The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life, a sculpted 14-story (145-foot tall), 50-foot wide tree, is the centerpiece and icon in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

Paths known as Discovery Island Trails weave around and through this homage to nature. Stroll the trails to see a swirling tapestry of 325 animals carved into the bark of this massive attraction. Look for creatures like Galapagos tortoises, lemurs and cotton-top tarmarins.

A theater is housed in the Tree of Life root system where the It’s Tough to be a Bug! show is performed. This 8-minute, 3D movie and multimedia show features Flik, everybody’s favorite ant, and his grasshopper friend, Hopper, from the Disney·Pixar film A Bug’s Life-along with a supporting cast of insects and arachnids who provide a suprising look into the animal kingdom.

Don’t miss the Tree of Life, and be sure to inspect its carvings carefully. There may even be a famous mouse hiding among its branches!

The Tree of Life is a massive fourteen story tall artificial tree that has been the icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom since it opened on April 22, 1998. Engineered from a refitted Oil platform, it is located in the center of the park. Its leaves are made out of Kynar. On the exterior of it are carved images of 325 animals. Inside the Tree of Life is It’s Tough to be a Bug!, a 3-D film hosted by Flick, from A Bug’s Life. It is similar to the tree of Rafiki from The Lion King, though on a much larger scale. There is a hidden Mickey on this tree.

Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest in the Asia area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is a high-altitude, high-speed, roller coaster train ride for big kids, teens and adults to the “Roof of the World,” home of the inhospitable snarling beast, the Yeti, at the mountain’s peak.

Climb aboard a railway car for a full-steam-ahead adventure bound for Mount Everest. Your trek across the treacherous terrain of the towering Forbidden Mountain begins with a few scenic twists and turns, then sets out on an ascent towards the summit.

From this panoramic point with amazing views across Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, you plunge into darkness. Returning to the light, you see that the tracks have been twisted into a dead end. As the wind howls, you realize there’s no place to go on this expedition-or is there?

Careening into the darkness, you might get a glimpse of the denizen of this icy domain. Nail-biting hairpin turns hurl you forward and down sudden drops on the mountain slopes in a race to escape.

But beware. There, up ahead… waiting for you… lurks the Yeti.