A sighting of lions on a safari with South African tour operator andbeyond
If an African safari to see the “big five” was part of your travel plans this year, it is frustrating that it’s not advisable to travel outside of our own countries for the foreseeable future. South Africa for instance, as of 1 May 2020 was still in Risk Level 4 with the South Africa Tourist office stating “all domestic and international travel remains prohibited and all hotels and establishments must remain closed.” While a physical visit to Africa isn’t possible, the chance of seeing rhinoceros, elephants and lions in the wild is, thanks to some game reserves and organisations offering virtual game drives. Virtual safaris are being live streamed allowing you to virtually “drive” with expert guides who offer commentary and a chance to ask questions along the way.
One of andBeyond's expert guides with his cameraman
South African travel company andBeyond has joined forces with wildlife broadcasting experts WildEarth to stream personalised game drives, twice daily, that travellers can view from their living rooms. Viewers are able to join two live safaris a day, one in the early morning and one in the afternoon, each of which lasts approximately three hours. The first hour of the afternoon safaris is aimed at children with special commentary and a chance to ask questions in a live chat section on the side of the screen. These safaris are hosted by expert field guides from andBeyond and streamed in real-time from two renowned South African game reserves in Kruger National Park, Ngala Private Game Reserve and Djuma Private Game Reserve.
Rhinos are a common sight on a safari with andBeyond, South Africa
Because the drives are non-scripted and can change enroute, depending on where animals are sighted, they do feel very authentic and give the viewer the opportunity to follow the sights and sounds of the African wilderness as they unfold. On one recent safari, viewers spent some quality time with a pride of lions, got super close to a herd of elephants and saw a giraffe nibbling leaves on a tree. Working via a director in a control room, the camera moves between three or four live feeds to bring viewers the best wildlife action as it happens, creating a seamless multi-feed virtual game drive. Viewers are able to interact with their safari hosts and have their questions answered in real-time, just as if they were actually in the game drive vehicle.
An elephant takes a drink on a safari with South African tour operator andBeyond
andBeyond’s daily game drives are between 06:30am – 09:30am CAT (sunrise dependent) and 15:00pm – 18:00pm CAT (sunset dependent). The game drives are also screened via andBeyond’s FaceBook and YouTube channels. In addition to the broadcasts with WildEarth, andBeyond is hosting Instagram Live sessions led by their guides.
Giraffes in Kruger National Park
Since 1991 travel company andBeyond has offered travellers customised experiences in Africa, Asia and South America where they have twenty nine lodges and camps. Building on their well established reputation for offering memorable travel experiences, a logical step during the current coronavirus epidemic was to create a live streamed safari programme. Admired live wildlife broadcaster WildEarth was the ideal partner for this initiative. Founded in 2006 by Emily and Graham Wallington, WildEarth’s vision was to create live wildlife content that allows people to interact in real time and as a result gives a sense of actually being transported to that place.
Closeup of two elephants drinking at a waterhole in Tembe Elephant Park, located at the reserve ... [+]
There are other African tour operators who offer virtual safaris via their websites and social media. Unlike andBeyond, they aren’t streamed in real time but they’re still quite engaging. Guides from Tintswalo Safari Lodge, also in Kruger National Park, film their daily drives in the Manyeleti Reserve in Mpumalanga and then posts daily short videos on their social media channels. Asilia Africa has camps and lodges across Kenya and Tanzania and offers 360 degree videos that can also be watched using a VR headset. Another virtual safari option is via Explore.org which describes itself as “the world’s largest live nature cam.” Explore has a multitude of live streams of African wildlife throughout the continent. Check out Tembe Elephant Park, in Northern Tongaland, renowned for having the largest elephants in Africa – and the planet.
