Did you know that all of the Disney World parks provide learning experiences for children? One of the best ones is at Animal Kingdom. As soon as you get into the park, make sure that you check out the Animal Kingdom Wilderness Explorers program. This fun activity teaches kids about animals and their habitats as they make their way through the park.
You will find the Wilderness Explorer headquarters located on the bridge between the Oasis and Discovery Island. There you can pick up a field guide to get started.
What you need to know about Wilderness Explorer Program
While going through Animal Kingdom Park, you will find various Wilderness Explorer stops.
Here, Cast Members will teach kids facts about animals and their habitats.
Explorers must prove their knowledge by filling out the information in their field journals.
Once they have the required information written in their field journal, the cast member will give them a sticker badge (similar to those worn by Russell from the Pixar animated movie, UP) signifying that they have mastered learning about the animal.
When you sign up for the Wilderness Explorers Program, you will be given a map with all of the locations of the Wilderness Explorer Stops.
The Wilderness Explorer Troop Leader locations are in Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, Dinoland U.S.A. and Pandora – The World of Avatar.
These stops also will have clear markings (Wilderness Explorer mark & picture of the same badge) to tell you if you are in the right space.
Wilderness Explorer Badges
There are over 30 badges, so you might want to plan how to collect them all so you aren’t running back & forth all over the park in search of them.
We found that it was hard to get all the badges in just one visit, so don’t worry if you can’t get them all in one day.
It will give you an excellent excuse to come back to Animal Kingdom again.
Have you had a chance to try out Animal Kingdom Wilderness Explorers Program? What badges have you earned?