Sound plays a vital role in the survival of many animal species – and until now has been largely under appreciated. For humans, sight often dominates how we perceive the world, but for wildlife, sound is key to communication, survival, and interaction. Animals use sound in a variety of ways – whether it’s to find a mate, locate prey, defend territory, or avoid predators.
Our sound safaris include a presentation and a minimum of two game drives – one in the late afternoon/ evening to listen in to the dusk and night sounds and early the following morning to catch the dawn chorus.
The audio/visual presentation introduces the wonderful world of sound.
You’ll learn:-
You’ll also be introduced to some of the ingenious ways animals get their messages across to be heard by the right individuals.
Out in the field the game drive vehicle is fitted with a sensitive stereo microphone that is connected via a listening box to individual guest headphones allowing us to listen in to the amplified sounds of nature’s orchestra.
The itinerary for a Hoedspruit based sound safari is as follows:
Day 2, retuning to Pridelands for the early morning sound game drive and back to your B & B mid-morning.
2026 costs are from R12,000 for the safari for up to 6 guests. Plus the per person reserve entry conservation fees.
This includes the:
Contact us for shorter afternoon drive options…
Add a sound safari experience to your lodge stay and really connect with nature – this is very easily done at any of the surrounding area lodges – in Timbavati, Klaserie, Balule, Sabi Sands and further afield.
Our sound safaris are flexible in both location and duration, with our guides and equipment travelling to your lodge or camp in the region.
An itinerary for a one night stay follows this format:
Your Sound Safari starts with the presentation at midday, or early afternoon – depending on the lodge’s timetable.
You embark on your first sound game drive in the afternoon and into the evening.
You return to camp for dinner.
Your day starts with an early morning sound game drive.
You will return to camp for breakfast/brunch and continue with your normal safari program.
Costs are dependant on the destination – contact us for rates and further details.
A short after dark recording from one of our sound safaris at Sausage Tree Safari Camp – Scops Owl calls continuously, interrupted by a Leopard. Pure and simple – nature at her best.
Several male Chacma Baboon started calling around dawn as they left their tree-top roost asserting their dominance within the troop.
This large elephant cow crossed the road – her footfalls crunching loudly on the gravel. A leopard calls in the background at about 16 seconds and the elephant rumbles softly towards the end of the recording.
We’re excited to offer this sound experience to blind and visually impaired guests.
I have spent a lifetime in the African bush, yet seldom have I encountered an experience as unique, immersive, and moving as the sound safari guided by Nick and Wesley from Wildlife and Media.
Fitted with headphones that mirrored the microphones on either side of the vehicle, the bush is no longer distant, it comes alive within you. Every note, every tremor, every rumble and every whisper of the wild was suddenly audible with a clarity and intensity I have never known. The experience isn’t one of sound, it is one of immersion and intimacy.
To experience the deep rumbles of elephants reverberating through the landscape, the leathery slap of their ears flapping against their backs, or the sudden crack of a tree surrendering to their power is profound. We were treated not just to awe inspiring lion roars, but to birdsong and insect symphonies layered like a living orchestra around us. We often found ourselves closing our eyes to slip into an even deeper connection.
What struck me most was our guides’ extraordinary knowledge. They did not merely point out sounds, but unveiled their meaning, how they were produced and how they tied into the intricate web of life and sound around us.
The experience was a visceral and primal connection to the land and its creatures. Taking off your headphones, one feels strangely naked and disconnected, knowing there is a secret world of sound you can no longer hear, as if standing on the outside of a theatre, peering in through the windows, unable to hear its actors. It’s the auditory equivalent of becoming colour blind.
This is not just a safari, it is a journey into the beating heart of the wilderness. For anyone who thinks they know the bush, prepare for your mind to be blown.
Stu Hancock, August 2025
