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The worldwide lockdown may have reduced the capacity for people to travel to distant places but the one thing it cannot squelch is their appetite for new and exotic experiences. In a quest to relieve the tedium of isolation and bring the beauty of the natural world right to their guests, luxury travel company andBeyond and wildlife broadcasting experts WildEarth have come together to stream twice daily, personalized game drives that erstwhile travelers can view from the comfort of their home.

Viewers will be able to join up to two live safaris a day, each of which will last approximately three hours. These will be streamed in real-time from two renowned South African game reserves, andBeyond Ngala Private Game Reserve (which shares unfenced borders with the famed Kruger National Park) and Djuma Private Game Reserve (part of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve). Authentic and non-scripted, the game drives will follow the sights and sounds of the African wilderness as they unfold. Hosted by expert andBeyond and WildEarth field guides, the drives will be streamed over a variety of social media platforms each day during the month of April.

Working via a director in a control room, the camera will move between three or four live feeds to bring viewers the best wildlife action as it unfolds, creating a seamless multi-feed virtual game drive. Viewers will be able to interact with their safari hosts and have their questions answered in real-time, just as if they were actually on the game drive vehicle. The first 45 minutes of each afternoon drive will be dedicated to young wildlife fans and the guides will only answer questions asked by children during this time. 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.

A gift to legions of safari fans while they are not able to travel, the drives will allow wildlife enthusiasts to track the lives and unfolding narratives of some of Africa’s most enigmatic wildlife characters, such as Thandi, the well-known female leopard and her cast of feline relatives, or the Birmingham lion pride, whose story straddles both reserves. The females are currently one of the resident prides at andBeyond Ngala Private Game Reserve, where they are raising two white lion cubs, while the pride’s male coalition moved south to Djuma Private Game Reserve some years ago.

Click here 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.