The long-running survival series ALONE continues to test the human spirit against nature’s harshest environments. Season 12 raises the stakes once again, taking contestants farther from familiar terrain—and deeper into extreme isolation. Premiering as the first season to be set in Africa, ALONE Season 12 transports survivalists to the wild, remote, and punishing terrain of South Africa.
This season, ten new contestants are dropped in the middle of a huge semidesert with only ten tools that they chose on their own. They are cut off from everyone else and have to build their own shelters, find food and water, and stay away from dangerous animals. All of this has to be done in one of the harshest climates on Earth. A $500,000 prize is given to the last person standing, but the real reward is making it through the harsh landscape and isolation.
WHERE WAS ALONE SEASON 12 FILMED?
ALONE Season 12 was filmed entirely in the Great Karoo region of South Africa during October 2024. This marks the first time the show has ventured into Africa, a major milestone in its geographic evolution. In previous seasons, the production has focused on colder, wetter climates like British Columbia, Labrador, and the Arctic Circle. But for this season, the producers selected a new kind of challenge—a semidesert climate marked by drought, intense heat, dangerous wildlife, and vast isolation.
View this post on Instagram
Season 12’s filming required a lot of planning, especially because the area is culturally and environmentally sensitive. Jeffrey Rodriguez, the supervising producer, says that the production team worked closely with the San and Khoekhoe peoples and other Indigenous groups in the area to get permission and information about the land. The team learned about local plants, animals, and how the land has been used in the past through these relationships, which helped shape the survival guidelines.
WHY THE GREAT KAROO?
One of South Africa’s largest and most ecologically diverse areas is the Great Karoo, which means “land of thirst” in Afrikaans. The Western Cape Province is home to this semidesert plateau, which covers about 400,000 square kilometers (150,000 square miles) and is an important part of the country’s natural and cultural heritage.
There are two main parts to the Karoo: the Upper Karoo is more mountainous and rough, and the Lower Karoo is known for being flatter and drier. This complicated landscape is the result of glaciation, volcanic activity and erosion that happened a long time ago. It makes for a visually stunning and physically difficult environment for ALONE’s competitors.
Despite its harshness, the Great Karoo is also a place of stunning natural beauty and ecological significance. It hosts fossil-rich zones, iconic flat-topped hills known as koppie and a variety of vegetation that can support human life—if one knows where and how to look.
WHAT MAKES THE KAROO A CHALLENGING FILMING LOCATION?
The climate of the Great Karoo is one of its biggest hurdles. The region is known for its extreme temperature swings—daytime temperatures can soar above 100°F (38°C) in summer, while nights, especially in winter, often drop below freezing. The average annual rainfall is very low, ranging from 16 inches in the east to only 4 inches in the west. This means that the contestants always have to worry about not having enough water.
There are natural water sources like rivers, ravines, and underground aquifers, but they are hard to find and get to. There is still a very real chance of becoming dehydrated and being hit by sudden thunderstorms or even snow at higher elevations.
The terrain is also very rough. Moving through the land can be hard because of the thorny bushes, sharp rocks, dry riverbeds, and hot plains. This place makes you feel more alone, both mentally and physically, because the rough terrain makes natural walls.
WILDLIFE IN THE GREAT KAROO
Beyond the climate and terrain, the wildlife of the Great Karoo presents its own survival challenges. The area is home to dangerous animals including: The Cape Cobra is a very poisonous snake that can live in deserts, grasslands, and savannahs. Scorpions, especially Karoo burrowing scorpions, which aren’t very poisonous but other types may be very dangerous.
Dogs, cats, jackals, baboons, and mongooses can all mess up campsites or get into food stores and eat it. Large animals like lions, leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, and black rhinos live in the nearby wildlife reserves, like Karoo National Park. Diseases like malaria and dengue fever can also be spread by insects, especially mosquitoes. The Karoo’s remote conditions also make medical aid nearly impossible to obtain quickly, meaning any injury or illness could prove fatal if not handled correctly.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
In preparation for filming in this remote and culturally significant region, the production team of ALONE made it a priority to consult with local Indigenous communities, including the San and Khoekhoe peoples. These communities provided valuable insight into land usage rights, local hunting regulations, and the traditional knowledge of the environment.
According to supervising producer Jeffrey Rodriguez, the team builds strong relationships with community leaders to ensure respectful and sustainable filming practices. Contestants were also given detailed instruction on how to live off the land—what local plants could be used for food or medicine, which animals were safe to hunt, and which ones were off-limits. They were even trained in basic filmmaking techniques to properly document their experiences. This collaboration not only helped contestants adapt to the Karoo’s unique challenges but also honored and preserved the wisdom of those who have lived in harmony with the land for generations.
VISUAL STORYTELLING IN THE KAROO
One of ALONE’s hallmarks is its stunning cinematography, and the Great Karoo’s unique landscape provides a striking new backdrop. Viewers will notice wide-open plains, dramatic sunsets, and solitary silhouettes against the horizon. These visuals underscore the true scale of isolation and the monumental effort required to survive in such an unforgiving place.
Unlike earlier seasons, where dense forests and snowy conditions were the primary enemies, Season 12 shifts the narrative toward heat, exposure, and scarcity. Contestants are not just surviving against animals or the cold, but against the absence of life-sustaining elements.
Stay connected with netfilming.com for more updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and exclusive content about reality series.
Eddington (2025) Filming Locations – Where Joaquin Phoenix’s Western Was Shot
