Unearthing Banandium Gems in Donkey Kong Bananza's Landfill Layer

In the vast world of Donkey Kong Bananza, the Landfill Layer stands as a unique challenge, a veritable treasure trove for those brave enough to sift through its refuse. This comprehensive guide details the precise locations of all 26 Banandium Gems, offering adventurers a clear path to complete their collection within this debris-laden domain. While many gems are intricately hidden, requiring keen observation and strategic use of Donkey Kong's abilities, each discovery contributes to the grand quest.

Detailed Exploration of Banandium Gem Locations within the Landfill Layer

Embark on an exciting journey through the Landfill Layer, a fascinating segment of the Donkey Kong Bananza universe, where hidden Banandium Gems await discovery. This guide illuminates the path to each of the 26 precious collectibles, transforming what appears to be a mere junkyard into an exhilarating playground of exploration.

As of July 23, 2025, intrepid explorers Julia Lee and Johnny Yu have meticulously documented these locations:

• Top of the Heap (#1): Upon entering the Landfill Layer, ascend the towering metal structures. A single Banandium Gem rests atop a protruding metal banana, requiring precise climbing and observation to secure.
• Freed the Blusterwing! (#2): Following a victorious encounter with the Blusterwing in the treacherous Tempest Layer, descend into the newly formed chasm. A cluster of Banandium Gems will be clearly visible, a reward for your triumph.
• Mysterious Gem (#3): This particular Banandium Gem remains elusive during initial visits. It is believed to become accessible only after significant progression in the main storyline or after the ultimate completion of Donkey Kong Bananza's narrative.
• Mazy-Cave Balloons (#4): To access this challenge, return to the Upper Pit tuning fork. Replicate your story-mode descent, passing through crystal and gold until you reach a confined chamber. Locate a subtle marking above, indicating a hidden passage to the 'Mazy Cave: Pop Party Challenge Course'. Utilize Kong or Elephant Bananza to efficiently clear terrain, revealing five hidden banana balloons within the maze.
• Mazy-Cave Hidden Room (#5): Within the same perplexing maze, seek out a concrete barrier on the wall opposite your starting point. Employ Kong Bananza to shatter the wall, unveiling a secluded golden banana beyond.
• Mazy-Cave Buried Banana (#6): After entering the maze and observing the second balloon behind a barrier, pivot right and proceed directly until a metal wall impedes your progress. Scale this barrier and drop down to claim the concealed banana.
• Buried in Rubble (#7): From the Middle Pit tuning fork, follow the standard descent path. Halt your digging as volatile bombs become visible in the distance. Carefully approach to trigger one, initiating a chain reaction that clears the area and exposes your Banandium Gem within the resulting crater.
• Up and Down, Underground (#8): From the Middle Pit tuning fork, continue your quest-driven descent. A Banandium Gem will be observed oscillating within a separate subterranean passage. Maneuver to intersect its path and collect it.
• Shift Smash: Dig Deep (#9): Adjacent to Banandium Gem #8, a corridor awaits, featuring a fossil embedded in its wall and a challenge course. Due to the camera's unique underground perspective in Donkey Kong Bananza, a shimmering triangular anomaly can be spotted behind the fossil. Shatter the wall and activate it to commence the challenge. This trial demands a rapid descent through a hazardous environment, avoiding lava and smashing a shifting block at the bottom to earn your reward.
• Sniffing out a Secret (#10): The entrance to the 'Elephant Bananza: City Smash' challenge course is found within the same tunnel as Banandium Gems #8 and #9. Successfully completing this challenge ensures you possess a stored boom rock chunk. Utilize this chunk to execute a powerful jump above the challenge entrance, clearing a concrete barrier on the subsequent platform and revealing a hidden banana.
• Wrecked by Elephant Bananza & Quickly with Elephant Bananza (#11-12): Conquer the challenge course to receive one Banandium Gem. An additional gem is awarded if the challenge is completed with 20 seconds or more remaining.
• Battle: Search and Destroy (#13): From the Lower Pit tuning fork, ascend the wall and dig upwards into a circular chamber. Manipulate the camera to pinpoint a room containing a fossil, then dig towards it to initiate a combat challenge against three distinct crockoids. Employ Elephant Bananza against lava crockoids, Kong Bananza for concrete variants, and any form (or standard DK) for the final adversary. Remember that Bananza forms can be freely interchanged during activation.
• Caged by a Hungry Guard (#14): From the Lower Pit tuning fork, located to the right of the dormant fish, find a sign adorned with a banana. Proceed behind the sign and tunnel towards the large metal pipes. A caged banana awaits within this metal structure. Circumnavigate the structure and eliminate the serpent-like foe by absorbing its molten body with Elephant Bananza, thereby securing your prize.
• Landfill Fragmentone Recovery (#15): Near the Lower Pit tuning fork, behind the sign by the sleeping fish, dig past the fossil to uncover a Fragmentone and its scattered fragments. Dig directly through the singular fragment towards the Fragmentone to claim the first of these Banandium Gems.
• Landfill Fragmentone Restoration (#16): The remaining two fragments are encased by lava. Construct a path upwards, level with the lava, and use Elephant Bananza to dissipate the molten rock, allowing the fragments to safely descend to their parent Fragmentone. Reassembling these fragments yields another Banandium Gem.
• Nestled within the Debris (#17): This Banandium Gem is naturally acquired as you progress through the narrative of the game.
• Cranky’s Landfill Rant (#18): Upon reaching Trashtopia, locate the barrel launch pad. Behind it, golden sparks emanating from the ground indicate a hidden cavern above. Ascend the wall and enter to find Cranky Kong, whose customary rant will conclude with the acquisition of a Banandium Gem.
• Landfill Smashin’ Stats (#19): Engage with the beloved character Smashintone, positioned above the shops, after successfully excavating 70,000 cubic meters of terrain within the Landfill Layer. Your diligence will be rewarded with a Banandium Gem.
• A Rare Treasure (#20): Adjacent to the Warp Gong, a subtle fissure in the wall reveals a Fractone. Follow this Fractone through the earthen barriers until you arrive at a treasure chamber. Demolish the wall supporting the fossil to uncover a hidden Banandium Gem.
• Battle: Hundred-Harasser Horde (#21): An arrow-shaped Fractone in the town directs you to this combat challenge. Eliminate 100 'peekaboopoids' to claim your Banandium Gem. Elephant Bananza is highly effective for rapidly dispatching these foes.
• Delivery Complete and Speedy Delivery (#22-23): This Ancient Ruins challenge is conveniently located near the Landfill Layer's central town. Pay the Constructone 1,000 gold to unlock it. The objective is to clear terrain, allowing ice cubes to descend. Successfully completing this within the time limit yields one Banandium Gem. An additional gem is awarded for finishing with 30 seconds or more remaining.
• Beneath the Bowl (#24): After filling the bowl with shaved ice, resist the urge to immediately enter the barrel. Instead, face the wall opposite the barrel and continuously punch forward until a patch of snow is revealed on the ground. Dig downwards until you reach the metal floor, then turn and dig straight ahead to find the hidden Banandium Gem. If you become disoriented, rotating the camera may help you locate it.
• Battle: Explosive Excavation (#25): Behind the stake, on the wall, lies a patch of debris concealing a Constructone. Break through the debris and pay the Constructone 600 gold to initiate this battle challenge. Within, utilize boom rocks to eliminate three crockoids and secure your Banandium Gem. Kong Bananza can expedite this process by smashing through concrete and enemies.
• Follow the Crystal Vein (#26): This Banandium Gem is discernible beneath the clothing shop using DK’s Hand Slap sonar. Tunnel directly beneath the Style Shop to retrieve it.
• Landfill Chip Exchange (#27): Trade Banandium Chips and gold for a Banandium Gem. The cost of this gem escalates with each previous trade on different layers. While multiple trades are possible, only one gem is required to complete this layer.

The quest for Banandium Gems in Donkey Kong Bananza's Landfill Layer offers more than just collectibles; it provides a profound lesson in environmental awareness, subtly intertwining the joy of gaming with a significant message about waste and resourcefulness. It encourages players to view discarded items not as mere trash, but as potential sources of value, urging a shift in perspective that extends beyond the game world into real-life applications. This unique approach transforms the treasure hunt into a reflection on sustainable practices and the potential for rehabilitation in even the most neglected spaces, proving that even in a digital landfill, there's always something precious to be found and learned.