The tourism industry in South Africa came to an abrupt halt when COVID-19 began to spread into Africa. As the Governments around the continent acted quickly to protect its citizens and tourists alike, tourism was the first to feel the effects of nationwide lockdowns.
While we have closed up for the lockdown period (although we are still accepting bookings for after the lockdown) we want our guests to know that right now, there are other places to go on a “safari”.
If you are cooped up at home, going crazy while dreaming of exploring nature, and you are already spending a lot of your time online, did you know that you can enjoy a free safari online?
Various Parks across South Africa, as well as other Parks on the continent, have for a number of years had web cams set up in some of the best wildlife spotting areas. And with the closing of the Parks, there are also a few places where guides are filming daily game drives, making the whole safari experience a virtual trip.
One of the best channels at the moment is WildEarth. With more than 202 000 subscribers, this channel is not only a great way to see what is happening in the Park during lockdown, but it is also quite educational.
Each day, safari vehicles head out twice a day. Once in the morning, from about 5:30 CAT and then again from 15:30 CAT. The drives last about 3 and a half hours and not only do you spot whatever the guides do, but throughout the drive, the guides answer questions from the live chat and educate the audience.
The field guides chat with the audience as though they are actually in the vehicle with them, and like any real game drive, they talk about everything from wildlife, to interesting plants, the weather and pretty much anything their viewers touch on.
And if the only way guests can experience the Kruger at this moment is via the web, then so be it. True wildlife lovers and those who have had to put their safari on hold can now enjoy a game drive along with around 8000 others every day, when they do a quick YouTube search.
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