Landscape Architects Create Authentic Scenery to Heighten Storyline at Expedition Everest At Walt Disney World Resort – From tropical jungles and verdant forests to barren rock and frozen tundra, the mighty Himalayas reveal dramatic variations in climate and landscape. Disney Imagineers were challenged to re-create such a scene when designing Expedition Everest, the mountain attraction with coaster-like thrills opening in April at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort.

Himalayan Village an Architectural Wonder That Welcomes Expedition Everest Adventurers – Like mountain homes of the Himalayas, the rustic rammed-earth and stacked-stone buildings of mythical Serka Zong sag and buckle under the weight of time. But time cannot erase the beauty of the structures' intricately carved window frames nor the significance of the symbolic earth-based colors layered upon walls to protect against perceived dark forces.

Though situated on the Florida flatlands at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the mountain village anchoring the Expedition Everest attraction welcomes Walt Disney World guests with such architectural authenticity that those who've been to Nepal or Tibet can only nod in wonder.

Expedition Everest Fast Facts –

A perilous journey aboard a runaway train through the Himalayan mountains. Adventurous riders push deep into the lair of the feared yeti, guardian of the forbidden mountain. En route, they encounter torn tracks, spiral backwards through the fog into an ice cavern and dart into and out of the mountain in a high-speed adventure.