NatureEye lets you see the world in innovative ways without leaving your home.
SAN DIEGO — If you’ve ever wanted to visit Machu Picchu in Peru or go on safari in Botswana, you may have thought the logistics of documenting your adventure while flying a drone were beyond your scope.
NatureEye solves that and makes it all possible without leaving your home. We flew the drone around the Machu Picchu Pueblo cloud forest in Peru, and then over Elephant Sands Nata in Botswana, Africa.
But before you take off, you’ll need to spend some time at a self-study flight school. After about 10 minutes, it’s ready.
Your Machu Picchu guide, Eric, will help you take off and take you high above the town of Agua Caliente.
“There is the Machu Picchu cloud forest, the end of the Andes and the beginning of the jungle, which we call the cloud forest,” he said.
At this point, you have three options to do all the flying. Have a guide fly you and tell you where you’re going and what you’re seeing. Alternatively, there is a dropdown of points of interest and the drone will fly automatically.
No matter what you decide, your guide will always be there to share their local knowledge.
“It’s 7,000 feet in the village and 9,000 feet in Machu Picchu,” he said.
While Eric shows us around, this is Michelle Weil, Nature Eye’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“So we came up with the idea of having drones fly remotely in iconic locations around the world and giving up to half back to those locations,” she said.
Most facilities have struggled during the pandemic due to a lack of visitors. Things have changed since then, but the focus is on the people there.
“We always respect people, wildlife and local rules and regulations everywhere we fly,” she said.
Initially, Nature Eye was located in Africa.
“We’ve since expanded our geography to include locations outside of Africa, South America, Asia, and within the United States. And now we have 11 locations on our website that people can fly to.” she said.
Our Africa flight was from Elephant Sands in Nata, Botswana, and unlike Machu Picchu, the scenery was vast, and using the “sights” tab with a guide was effective. Also on the flight was CEO and former teacher Jonathan Duff.
“When I joined Nature Eye, it became incredibly clear that this was a tool that would allow students to engage in ways they would never be able to in a school setting,” she said.
That’s because it’s real time, not something pre-recorded like VR or a tour.
“When they suddenly find themselves flying a drone on the other side of the world, it’s really unique to have a conversation with a guide based in that location. It enhances the learning and teaching they’re already doing. ” she said.
It’s made possible by state-of-the-art drones with powerful lenses, high-speed internet, 5G, and Starlink satellites. Access is reasonable.
“So a Nature Eye flight is $95, and you can choose from different locations around the world, and then you have a 30-minute flight and you have a guide at each location,” she said.
“You can also invite guests…and take photos that you can download later,” he said.
Click here for more information.
