Disney World Wilderness Explorers: Adventure is Out There!
Good afternoon! I’m the MouseEarsTV Creative Editor, and I am a wilderness explorer from tribe 54, sweat lodge 12. Do you need some assistance in planning your perfect Disney vacation today?
(Please say yes – I need to earn my “Helping the Readers” badge!)
Okay, you might be wondering what’s Up with my intro and why I sound so much like Russell, our favorite Disney-Pixar adventurer. It’s because today we’re embarking on the Wilderness Explorers scavenger hunt at Walt Disney World! Earning badges across Animal Kingdom is great fun for the kiddos, but honestly, it’s also an awesome way for adults to enjoy the park, too!
So, grab your Adventure Book and keep your eyes peeled – excitement is around every corner!
Get Your Guidebook
The best wilderness explorers know it’s important to be prepared!
But one thing you don’t need to prepare to do is pay Up – this splendid nature-centric experience is entirely FREE! All you need to join in is a sense of adventure and a desire for fun.
To get ready for the journey itself, you’ll start by locating a Wilderness Explorer Outpost. WE headquarters are located near the bridge from Oasis to Discovery Island, but you can also meet with Troop Leaders at outposts in Africa, Asia, or Dinoland U.S.A.
Your Troop Leader will provide you with everything you need – and need to know – to start your quest. The key item you’ll receive here is your Wilderness Explorers handbook. It not only contains a special map of the park, but it’s also where you’ll stash your badges! (No ironing or sewing required with these patches – they’re good, old-fashioned stickers!)
With 580 acres of Animal Kingdom to explore, a scavenger hunt might seem a bit daunting. But fear not – the trail has already been blazed! The map of the park within your guidebook marks each badge station so that you won’t miss a single one. There are over 25 badges to collect, and we know you’ll want to get ’em all!
But don’t think badge collecting is going to be easy – a true Wilderness Explorer has to be ready for an Uphill climb!
Earn Your Badges
Forget the stress of finding and trading Disney pins – badge collecting is where it’s really at!
The badge hunt starts off strong as you actually earn your first badge right at the Wilderness Explorers Outpost!
That’s because there’s one more crucial step that takes place here: your initiation into the elite tribe of Wilderness Explorers. Learn the special ‘W’ hand sign and make the signature call – CAW! CAW! ROAR! – and you’ll be the proud owner of a shiny, new Call Badge.
From there, it’s time to test your map-reading and observation skills as you hunt for badges across Animal Kingdom. True to the Wilderness Explorer spirit, each badge station has a theme reflective of nature, particular animals, or conservation. Each one will test you in a different way, from requiring great physical prowess (posing like a flamingo) to extensive wildlife knowledge (what does a Venus flytrap need to survive?).
Each one of the stations offers a completely unique – and really fun – activity! Some are interactive with Troop Leaders, while others are more hands-off, like those asking you to check off as many animals as you can find in a certain area. Others are even home to special critters, like the Insect Badge station, which has been known to show off a whip scorpion! You might recognize the creepy-crawly arachnid from a non-Disney movie: it’s the same kind Professor Moody had in his classroom in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!
As you earn badges, there are so many cool animal facts to discover – even participating adults may be surprised at how much they’re learning! Many stations also tie together nature with Disney and Disney-Pixar endeavors like Finding Nemo and The Lion King, so you can further connect with your favorite characters!
As you earn badges, you’ll also rise through the ranks of Wilderness Explorers!
- 5+ Badges – Tadpole
- 10+ Badges – Minnow
- 20+ Badges – Fish
- ALL Badges – Senior Wilderness Explorer
And let’s face it. . .who doesn’t want to rise Up to the top rank? Better get collecting!
Explore the Wild
The wilderness must be explored – and sometimes that means veering off of the beaten path.
Collecting your badges is a go-at-your-own-pace type of activity and can easily fill Up the entire day, especially if you are doing it with the kiddos! For those with season passes, or at least several days planned for Animal Kingdom, it’s probably a good idea to knock out your collection over the course of a few visits.
Although getting badges is a great way to observe parts of the Animal Kingdom you probably wouldn’t notice otherwise (including Pandora), you should still feel free to detour from badge finding to enjoy those touristy, heart-pounding coasters and stop for a tasty, sweet Dole Whip! It might not get you a badge, but Wilderness Explorers know it’s not always about rank and patches – making amazing memories will always beat out that Ecology Badge. . .
Right?
Well, maybe it’s a close call.
Even if you haven’t found every badge by the end of your trip, you can keep your Wilderness Explorers Guidebook for next time. (It makes an awesome souvenir!) When you leave Animal Kingdom, just remember to live by your new Wilderness Explorer motto:
A Wilderness Explorer is Friend to All, be it Plants or Fish or Tiny Mole.
Have you participated in the Wilderness Explorers scavenger hunt? Did you find all of the badges? Let us know in the comments below!
Want to be part of a scavenger hunt right now?! Your task is to find each reference of the movie Up! in this article! (Hint: there’s 5!)
Happy hunting, and we’ll see you on the next adventure!
Cover Image
Photo: Javier Loren via Flickr
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