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Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest sends you on a high-speed train adventure into the Himalayas for a face-to-muzzle encounter with the legendary Yeti!
Location:Animal Kingdom
Asia
Type of Attraction:Roller Coaster
Height Restrictions:44″ or taller
Typical Wait Time:30-90 minutes
Is It Scary?Very scary!

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Magical Moments
Hidden Mickeys & Other Secrets
Did You Know…?
Touring Tips
Photo Gallery

Your adventure begins with a trek through the village of Serka Zong, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Himalayan Escapes Tour Company, run by a pair of entrepreneurs named Norbu and Bob, have refurbished a steam train that used to bring harvested tea leaves down from the mountains. You’ll need to board this train for your journey to the base camp of Mount Everest. It promises to be a long journey, but fortunately (?) for you, you’ll be taking a shortcut that passes through the forbidden mountain. Unfortunately, this same forbidden mountain is rumored to be guarded by the Yeti, a fierce protector of the mountains, valleys and forests. He apparently doesn’t take to kindly to man’s encroachment in these areas…

Super high hills and backwards drops highlight this heart-stopping attraction, and the group of Imagineers that brought Expedition Everest to life promise that this will be an experience unlike any you’ve ever had!

Magical Moments

  • The queue area is one of the most elaborately detailed in all of Walt Disney World, (along with that of the nearby Kali River Rapids). You may be nervous with the anticipation of boarding your train to Everest, but try and take the time to enjoy the exotic artifacts and surroundings of the village of Serka Zong.
  • The highlight of your adventure is the encounter with the Yeti, one of the largest and most complex Audio-Animatronic figures ever built.
  • The biggest thrills in Expedition Everest come during the mountain chase sequence where you’re desperately trying to escape the Yeti. Not only do you race through hair pin turns at break neck speed, you’ll do so traveling backwards!
  • Portions of Expedition Everest add an extra touch of realism to the snowy, mountain top environment—a blast of frigid cold air! Mighty refreshing on a hot Florida day!
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Hidden Mickeys & Other Secrets

  • In the the museum building in the queue area, there is glass display table that contains numerous artifacts including patches from many of the previous Everest expeditions. Look on the left to find a Hidden Mickey.
  • Also in the museum building, look for the cabinet filled with stuffed Yeti dolls. About halfway up you’ll find a small yeti with tiny Mickey ears!
  • The museum is filled with Hidden Mickeys! Look for a painting of a woman—the background contains a Hidden Mickey concealed in the wood grain. Another picture shows a man cooking, the pots that surround him form yet another Hidden Mickey.
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Did You Know...?

  • Expedition Everest is the tallest of the Walt Disney World Resort mountains, beating out Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. If Expedition Everest were a real mountain, it would be the fourth highest point in Florida at 320 feet above sea level.
  • In 2005, Disney, Discovery Networks and Conservation International conducted real-life expeditions to China and Nepal to conduct research in remote areas of the Himalayas where the Yeti legend exists.
  • On February 15, 2006, Disney staged a spectacular stunt in the heart of New York City. Five acrobatic dancers and one of the world’s fastest rock climbers performed a series of cartwheels, flips and gravity-defying leaps in Times Square to promote the opening of Expedition Everest.
    The event, known as “Everest in the City”, featured a number of large billboards draped over sides of the buildings. The billboards depicted Everest with a train racing down the mountainside, with the Yeti looking on from another peak.
    The Yeti’s eyes on the billboard glowed red, and would actually flash when people sent the text message “4YETI” to a special Disney phone number from their cell phones.
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Touring Tips

  • Expedition Everest is one of the most thrilling and fastest attractions at Walt Disney World. While there aren’t any inversions, there are high speeds (both forwards and backwards) and plenty of dizzying turns—not to mention a fearsome encounter with the legendary Yeti (known to some as the Abominable Snowman)!
  • Expedition Everest is one of the most popular attractions in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and always draws large crowds. Your best bet is to use FastPass+ or head over first thing in the morning.
  • The richly detailed queue area, (half of which is climate controlled, brrr!), makes use of a mandir, (a Himalayan shrine to the yeti), and an elaborate museum to prepare guests for the adventure ahead. Note that the shorter FastPass line contains a similar (but abbreviated) storyline.
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Photo Gallery

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