15 INTERACTIVE Virtual Tours of WILDLIFE: Safaris & Oceans!

One of the BEST ways to use 360 videos is to learn more about the amazing wildlife in our world! With these fun virtual tours of wildlife, we get to meet and interact with beautiful wild animals in their natural habitats.

This post is part of a best-of series of virtual tours. Find more incredible virtual tours, including famous historic sites, beautiful national parks and waterfalls, awesome cities, and crazy adventure travel.

Interactive virtual tours of wildlife, from safaris to the oceans — Limited time? Save me for later.

All of these virtual tours of wildlife are interactive 360 videos, so make sure you pan around! Open them in your smartphone’s YouTube app or on a nice big monitor. Even better? Get a VR headset to make them immersive VR videos.

If you want to watch all of these 360 videos of wild animals on YouTube, head over to my YouTube playlist.

5 Virtual Tours of Wildlife ON LAND

We’ll start our virtual tours of wildlife that live on land. These 360 videos show off beautiful scenery around the world, filled with amazing wild animals we dare not get close to. Well, except maybe the meerkats.

Virtual Tour with Russian Brown Bears

Virtual tours of wildlife, brown bear up close — Photo credit: Becca from Unsplash

Enjoy the spectacular scenery of Kamchatka Russia while learning about its massive brown bears. AirPano gives you a wonderful 5-minute virtual tour with Kamchatka bears with 360 video and commentary.

Virtual Tour with African Elephants

Virtual tour of wildlife, African elephant — Photo credit: David Clode from Unsplash

This 360 video from Ryan Whitehead is SO cool. The camera is parked right in the middle of a gorgeous green field as a herd of massive African elephants wanders through. You’re surrounded!! They stop to investigate, giving you lots of time to enjoy them.

Virtual Tour with Meerkats

Virtual tours of wildlife, meerkats in Africa — Photo credit: Dusan Smetana from Unsplash

There’s just something I LOVE about meerkats! My goodness, they’re cute. This 360 video virtual tour from BBC Earth Unplugged gets you right in the thick of this meerkat crowd. You need to pan around a few times to catch all the quirky moments!

Virtual Tour of a Lion Pride

Virtual tours of wildlife, lion up close in Africa — Photo credit: Chris Rhoads from Unsplash

National Geographic almost makes you feel like part of the pride with this virtual tour. Pan around the 360 video and learn how accurate The Lion King actually is. Just imagine sitting on that sandy ground, surrounded by lions!

Virtual Tour of Wildlife on an African Safari

Virtual tours of wildlife, African safari — Photo credit: Danny Wage from Unsplash

You can find quite a few 360 videos of African safaris on YouTube, but the challenge is finding high-quality close-ups. My favorite is this virtual tour from Moves Media in Kruger National Park, where the elephant almost nuzzles the driver, it’s so close! You also get lots of close-ups with magnificent African wildlife. Just imagine being in that jeep! And maybe you’re adding an African safari to your travel bucket list??

Another place to find interactive virtual tours of wildlife is on Twitch TV’s Wild Earth channel. They live-stream African safari drives. Although they aren’t 360 videos, they’re interactive because you can ask questions of the guide! Kid-friendly and great as virtual field trips for kids.

4 Virtual Tours of Wildlife on ISLANDS

Land and water. These next four virtual tours of wildlife introduce you to intriguing wild animals living in remarkably beautiful and remote corners of the earth.

Virtual Tour of Wildlife on the Galapagos Islands

Virtual tours of wildlife, Galapagos Islands, iguana — Photo credit: Simon Berger from Unsplash

The Galapagos Islands are probably the most intriguing and famous islands in the world! Check out this 360 video virtual tour through the Galapagos Islands from NatGeoExpeditions. Bask on one of its perfect beaches with some of the world’s most fascinating creatures. Dive underwater to swim with a sea turtle. Wonderful. I only want more!

Virtual Tour with Kangaroos on Kangaroo Island

Close up of kangaroos, wildlife in Australia — Photo credit: Carles Rabada from Unsplash

Hang out with a mob of kangaroos! Doesn’t it make you chuckle that a group of kangaroos is called a mob? Well, Australia gives us this wonderfully simple 360 video virtual tour that puts us right in the midst of the kangaroos. Chill with them a while!

Virtual Tour with Komodo Dragons

Close up of Komodo Dragon, wildlife in Indonesia — Photo credit: Altraz from Unsplash

Now over to Rinca Island, Indonesia to meet the world’s largest living species of lizard: the Komodo dragon. This simple 1-minute 360 video virtual tour from VR Gorilla puts you right on the beach with these super-cool lizards. But as super cool as they are, they’re also rather dangerous. These little guys eat mostly deer and carrion, and human attacks (including fatalities) aren’t uncommon.

Virtual Tour with Penguins in Antarctica

Virtual tours of wildlife, penguins in the Antarctic — Photo credit: Eamonn Maguire from Unsplash

Now this virtual tour of wildlife takes you reeeally far south, to the remote islands of Antarctica. Only visitors with special permits get to venture here. If weather conditions don’t stop them.

You can find a number of 360 videos of virtual tours through Antarctica. My favorite one that lets you linger with a colony of penguins is this 360 video from PBS NewsHour. It’s nearly 2 minutes of just hanging out.

If you want more penguins, here’s another fun 360 video of penguins in South Africa. It’s from San Diego Zoo’s channel, of all channels!

6 Virtual Tours of Wildlife IN OCEANS

Virtual tours of wildlife must take us underwater. Aren’t you so fascinated by this other world?? These 360 videos of ocean life are both thrilling and calming. Enjoy!

Virtual Tour of Wildlife at Green Island

Virtual tours of wildlife, reef in Taiwan — Photo credit: Olga Tsai from Unsplash

Check out this beautiful 360 video dive of the popular Green Island in Taiwan. David Hsieh takes you on such a beautiful, peaceful virtual tour of nearly 7 minutes, with ever-changing underwater landscapes and environments.

Virtual Tour of Hanging Out with Sharks

Virtual tours of wildlife, dive with sharks in Bahamas — Photo credit: Gerald Schombs from Unsplash

Here’s another super-cool 360 video dive from Jeb Corliss of hanging out on the ocean floor with sharks. Just imagine your heart racing in this 4-minute experience as Tiger Sharks and Hammerhead Sharks circle around you. INCREDIBLE.

Virtual Tour of Swimming with Stingrays

Stingray on ocean floor — Photo credit: Roger Darnell from Unsplash

The majestic movements of stingrays are super relaxing. If you want a little relaxation and thrill of watching stingrays up close, check out Discovery’s 360 video virtual tour. More than 50 Manta Rays fly by to feed on plankton just off the coast of Mexico.

Virtual Tour of Swimming with Jellyfish

Glowing jellyfish — Photo credit: Kiara Sztankovics from Unsplash

This 360 video virtual tour from AirPano puts you literally right in the middle of LOTS of jellyfish. My goodness, they’re so beautiful. This video is taken in Jellyfish Bay in Indonesia.

Virtual Tour of Swimming with a Turtle

Virtual tours of wildlife, sea turtle near reef in the ocean — Photo credit: Logan Radinovich from Unsplash

Who doesn’t LOVE turtles?! AirPano takes us on a wonderful 2-minute journey of swimming with a sea turtle near Cuba. This 360 video virtual tour is SO calming and peaceful.

Virtual Tour of Swimming with Dolphins

Virtual tours of wildlife, dolphins in ocean — Photo credit: Rudney Uezu from Unsplash

DOLPHINS!! What is it about turtles and dolphins?! This magical 2-minute 360 video virtual tour from VIEMR puts you underwater next to SO MANY dolphins. Just listen to them! This 360 video was filmed in the perfect blue waters of Egypt’s Red Sea.

Summary and Resources

I hope you’ve had fun! Which of these virtual tours of wildlife are your favorites? There’s nothing like 360 videos perfectly planted to give us heartwarming and fascinating interactions with amazing wild animals around the world.

Remember that you can watch all of these 360 videos of wild animals on YouTube through my YouTube playlist.

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Types of VR Headsets: Enjoy 360 Videos as VR Videos

If you want to experience these interactive 360 videos as immersive VR videos, you have lots of options. You can get a cheap VR headset by just getting a Google Cardboard for your smartphone. It quickly and easily transforms 360 videos on YouTube into VR videos.

Or, you can get a standalone VR headset that’s a lot more sophisticated than cardboard. Oculus VR headsets are highly-rated, with Oculus Go as a top choice. But if you’re into gaming, you’d love Oculus’ VR gaming line-up.

360 Cameras: Make your Own 360 Videos of Cute Animals!

Or maybe you want to make your own 360 videos of cute animals? The technology is getting better and cheaper every year. Here’s a variety of 360 cameras to check out, all highly rated and with different features.

And here’s a helpful 360 camera buying guide from Digital Camera World.

Here are other posts you may be interested in:

Feature photo credit (African elephant): David Clode from Unsplash.

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