PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Iconic safari destinations like Kenya and Botswana have long attracted visitors, but cutting-edge ecotourism companies are increasingly pioneering small-group safaris to new destinations that offer unique wildlife encounters for more adventurous travelers. Join wilderness guide, wildlife photographer, and co-founder of World Wildlife Journeys Russell Gammon for a series of virtual safaris to hidden corners of our world in search of some of the rarest and most iconic creatures.
May 8 India, Nepal, and Indonesia
10 a.m. India and Nepal
While wildlife is not the mainstay of these countries’ tourist attractions, visitors can still find areas of untouched wilderness that are home to the world’s largest population of wild tigers and the critically endangered Indian one-horned rhino. Whether it’s tracking the great striped cats through the bamboo glades of Bandhavgah or poling down the Rapti River at dawn for a glimpse of rhinos, India and Nepal provide lovers of wildlife with travel experiences that can be found nowhere else on earth.
12 p.m. Break
1 p.m. Indonesia
Indonesia is a fast-emerging Southeast Asian travel destination, where the forests of Borneo nurture a bewildering diversity of plant, insect, and animal life. These include flying lizards that glide from treetop to treetop and the flying snakes that have evolved to hunt them, as well as the “old man of the forest,” the orangutang. To the south, visitors can take a boat ride to Rica Island for a face-to-face encounter with the legendary Komodo Dragon, or snorkel among some of the most pristine coral reefs on the planet.
May 15 Brazil and Uganda
10 a.m. Brazil
Brazil has been the go-to location for travelers wanting to experience the Amazon in all its natural glory, but a new destination in its southern region is drawing a steadily increasing stream of wildlife enthusiasts—the Pantanal. The largest tropical wetland on earth, it covers an area the size of Washington State and is home to abundant bird life and a host of other animal species. Some of the continent’s most voracious predators—anacondas, giant otters, and caimans—glide through its waterways, all under the watchful gaze of the lord of the forest, the jaguar.
12 p.m. Break
1 p.m. Uganda
Burdened with a dark past, Uganda has long languished in the shadows of its more illustrious East African neighbors, but the country once described as the “Pearl of Africa” has recently emerged to reclaim its luster. Home to a breathtaking variety of primates, it is the only country in Africa that offers both chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in a single destination. In addition to the chimps of Chibali and gorillas of Bwindi, a host of other wildlife are found in the Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks, making Uganda a fantastic destination for safari-goers.
2 sessions
Photo caption (upper right): (Photo: Russell Gammon)
PATRON INFORMATION
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
- Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
- Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of each session. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of each session, please email Customer Service for assistance.
- View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.
