Asian Highlands

Asian Highlands takes visitors on an immersive journey through Asia, from the grassland foothills of Northern India through the Himalayan Mountains and Tibetan plateau. Encountering replica ruins of Himalayan architecture, the visitor’s journey begins in an abandoned hillside settlement, home to red pandas before they move on to a gently ascending forest path. There they will glimpse the Asian plains, with white-naped cranes, Pere David’s deer, and Indian rhinos. As the ascent continues, visitors enter the forest realm of the sloth bear’s hillside habitat, as well as an 8,200 SF area for kids to explore with boulders to climb and logs to cross. Approaching the summit of the journey is the Amur tiger habitat, marked by an ancient stupa and waterfalls at the origin of a 440 foot long valley stream. A tiger demonstration zone allows 100 guests to sit comfortably in a mini-amphitheater setting to see animal enrichment demonstrations. At the highest point is the snow leopard exhibit, where rocky cliffs simulate the rugged mountainous habitats of Central Asia. The 18,000 SF takin and goral alpine exhibit, with over 40 feet of elevation change, creates realistic and dynamic environment for these animals that love to jump, climb and traverse near-vertical cliff faces.

Themed after a Mount Everest basecamp in Nepal, the “yeti” basecamp serves as the primary guest services hub. Although themed as a series of ruins, the camp includes modern amenities including food, beverage, and retail options tailored to the Asian Highlands theme. Here guests can rest and recharge before completing the trek back through the foothills down to the grassland plains with additional, expansive views along the way.

Photos courtesy of Sahar Coston-Hardy.