Tree in Limpopo (South Africa) Tree of life Walt Disney World

March 1, 2008

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

My non pot smoking Hippie Chick niece Kelly sent me these great photos of this awesome tree… hope you like them too.

Thanks to the comment by “Disney Lover” we now know this is really the Tree of Life at the Animal Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World, Orlando FL. Thanks for the comment.

POST CONTINUES

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown

Tree in Limpopo
Photo: Unknown



Written by Beam · Filed Under Art, Photos, Places 

Comments

23 Responses to “Tree in Limpopo (South Africa) Tree of life Walt Disney World”

  1. Disney Lover on March 2nd, 2008 12:47 pm

    This is the “Tree of Life” at the Animal Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World, Orlando FL. Go look it up on Flickr and you’ll see the exact same animal carvings. There is no river that looks like this in Limpopo, SA - but there is in Florida. All of the animal carvings are the ones you’ll find on Disney’s Tree of Life. Sorry, your friend needs to smoke more weed. This tree is not in Africa. :)

  2. Sherry D. on April 29th, 2008 7:26 am

    So what kind of tree is it? Sherry

  3. Craig on May 1st, 2008 10:16 pm

    As far as I know this tree is not real, but a very good replication of what is an awesome looking tree, not sure if it is modeled on a real life type of tree though.

  4. otto on May 3rd, 2008 1:09 pm

    Tree At The Limpopo River ( Africa ) - The Utopia ForumTree At The Limpopo River ( Africa ) The Lounge. … General Talk > The Lounge · Reload this Page Tree At The Limpopo River ( Africa ) …
    www.hundredbling.net/showthread.php?t=66774 - 43k - Cached - Similar !
    As is on google. i do not understand just where it is located or is it a replica of one in Africa? It looks fake to me!

  5. Bill V. on May 8th, 2008 6:18 am

    There MAY be a tree a bit similar to that in Africa… I have no idea if there is. But, I agree with “Disney Lover March 2nd” above…. The tree is definitely at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. It is one of the primary attractions in the “Animal Kingdom” portion of the park/resort/attraction. I have lived in Orlando for 56 years, have been to Animal Kingdom a few times, and have spent time viewing the tree. It is NOT a real tree. It is made of all “artificial materials”. During visiting it, one can go inside to see various interesting displays, etc.

  6. S Bowe on May 10th, 2008 8:26 am

    I received these photos in an email from a friend in the UK and, having lived in various countries in Africa, knew it was not anywhere in Central or Southern Africa. Passed it around to friends asking for clarification and got sent this site. Thanks for clearing up the mystery. It is a Baobab tree that they have copied, and Baobabs can grow to gargantuan sizes. It has been superbly replicated!

  7. Craig on May 10th, 2008 8:50 pm

    Thanks for the latest comment by S Bowe. The comments are much appreciated. The Baobab trees in Australia are big but not this big and they are different looking to those in Africa. I have seen pictures of a tree in central Queensland that was used as a jail to hold prisoners, the tree was hollowed out in the middle and some bars put across the front. I am going to see if I can find it and post it here.

  8. Cindy on May 15th, 2008 1:37 am

    I received an email saying this tree was in South Africa. I immediately thought of the tree I saw at Disney so I had to google to see if it was in SA or USA. Here is a picture of a baobab tree in Botswana. http://www.pbase.com/cjw/image/51464676 I’m sitting in front of to show you the scale. These trees can get pretty large!

  9. Afida on May 29th, 2008 5:30 pm

    http://www.ozoutback.com.au/postcards/postcards_forms/wa_kimberley/Source/1.htm
    Go to above website for Baobab used as a jail to hold prisoners.

  10. Sandra Smith on June 11th, 2008 11:06 am

    rolling on the floor laughing…I really thought it WAS by some incredible unknown artist in South Africa………….well, it’s still incredible - fake or not.

  11. leon on June 11th, 2008 11:56 pm

    This is a baobab tree and you do find them in limpopo SA.
    these tree’s are Gigantic. Another spot in limpopo SA is one of these tree’s that has a bar build inside the hollow tree

  12. Hollie Rose on June 17th, 2008 1:01 am

    yes this IS the Tree of Life at animal kingdom and no it’s not real and yes it’s suppose to be a bobab tree which are found in africa.
    I’ve touched this tree, I practically grew up at disney world because my mom worked there when I was young. We moved not long after the animal kingdom opened so it was a pretty big deal at that time
    nothing can explain how beautiful it is! All I can say is you don’t really know until you’re up close and see it for yourself. Actually under the tree (yes you can go inside it) is the 3-D film “It’s Tough to be a Bug” based on the pixar movie “A Bugs Life”
    As far as I know though (an I’ll keep researching cuz I’m not absoulutely positive on it) there is no tree like this in africa-I may be wrong though. Basically I got a forward about an awesome tree in africa, saw it and knew right away so I looked it up and found this. :) hope I helped
    -Hollie

  13. sheri on June 20th, 2008 3:35 am

    The tree is a specimen of Adansonia digitata, common in Africa north of the Limpopo River but in South Africa found only in Limpopo Province. It belongs to a family found in the Americas, Australia and Madagascar, but this species is unique to the African continent and is widespread. The baobab’s favoured environment is relatively low-altitude hot, dry woodland.

    The Afrikaans name for the tree is kremetartboom (cream of tartar tree). Boer pioneers reportedly made cream of tartar from the pulp of the fruit, but it appears that it is in fact citric acid that can be produced in this way.

    Everyone’s Guide to the Trees of South Africa by Keith, Paul and Meg Coates Palgrave has this to say:

    “They are grotesquely fat with a height of between 10 and 20 m, and have a massive trunk with a girth of usually about 10 m in circumference. The bole tends to taper quite suddenly and then branch well above the ground.

    “The spreading branches are relatively short and thin and, when bare, look a lot like roots. This gives rise to a belief held among certain tribes that God planted the baobab upside-down
    I bet they don’t have craved creatures on them…just the real things in them…

  14. Cy on June 20th, 2008 8:05 am

    As some comments posted, have referred to the Baobab tree - true- it is found in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The Fruit of the tree tastes like Creme de Tartar (is) and is most refreshing when one is thirsty. The Tree carvings in Disneyworld tree hhas carvings that do not reflect Africa.

  15. oscar on July 30th, 2008 7:16 pm

    i jus t need to know where is that tree located becouse i was send by my ancestors to perfom a ritual near that tree

    i hope you can help me with my request

  16. Ken B. on August 12th, 2008 11:29 am

    This tree took 3 yars to build. They brought in an off-shore oil rig that was 15 stories high and built the tree around it. (as told by a theme park employee

  17. [inspiring] The Tree of Life | SIOSISM on August 24th, 2008 10:09 pm

    […] actually got this in an email today, but decided to look it up on the web and share it with everybody else. I […]

  18. marie on September 19th, 2008 12:55 am

    so…the big copper plaque is a dead give away, look close and you will see it

  19. robin on September 28th, 2008 12:37 am

    I work at Disney animal kingdom and yes it is the main focal point in the center of the park called the Tree of Life . Animals displayed on the tree represent creatures from all over the world.

  20. John P. Wentland on October 1st, 2008 1:14 am

    The forwarded email I received today preceded the images with the comment:
    THIS IS QUITE INCREDIBLE. IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE CARVINGS HAVE FED THE TREE RATHER THAN DESTROY IT. BLESSINGS FOR THE TREE SPIRITS AND ALL THOSE CREATURES REPRESENTED AS WELL! [caps theirs]
    In response, I added the comment:
    The Disney World site: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/attractionDetail?id=TheTreeofLifeAttractionPage
    invites us to
    “Marvel at this 14-story masterpiece sculpted by more than a dozen artisans. The 50-foot wide tree is the centerpiece of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. The swirling tapestry of 325 animal carvings creates a staggering spectacle that is truly a sight to behold!”
    Anyone who’s been to this Disney theme park must recognize it.
    And I’d add: What? No blessing for the dozens of carving artists who contributed their work to this creation. . . whether in a real tree or not!
    Just goes to show you that the WWW is a source of all kinds of useless deceptions. However, a correction in response to the carving appearing to have “FED THE TREE RATHER THAN DESTROY IT” seems appropriate. A disclaimer to keep this rouse among “useless deceptions” and prevent harm to most real trees would say: “Don’t try this at home. . .on your real trees!” –jack

  21. Kent Suss on October 28th, 2008 12:37 pm

    Yes, that tree is gorgeous — walking among its “roots” on the way inside to see the show, it’s easy to appreciate it as a work of art. And yet, John is right when he says “Just goes to show you that the WWW is a source of all kinds of useless deceptions”. Deception and authenticity are interwoven throughout the parks, and the Kilmanjaro Safari is one of the fascinating examples.

    So sure, it’s obvious to most people that the “Tree of Life” is a sculpture, but the Kilmanjaro Safari ride combines fact and fancy to a saucier degree: the asphalt road surface is formed to look like a muddy track, complete with fake truck tracks, deep ruts in fake mud, and even fake elephant footprints. Look up and you see termite mounds (fake, I’m certain, since it’s unlikely that the creators of the Animal Kingdom imported termites to build them in choice locations along the road, or dug up and transported existing ones from Africa. It seems obvious that they’re shaped out of concrete). And then there are the baobab trees. Some in my party were certain they were real — one co-tourist referred to a controversy over Disney digging them up and shipping them over from Africa to be transplanted here.

    I asked a “cast member” whether they were real and got a coy wink and a comment about the “Disney Magic” in reply. Whether “Disney Magic” means unlimited creative genius or whether it’s a euphemism for unlimited cash, I’m not sure, but I’m on a mission to find out whether those baobab trees that dot the safari site at the Animal Kingdom are homegrown (don’t they take centuries to grow that thick?), transplanted, or created out of concrete.

    My vote is the latter, but I haven’t got to the bottom of this mystery yet.

    And if I’m wrong about the termite mounds, someone, please help!

    Kent.

  22. Teresa on August 28th, 2009 7:29 pm

    I have been looking into this, and have seen the trees that you are talking about. I would like to inform you that the one in Orlando FL, has different carvings on it, so please do not take South Africa’s beautiful tree and try to say it is not ours.

    From a Proudly South African…………….

  23. Jeanne on December 8th, 2009 5:59 pm

    Teresa, please stop talking kak. If you live here then you should know that Baobabs don’t grow narrower towards the top like that!

    This tree has supposedly been spotted everywhere, including India! It’s a total hoax! It IS the Tree of Life at Disney World. I know because I went there. But if you still don’t believe me, here is the hoax slayer article: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/85-7.shtml

    Incidently, this Baobab is currently considered to be the largest Baobab in the world: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7810339

    From a Proud South African who CAN do research

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