With the supposedly temporary closure of Rafiki’s Planet Watch looming, the location of Wilderness Explorers badges will be changing at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
Rafiki’s Planet Watch’s last day of operation is scheduled for October 20th, with meet-and-greets having already ended in September. Starting Oct. 21, the Wilderness Explorer badges will now move to the Wildlife Express Train Station in Africa. Guests can earn badges in habitat, recycling, animal nutrition, veterinary medicine and conservation as they learn about animal care, habitats and conservation efforts.
Wilderness Explorer badge locations are typically available from 10:00 PM to 5:00 PM each day.
Although the closure of Rafiki’s Planet Watch was originally rumored to be permanent, Walt Disney World representatives said the closure will in fact be temporary, and the area and Wildlife Express Train will reopen in Spring 2019. This will allow time for an “extensive refurbishment”, where Disney is expected to rework the area’s offerings to appeal more to today’s guests. At least that’s what Disney is saying now…