Wilderness Explorers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Wilderness Explorer is an interactive program at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This self-paced attraction allows children to collect badges (stickers) in a Wilderness Explorer Handbook.
Throughout your day at Animal Kingdom, you’ll run into various checkpoints where you can stop to complete an activity. Collect as many badges as possible to earn the title of Wilderness Explorer.
You’ll want to pick up a handbook to participate in the Wilderness Explorer program. After you walk through the Oasis Exhibits, there’s a kiosk for the program on the right when the Tree of Life first comes into view.
You can pick up a handbook whether you plan to complete it or not. From my experience, it is difficult to collect every badge over the course of an entire day.
But since it’s self-paced, you can use it where you see fit.
Below are the quick reference details for the Wilderness Explorers program.
| Wilderness Explorers | Animal Kingdom |
Location: | Multiple Locations |
Height Requirement: | None |
Genie+ | N/A |
Ride Type: | Self-Paced Throughout Park |
Seats Per Vehicle: | N/A |
Rider Switch: | None |
Good For: | Children |
Scary Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | Low Priority |
Perfect For: | All Ages |
Special Mention: | This is a wonderful educational activity for children. |
Wilderness Explorer Program
Once you collect your Wilderness Explorer handbook, you can begin searching for special missions in whatever area of the park you are touring. You’ll find activities scattered all over the Animal Kingdom.
Some of the locations for these activities include:
- Pandora, World of Avatar
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
All in all, there are over 25 Wilderness Explorer activities to complete in the park. Each activity offers an opportunity to learn about various animals in the wild to essential skills for taking on the wilderness.
Here is a look at one of the stations located in the Asia area of the park. Notice there are badges (stickers) for the children to add to their books after the learning session.
As far as my take on the Wilderness Explorers program, I have a niece who loves animals and science. She is a collector of rocks and random wild pets from time to time. We have worked on the Wilderness Explorer Handbook on several occasions.
Unfortunately, we haven’t had the opportunity to complete all of the badges yet. But I often slide her handbook into my backpack when we’re touring the parks together.
From my experience, if we try to do too many, it becomes a little bit much, and she loses interest. And that’s okay. We can always work on it some other time if she wants.
Most of our favorite times at the Animal Kingdom together have been the days when we didn’t really ride anything and just hung out with the animals. Those days are pretty memorable.
So pick up a Wilderness Explorer handbook for your child when you enter the park, and let them collect a few stickers. If it gets to be too much, store it away for your next visit.
For similar attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you might enjoy these articles:
- Affection Section
- The Animation Experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Wildlife Express Train
- List of Animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Additionally, you might enjoy browsing our list of Disney World Hotel Reviews. If you are trying to decide where to stay on your next vacation, we have a few favorites:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Review
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Review
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort Review
- Disney’s Riviera Resort Review
Some of our most popular planning articles include our guide to character dining at Walt Disney World. And don’t miss our list of Disney Backpacks by Loungefly.
In the Comments
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve had the opportunity to participate in the Wilderness Explorers program!
