As travel restrictions continue to be enforced across the world, travel to Africa remains a dream for the time being. However, several African tour operators and lodges have taken to sharing online safari experiences to keep the dream of Africa vacations alive.
See Ulusaba's new leopard cubs: Ulusaba Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sand in South Africa is offering a series of Instagram Live game drives.
Ulusaba's Rangers and Trackers are some of the very best in the world and they are taking viewers on live game drives in Africa. Whether it's the reserve's resident lion pride, an elephant calf and its family or the very first views of two new leopard cubs hidden in their den, the Instagram Live from Virgin Limited Edition offers a real-time authentic experience from one of South Africa's most renowned safari lodges.
When: Mondays at 3:30 p.m. British summer time (10:30 a.m. Eastern time in the U.S.).
Where: Instagram @VirginLimitedEdition.
Hashtag: #Travelfromhome #Sofasafari
The videos will be a first from Virgin Limited Edition that will showcase a series of live videos and inspirational ideas from across its properties.
For more information on Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, e-mail enquiries@virginlimitededition.com.
Virtual Game Drives at Shamwari Private Game Reserve: Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa has launched virtual game drives with its head ranger, Andrew Kearney, who shares his expertise on wildlife. While he is observing that elephants are pretty good at social distancing, he says lions are pretty useless at it, and the giraffe is fickle and is moving from group to group. Kearney is up early, driving and walking through the bush and sharing his findings on Shamwari's YouTube channel and social media pages -- #shamwari private game reserve -- for travelers around the world to watch, enjoy and share.
Samara takes the classroom to the wild: Samara Private Game Reserve, a family-friendly Big 5 reserve located in the Great Karoo in South Africa, has introduced a series of video bush (safari) lessons for children during the lockdown. The series Samara Bush Lessons takes the classroom outdoors to teach children fun facts about the wild.
Children can get involved in some of the sessions through short quizzes and by carrying out some of the activities at home. General manager Marnus Ochse and his team at Samara cover activities as varied as tracking animals in the wild, planting spekboom and setting up a fly camp. All sessions are loaded onto Samara's social media platforms, and they're free. Facebook : SamaraKaroo | Instagram: @samara_karoo | YouTube: Samara Karoo.
Spot the Big Five from your living room with AndBeyond: The experiential travel company and wildlife broadcasting experts WildEarth have come together to stream twice daily, personalized game drives that travelers can view from the comfort of their home.
With chances to spot the Big Five in real-time, viewers will be able to join up to two live safaris a day, each of which will last approximately three hours, and will be able to interact with their safari hosts, just as if they were actually on the game drive vehicle. These will be streamed from two South African game reserves, the AndBeyond Ngala Private Game Reserve and the Djuma Private Game Reserve. Authentic, educational and nonscripted, the game drives will be hosted by expert AndBeyond and WildEarth field guides.
The first 45 minutes of each afternoon drive will be dedicated to young wildlife fans, with inquisitive kids able to put their questions to the guides. Parents can sign up their children by selecting a date on wildearth.tv/kids. Children (or parents) can then email kidsquestions@wildearth.tv for age appropriate and personalized responses.
Go to www.andbeyond.com/bringing-africa-home/wildwatch-live/ to view the game drive viewing schedule or log on to www.andBeyond.com to connect to Wildwatch Live. The game drives will also be screened via andBeyond's FaceBook and YouTube channels. In addition to the broadcasts with WildEarth, AndBeyond will also be hosting Instagram Live sessions led by guides from andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, as well as andBeyond Kirkman's Kamp.
AndBeyond has also created several digital experiences as part of their "Bringing Africa Home" campaign from recipes to music, books and videos but also some fun and creative ways to entertain young minds while they are being home-schooled. Their African Wildchild sensory adventure can now be delivered straight to living rooms or kitchens, connecting children to nature and providing inspirational content in abundance.