Avatar, you will be shown to the room containing the ride vehicles.

The seat reminds me of those old motorcycle arcade games, but here, you’re in for an experience like no other. The wall in front of you will just, “dissolve” and you will be immersed in the land of Pandora, flying through the Valley of Mo’ara. You will feel sudden dips and drops as you soar through the sky, and you can even feel the banshee breathing as you ride.

If you have a fear of heights, you may want to sit this one out. Also, If 3D immersion or virtual reality tends to make you motion sick, then you may want to take precautions prior to riding.

Outstanding experience here! Again, my favorite, hands down.

Ride restrictions and accessibility

All riders must be at least 44 inches tall to experience Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There is not a publicized weight restriction, however, the policies note that the seating and restraints utilized in the attraction may prohibit guests of certain shapes or sizes from riding.

Disney’s safety warnings suggest that you should be in good health, and not suffering from high blood pressure, motion sickness, heart, back, or neck problems in order to ride. They also advise expectant mothers not to ride.

As far as accessibility, riders must be able to transfer to a standard wheelchair, and then to the ride vehicle to experience this attraction. No service animals are permitted. Audio Description, video captioning, and assistive listening devices are available.