Explorers Caving Activity Badge
Explorers Caving Activity Badge
If you’re excited by underground adventures, curious about how caves are formed, or ready to take on the challenge of exploring the depths, then the Explorers Caving badge is for you!
Complete your Caving badge:
Take part in at least one caving trip as part of completing this badge.
Make sure your trip is supervised by an an appropriately qualified person.
Complete 3 Activities. You Could:
- Discover - Find out how caves are formed.
This might be a cave system local to you or a famous cave system. Understand and explain how it was formed. - Experience - Take part in a caving trip.
It’s important to make sure you do it safely, with a properly led group and relevant qualifications or safety permits in place. - Mobilise - Find out about our responsibilities when caving.
This might include cave conservation, safety systems or access rights to caves. Promote why responsible caving is important within your group or further afield. - Solve - Learn how to set up a prussik line for vertical caving and have a go at using it.
It’s a good idea to have someone experienced and qualified check it’s right. This could be in a tree at your HQ so everyone could have a try. - Create - Create a model cave system showing the reasons that the system formed.
It could be based on a cave system that you have visited. Think about the techniques you would need to use to explore your model cave system.
- Discover - Find out how caves are formed.
Tips
Do you want to find out more about speleology (the study of Caves) and geology? This badge is a great opportunity to explore something that excites you!
You could look at animal life in caves and how it differs from species found above ground as part of this activity and link it to another activity badge at the same time.
To get the badge, you can either try some of our example activities, or come up with your own with support from a Scouts volunteer or trusted adult. The activities should be challenging for you and take a reasonable amount of time.
Offer flexibility and encourage Explorers to tailor their badge to their interests and skill set.
Everyone has different skills and experiences, so try to consider their starting point when choosing what they will achieve.
As a rough guide, an Activity Badge should be achievable within 3 weeks of activities.- When taking part in adventurous activities, remember to let someone know:
- Where you’re going.
- Who you’re with.
- What time you plan to be finished.
- A plan for communicating your progress.
- Ask for help if you're visiting new places or trying new activities.
- Make sure you have an appropriately qualified person with you while taking part in caving activities. You can find general activity advice about Caving and more information about Caving and The Scout activity permits on our guidance pages.
- Complete your own risk assessment based on your plans and ask an adult volunteer to check it for you.
- Make sure you know what kit you need, that it is in good condition, and you know how to use it effectively.
- Do make sure that any external provider you use, do follows The Scouts' requirements by checking the Externally Led Activity guidance.
- When taking part in adventurous activities, remember to let someone know:
- All activities for this badge must be safely managed and locally approved.
- Volunteers must make sure they have completed a thorough risk assessment and taken appropriate steps to reduce risks.
- Support Explorers to review and understand the Externally Led Activity guidance, that external providers can follow The Scouts requirements.
- Use the safety checklist to help plan and risk assess the activity.
Badges will be available to purchase from Scout Store later in September, please check back for updates.
June 2026.
Requirements can be adapted to suit each young persons abilities. See our guidance on flexibility.