Live Virtual Wildlife Safari In South Africa.
29th December 2022- New Experience Number 36.
On a chilly and dark December afternoon in Yorkshire, the only wild animals I would usually expect to see were the ones over indulging in some festive tipples at Christmas parties. Maybe a fox too. I often spot them when I’m out running.
From the cosy comfort of home, I got amazingly close to some more exotic wild animals when I went on a virtual wildlife safari in South Africa.
Understandably, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures of the tour, so I’ve included a couple of photos I’ve previously taken.
Virtual Visit
I found the virtual wildlife safari experience through airbnb, who have an amazing catalogue of online experiences from around the world! I can highly recommend having a look!
Having been on my first ever visit to Africa just a few months earlier, I had definitely got a yearning to explore more of the incredible continent. Whilst an actual visit needs a bit more planning, I booked onto the virtual trip in no time at all.
Booking was really easy. Once I’d paid, I received an email with the link to the event the following week.
The Big Five
When you think African Safari, you might associate it with The Big Five. It’s considered to be the ultimate list of quintessential African wild animals; buffalo; elephants; leopards; lions and rhino.
Sadly, the term ‘Big Five’ stems from hunters in the 1800s, who listed these particular wild animals as being notoriously dangerous and difficult to hunt. These were the ultimate trophy. A heartless kill of one of these five apparently indicated extreme bravery and accomplishment from the hunter. I can think of many other things to call them, and brave isn’t one of them.
The Ugly Five
We wouldn’t see any of The Big Five on this tour, but we might be lucky in seeing some of the lesser known Ugly Five.
I love an underdog, so this was right up my street! The Ugly Five are hyena, vulture, warthog, wildebeest, and the marabou stork. I was going to keep my eyes peeled!
Regardless of any lists, I knew we would be in for a treat. We’d see spectacular scenery and hopefully spot some animals in their natural habitat on our virtual wildlife safari!
Safari So Good
I logged on to the zoom call to be welcomed by our very friendly tour guide, Deirdre. She was sitting in what looked like a golf buggy as seven other people joined the call from all around the world.
Deirdre, had been taking people on in-person tours of the wildlife sanctuary for many years. When the pandemic turned everything upside down in 2020, she decided to adapt and created this virtual experience.
Virtual Wildlife Safari - Going Live
Deirdre gave us an overview of the park. It was 240 hectares in Stellenbosch, just 50km inland from Cape Town in South Africa. She showed us a map of the sanctuary, and then we were off.
Driving the buggy through the incredible setting of the park, the sun was shining, there were mountains in the distance, and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.
Relaying folklore tales, facts, and stories about the creatures in the park, Deirdre stopped driving whenever there was something to see. She tried to get the best camera angles for us, and answer any questions anyone had.
Virtual Wildlife Safari - Going Wild
There were lots of guinea fowl running around as we set off. They scurried away from the buggy as Deirdre drove along the track.
We got really close to the giraffe who were merrily munching on some acacia trees.
We stopped to watch them for a while and learn about the relocation work happening at the sanctuary. Until one of the males decided to take a rather keen interest in the golf cart and Deirdre made a swift get away.
Apparently ‘Mick Swagger’, as he had been affectionately named, liked to exert his authority. It’s understandable, we were on his home turf after all.
We saw some waterbucks, and white tailed gnu. We heard about the bontebok and how they were thought to be extinct until they found a farmer who had a small herd and were then able to help him to keep them.
Pulling over, Deirdre stopped to show us the amazing nests of the weaver birds, talked about snakes, and pointed out some spur-winged-geese.
A Dazzling Sight
We drove to a big group of zebra, which I learnt have the brilliant collective name of a Dazzle.
Their stripes not only provide camouflage, but also work as a cooling system. Hiding amongst the stripes were some young zebra who were tucked in behind the adults.
They were fairly hard to spot because baby zebra have legs which are almost the same size as the legs of their mum! This is brilliant as it makes it harder for predators to spot the young when they are in a group.
The hairy, stocky, tusked bush pigs were usually extremely shy, but we were very lucky to see two gorgeous little baby ones run across the road as we neared the end of the tour.
A Tour De Force!
It was a brilliant tour that was over too quickly. As well as seeing animals in their natural habitat, we heard stories about how the animals apparently got their names, their shapes and their colours.
Deirdre was a fantastic tour guide with a clear love of animals. She was an expert in her field, enthusiastically sharing her knowledge, taking us to parts of the park we would most likely see animals, and answering questions.
Definitely A LIVE Virtual Wildlife Safari
It was definitely live and not pre-recorded. Deirdre welcomed us all in by name, and answered questions throughout. It did also mean there’s no guarantee of what we would see.
However, Deirdre knew where to go in the park to give us the best opportunity of catching a glimpse of wildlife, and she relayed so much fascinating information about the animals that we didn’t see too.
Would I Go On A Live Virtual Wildlife Safari Again?
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from a virtual safari, and I was really impressed by this. I think I would always prefer to try and see wildlife in person, but if I don’t have any trips planned in the darker winter months, or I want to learn from an expert in extreme places, I definitely won’t hesitate to book onto other virtual wildlife experiences.
Want To Try It Yourself?
I booked this one hour live virtual wildlife safari in South Africa through airbnb.
Take a look on line and you’re sure to find other experiences.
You can find lots of virtual tours on YouTube. Although they won’t be live, they are likely to have been edited to show you more of the animals.
There are lots of live webcams you can take a look at any time of day or night. It’s unlikely they will have any commentary but you will see the animals uncensored going about their daily lives in the wild.
Cost Of Experience
In December 2022 I paid £18 to join the individual tour which was running regularly throughout the week.
If there are several of you, there were also private group tours available from £169.
Looking at the reviews, it looks like the group tour has often been booked as a corporate experience. So if you’re looking for something different for an ‘away day’ activity, maybe this could be an option?
Prices will vary depending on the provider of the event, and the price I paid may change over time.
Recommendations
- If you love animals, you’ll enjoy an informative and up close experience like this one.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions if it’s a live experience.
If you join a live call like the one I did, you may want to join the zoom call a few minutes early to check your connection. Deirdre admitted us into the call when it was time to start, but you can already log on and be ready before then.
This could be a great gift idea for anyone who loves wildlife or is perhaps not able to travel.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy a fantastic experience of travelling without moving.