Africam Live Webcams From Africa

Africam is a great website, featuring 24/7 live webcasts from 4 locations in South Africa. The cameras are situated on or near waterholes, and the number of animals that frequent the water holes is amazing. From Lions to elephants, and nearly every other animal in between, Africam is sure to delight the animal lover in any household. And best of all, it's completely FREE. That's right, you can enjoy live streaming audio and video from Africa right in your own home, and it won't cost you a thing.

There are ads, which can be a bit annoying when you are watching the animals play or drink, but for a small fee you can enjoy ad-free streaming. And when I say small fee, I mean small fee. Fees are 4.99 a month, 3 months @13.99, 6 months @26.99 or 12 months @47.99, a savings of 20% off the monthly fee. These fees help offset the costs associated with running the site, and are well worth it if you enjoy the service.

Africam is compatible with your Smart phone, so you can watch the animals anywhere you go. It simply requires a HTML5 compatible device, such as an I-phone, I-pad, Android, etc. On the Africam website you can see video highlights from the past 24 hours, or you can browse the full archive to find videos of your favorite animal. The best feature of Africam, however, is the 'take a snapshot' feature. This feature allows you to get a quick snapshot of your favorite animals, and then share those pictures with your friends and family on Facebook. I've included some of my favorite snapshots from Africam on this page.

So what are you waiting for? Check out this great website today

Elephants are regular visitors to the waterholes.

Elephants require large amounts of water to survive, and as such are regular visitors to the waterholes. From the large solitary bulls to entire breeding herds of cows with calves, elephants frequently put in an appearance on Africam. Best viewing time for elephants appears to be middle of the day local time, or Late evening/early morning hours my (central time zone) time. They do show up on occasion during the night as well (day in the States). Both Idube and Tembe have hosted large herds of elephants swimming, drinking, and playing in the water, and feeding on the grasses around the waterholes.

The King of Beasts

Lions tend to show up at the waterholes at night, and as such are not as easily 'photographed' via the snapshot feature. The good news is that All of the webcams have Infrared lights, allowing you to see the animals in the dark without disturbing the animals themselves. Lions have been caught on cam during the day, and a quick search of the video archive will quickly reveal several great videos of lions lounging around the waterholes in broad daylight. Lions have been spotted at all the cams, with Nkorho and Tembe offering the best sighting opportunities.

The worlds tallest living animal

Giraffes don't require much water to survive, and in fact can go extended periods without a drink. This means they aren't regular visitors to waterholes. And for good reason. A giraffe is at its most vulnerable when it bends down to drink. A giraffe has the same number of vertebrae as a human (7), despite its long neck. So in order to drink it has to spay it legs far apart, which leaves it vulnerable to attack from predators. Luckily all the webcams on Africam are located in areas with good foliage, and giraffes make a showing on a fairly regular basis to browse amongst the tree tops.

One of the most reconizable of all African animals

Zebras are regular visitors to the waterholes on Africam, whether there for a quick drink or to browse the thick grasses that grow around them. They are often accompanied by groups of impala and wildebeest, an arrangement that is allows for greater protection from predators. This arrangement only works because the zebras, impala and wildebeest all prefer different parts of the grasses, and thus don't compete for food. Zebra are frequently spotted on all the cams.

The awkward looking, nomadic, wildebeest

The wildebeest, the great nomads of Africa. Well, the blue wildebeest is quite as nomadic as it's smaller cousin the black wildebeest, but both are capable of epic journeys in search of good grazing and water. Fortunately for them, both of these things can be had at the local waterhole, which is also a good thing for viewers since it means these comical looking guys are a common sighting on Africam. Often seen in the company of Impala and zebras.

The mild mannered buffalo-until you anger it.

The cape buffalo is very water-dependent, and has to have constant access to good quality drinking water. This of course means these bovines are often spotted in and near waterholes, and can be seen fairly regularly in the dry season on Africam. Even in the middle of the summer rainy season these large animals are often spotted on Camera coming to get a drink, getting a mud bath, or simply lounging in the water. The only kill caught on camera to date was an old buffalo killed by lions. These guys can be seen at any time of the day or night, and travel usually travel in large groups. Old bulls, too slow to keep up with the herds, often take up residency in a water hole, lounging in the water for long periods of time. Kind of like the rocking chairs of the wild if you will.

Cape buffalo are considered by many to be the most dangerous of the Big 5 (Elephants, lions, Rhinoceros, Leopards, and Buffalo), and when wounded will often double back on their antagonist and attack. Buffalo also sometimes get the better of attacking lions, and many lions have met their fates with an ill-fated buffalo hunt.

Impala, the most plentiful antelope in South Africa

The impala is the most plentiful antelope in South Africa, and as such its rare that a day goes by without sighting these playful creatures on Africam. Fast and graceful, they evade predators by quick sprints and long bounding jumps, the bounds can reach heights of over 10ft and cover more than 30ft of ground in a single leap! They are often found in mixed herds with wildebeests and zebras for added protection from predators.

The magnificent kudu

Kudu are amongst the largest of antelopes and sport some of the largest horns of any animal. The horns feature 2 and half twist, and are highly sought trophies from sport hunters. Kudu are regular visitors to the cams at Tembe, emerging each morning (local time) and spending much of the day browsing around the water hole or laying the shade under trees. These animals are also featured in an article on the Africam homepage, highlighting an unusual migration of these large animals.

The warthog, so ugly its kind of cute

The warthog. Mention the word warthog and most people immediately think of Pumba from the Disney's 'The Lion King'. Warthogs, named for the serious of wart-like growths on its snout, are fairly regular visitors on Africam. Usually found alone, they are sometimes spotted in small groups. A group of warthogs is called a sounder, just like a group of wild boar or wild pigs. The warthog is also a common prey animal for most of the big predators in Africa, and because of this they tend to rarely stray to far from their dens.

A favorite of children the world over

The hippopotamus, often called a hippo, spends most of the day in the water, with just his nostrils visible above the surface. This is due to their sensitive skin, if they were to remain out of the water for too long they would sunburn quite quickly. These large creatures are amongst the most aggressive in Africa, and in fact are implicated in more human deaths each year than any other animal in Africa. Fortunately for viewers, they are easily enjoyed from the safety of your own home on Africam. At dawn these giants can often be spotted returning from feeding on land during the night, and again at dusk as they leave the water to go feed. Idube offers regular views of these animals as they laze about in the water during the heat of the day.

Many other animals have been spotted on Africam

The animals listed here are just the ones I have personally captured snapshots of, and aren't a full list of the animals spotted on Africam. From wild dogs to cheetahs and leopards; many other animals are frequently spotted on Africam. Another great feature of the Africam website is the ability to receive alerts via Twitter and Facebook, letting you now when the animals show up on the cameras. So go ahead and check it out, just be warned that it can become very addicting.

Link to Africam Homepage

Listen to the sounds of the African Bush while you work

The Africam Radio lets you listen to the sounds of the African Bush while working, sleeping or just relaxing. It is easy to listen to the radio while working around the house, or doing research or work online. And best of all, if you hear animals at your selected site, you know immediately which cam to look at to hopefully see the animals. Just one more reason to love this site.

It has been a while since I've updated this page. Since I originally wrote this article several new cameras have been added to Africam.com. Black eagle cam, cheetah birth cam, and baby rhino cam have been introduced.