Explore the world with tourHQ
Highlights
Real-time experience streamed live from the rough roads of Kruger National Park
- Expert guide who will show how to track animals using a variety of methods
- Fascinating insights into the behaviour of different animals in the region
Description
In this online safari, we will head to the Olifants West nature reserve in the Balule Conservancy within the Greater Kruger National Park (GKNP). The GKNP is over two million hectares of protected animal reserve, which is the largest in South Africa and the third-largest in Africa. Here, the animals, predators and prey alike, live their lives the same way they have for thousands of years. Home to the iconic “Big 5 “, elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard, and an array of other fascinating species make up this intricate, unique and fascinating ecosystem.
We have over 3,000 hectares of available traversing in our purpose-built open 4 x 4 game viewing vehicle, and we take you out with us on an interactive safari for one hour and a half, during which Matt, our very experienced and knowledgable field guide will be giving you explanations of what we find, large and small.
We are taking you on a real safari just the same as if you were a guest in camp. It is not a zoo we operate our safaris in, all the animals are free roaming. Together we will share the thrill of discovering what we can find, which, apart from sometimes being plain lucky, more often involves the ancient art of tracking, finding tracks, estimating their freshness and with our knowledge of species behaviour and the area, tracking the animal.
We will drive on rough roads through open plains, home to “plains game“ species such as giraffe, zebra, and different kinds of antelope, also over steep hills with dramatic panoramic views of the Lowveld bush fringed with the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains, as well as by the perennial Olifants River which is home to crocodile, hippo and glorious riverine birds.
About this experience
Instructions
- Please have a good internet connection and Zoom app installed on your phone or laptop
- The instructions to join the meeting will be sent via email shortly after the booking
Know before you go
- This tour involves traveling to various places, and at times, the internet connection may be weak. However, we will attempt to minimize such disruptions
- You can book this tour as a private tour for 200 USD and invite up to 10 friends and family to join this activity with you from all over the world
- Since these are live tours, they may be subject to last minute cancellation due to inclement weather, Internet disruptions or other unforeseen circumstances.
Meet your Host
Sausage Tree Camp
Matthew (camera/guide):
The guide Matthew is truly a ‘bushman’. He was raised in the Greater Kruger amongst many different animal species, following the footsteps of his father and grandfather by worrying their mothers and running wild in the bush. His family's animal sanctuary meant that Matthew grew up with a variety of animals sometimes inside their house including, lion, leopard, cheetah and many more. He later followed his passion and became a field guide on his family’s reserve, where he began to share his love of wildlife and nature.
Itching to learn more, he took on a very exclusive scholarship, in which he spent 2.5 years living in a tent in the bush. No electricity, no weapon just dedication! During this period of his life, he learned from master trackers, some of the highest qualified guides in the country, and had plenty of close encounters which now make for great stories. Matthew has a diverse knowledge far beyond the famous ‘Big 5’. He will teach you about the plants, birds, conservation, photography and tracking. Matthew has his lifetime of experience in the bush and we hope you also enjoy his passion for the bush.
James (driver/guide): From London, England originally, and moved to Hoedspruit, in the Lowveld area of South Africa fifteen years and has been guiding and living in the bush ever since with his South African wife, Sonja. Nine years ago they purchased Sausage Tree self-catered, tented Safari Camp in Olifants West Nature Reserve in the Baule conservancy within the Greater Kruger National Park. James is qualified to FGASA level 2 in guiding and track interpretation. He came late in life to the safari industry which makes him fully appreciative of the privilege of living in the bush and likes nothing better than to share his enthusiasm and knowledge with clients. James is a fluent French speaker and now has medium level Spanish thanks to an online learning app during the lockdown.
Tour Reviews
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Vanessa Hewines
Amazing tour! Guide went well over time to ensure we saw as much as possible and opened the tour early to show us an elephant who happened to be nearby. Really enthusiastic guide, who was super knowledgeable and interactive. Highly recommend.
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Martha Benn
Will definitely be doing this again. And look forward to doing it in person one day.
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Paul Munson
Mathew and James did a great job of guiding this tour. It was so much better than I expected! Not only did we see a great variety of wildlife, they also discussed a lot about the details of how they live, and the habitat they live in. They were even able to give me some ideas of places to look for more details on elephant behavior, etc. I wish I had invited a group of friends to be with me on the tour. For next time!
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KARTHIK NATARAJAN
Very good effort
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Jeydee
Enriching and wonderful experience even though its a virtual tour.
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CHIANG WEI HONG
guide was knowledgeable and engaging and connection was stable throughout the ride. a nice way to spend the evening with friends and family.
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Charlyn
the guide was very friendly towards everyone and he answered almost all of our questions even though some, in my opinion, was quite obvious and silly. information was very interesting and it got me intrigued
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clara
i honestly like the tour today but i wish there was more animals to see .it would be more fun and intresting maybe then we can also ask more intresting questions , i hope that you will remember us for this . we will remember you. thank you very much for today is been great ! the signal wasnt that bad as you thought too ! i was actually showing moody face at the last part but it is not about this also...
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sara fahrney
Superb!! Matthew and James were fantastic. Absolutely great tour. Sound quality was amazing in that we could hear them perfectly and they could hear us. Their camera skills were great so we could see well. We saw zebra, giraffe, lions. Matthew answered all our questions and then expanded on them so we learned so much. This was a great tour. Thank you for making the tour feel as close to we could like if we were really there.
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Jenny Hwang
Fantastic, fun and knowledgeable
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kevin phun
The tour was generally quite nice. Wifi was a little weak at times. Did not spot many animals, maybe it is because Kruger is just too very big. Guide was excellent; knowledgeable, patient and made sure most questions were answered. Driver, guide and the young lady in the jeep, they all did their best. Appreciate them all, God bless them. Nice tour, will come back again most likely!
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May
Matthew is a great guide. Patient and clear in his explanation. Took time to stop the vehicle so that we could have a clearer look at the animals. Enjoyed myself thoroughly. Thank you, Matthew and your Team. Have a pleasant day .... Regards, May HUI from Singapore
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Lyudmila Kan
I did this tour with my 10-year old daughter, and we loved every minute of it! It felt absolutely as if we were driving around with Matthew and James looking for the animals. It was an early start at 6:30am but we got rewarded! We saw several giraffes, a teenage elephant, several stunning impalas and a kudu grazing next to them, and finally beautiful zebras. We also saw several birds, and Matthew told us a lot of interesting facts about birds in South Africa. I have been on a real safari trip before in Namibia, but I didn't get a chance to see the big animals so up close and personal, the elephant and giraffes were literally looking into Matthew's camera. Matthew and James answered patiently all our burning questions, it was an amazing online experience! Thank you so much! Now, we certainly got a longing to come and visit the Sausage Tree Camp, once we can travel....
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Marilyn Crandlemire
Very knowledgable, personable, and acommodating. Responded to questions and requests. Great experience.
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Robert Phillips
An excellent virtual trip! What to doing for a 50th birthday during a COVID lockdown. Well for 90 minutes we were able to forget about lockdown and enjoy a fantastic safari trip. SO good was this virtual that we are considering gong for real when we can travel once again. Our safari team were excellent providing good descriptions and finding us some spectacular animals of the bush.
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Timothy Lynch
Matt and James were amazing and informative. Our tour included seeing 2 of “The Big Five” game animals up and close. Matt shared his knowledge while the animals entertained. If you can’t get to Kruger, this is the next best thing!
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Victoria Rios
This tour was excellent!!! Got to ask a lot of questions, saw a lion, zebras, and an elephant. The connection was good (only cut out once). The tour guide was informative and interactive.
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Fiona Fyfe
Fantastic tour. Matthew and James were so engaging and informative. Would definitely recommend this tour.
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Rosie Gorman
A beautiful experience in the Kruger National Park. The guides were lovely and we saw some beautiful animals really close up. Will definitely be booking again.
From USD 200 / Group
Important Information
- Fully refundable in case of any cancellation upto 2 days before the tour.