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South Africa
Subtropical South Africa
Birding Adventure
All Year Round
Turacos, Twinspots and Trogons
Durban, Underberg,
Sani Pass, Eshowe, St Lucia, Bonamanzi Game Reserve, Mkuze Game Reserve,
Wakkerstroom, Kruger National Park, Dullstroom
Ground Price R42,565
per person based on two people sharing - discounts for 4 or more
people
Partner & Guide
Our partner's team in
South Africa
is made up of experienced guides; Dr. Chris Lotz, Nick Lotz, Eduardo
Ormaeche, Errol de Beer, David Swanepoel and Nadia Gunter. Chris Lotz
has operated his own company since July 2002.
Itinerary
Overview: For birders with limited time or finances, we recommend a
1-week Zulu Kingdom birding tour instead of this 2-week tour – please
contact us for details. For birders with a couple of extra days, we
recommend an extra night to allow a few more hours high in the
Drakensberg and a few more hours at high-altitude temperate forests,
plus a day or two at the Ndumu Game Reserve and adjacent Tembe Elephant
Reserve on the Mozambique border.
This is a two-week adventure in which birding is maximized while driving
time is minimized. We begin our birding safari in the bird-rich
subtropical city of
Durban
on the Indian Ocean, then head inland to the spectacular
Drakensberg
Mountains. This “barrier of spears”, as locals have named the imposing
Drakensberg Escarpment, separates South
Africa
from the tiny mountain
kingdom of Lesotho, which we will also visit. The beautiful Lesotho and
Drakensberg highlands harbour a host of localized avian endemics. After
birding the Drakensberg, we will once again descend in altitude to
explore the fascinating temperate forests of the
Natal
midlands (where such spectacular species as Spotted Ground Thrush,
Orange Ground Thrush, Cape Parrot, Narina Trogon, Green Twinspot, Green
Malkoha and many others lurk). Next on our schedule is the habitat
mosaic of subtropical forest, savanna, moist grassland and superb
wetlands of the northern
Zululand
coast, an area truly world-famous for its spectacular bird diversity.
Then we head for the grassy hills of Wakkerstroom, essential for such
sought-after species as Blue and Barrow’s Korhaans, Rudd’s and Botha’s
Larks, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Bush Blackcap, Bald Ibis and a plethora of
other southern African endemics. We are now within easy striking
distance of Kruger, which is to many the greatest national park on
earth. Eventually, we will ascend out of the subtropical lowlands and
onto the temperate highland plateau on which the mile-high city of
Johannesburg sprawls. Before flying out of Johannesburg, we will sample
birds typical of the Kalahari semi-desert northwest of Pretoria
(including such gems as Southern Pied Babbler and Crimson-breasted
Shrike).
This two-week subtropical tour provides a representative sample of the
very best that African birding can offer. Huge numbers of species will
be seen (the typical bird list for this 2-week adventure is amongst the
very highest in the world – in the range of 400 species), and we will
also find large numbers of South African endemics. Apart from yielding
hundreds of bird species, this dream African experience also provides
the possibility of seeing lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, rhinos,
crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, antelope, plus many other mammal species,
as well as breathtaking scenery.
Tour
Day 1: Arrival
International flight arrives in
Durban,
drive up to Underberg at the base of the imposing Drakensberg
Escarpment. We should find a plethora of exciting birds during this
drive.
Overnight:
Underberg
Day 2: Sani Pass - Lesotho
Ascend Sani Pass into Lesotho in local guide’s 4x4. The ascent up
Sani
Pass, one of the most famed birding routes in South Africa, provides
easy access to most of the birds endemic to the Drakensberg Escarpment
and highlands, plus spectacular mountain scenery. Patches of temperate
forest and scrub, inhabited by sought-after Bush Blackcap, Drakensberg
Prinia, Chorister Robin and other endemics, are found in the lower
reaches of the pass. This habitat is replaced by Protea savanna a
little higher up, where Gurney’s Sugarbird and Malachite Sunbird occur.
Above the tree-line, Drakensberg Siskin and Orange-breasted Rockjumper
start to appear, and at even higher altitude, Mountain Pipit, Bearded
Vulture (Lammergeyer) and many other Drakensberg specials occur. We
will spend a full day ascending to the top of the escarpment and into
the beautiful mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, with frequent stops along the
way, in a quest to find all the localized specials. We then descend the
escarpment for dinner.
Overnight:
Underberg
Day 3: Drakensberg Escarpment
We can bird the grasslands and temperate forests below the base of the
Drakensberg for birds such as the endangered, beautiful Blue Swallow,
the endangered Cape Parrot, Orange Ground Thrush, Knysna Turaco, Narina
Trogon, Grey Crowned Crane, Denham’s Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard and
many others. Then we will embark on our drive northwards to subtropical
northern
Zululand.
Overnight:
Eshowe B&B
Day 4: Ongoye Forest - Mtunzini
We will make a very early start with packed breakfasts and lunches. We
will bird the medium-altitude Ongoye Forest in the morning with a local
guide. In this truly beautiful temperate forest, we may find Narina
Trogon, the endangered Spotted Ground Thrush, the rare and unpredictable
Delegorgue’s Pigeon, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, the inconspicuous Green
Twinspot, Grey Waxbill, Red-backed Mannikin, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Green
Malkoha, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, and many other phenomenal species.
Ongoye Red Squirrel is also quite possible. After birding this and
other forests in the area (time permitting), we will then head to the
warm coast to seek Palm-nut Vulture (in the Raffia Palm Nature Monument
at Mtunzini), Collared (Red-winged) Pratincole, the rare Swamp Nightjar
at its daytime roost, and a plethora of other tantalizing specials.
Overnight:
Eshowe B&B
Day 5: Dlinza Forest - Lake St. Lucia
We will visit the
Dlinza
Forest canopy tower in the early morning. Here, it is often possible to
see Grey Cuckoo-shrike and other generally elusive species at
eye-level. White-eared Barbet, Green Malkoha, Trumpeter and Crowned
Hornbill, Olive Bush-shrike and a whole host of other species often put
in an appearance. When mixed feeding flocks (bird parties) gather, the
birding becomes even more exciting than usual. Thanks to the new canopy
tower, this is probably the easiest place in South Africa to find
Delegorgue’s (Eastern Bronze-naped) Pigeon, but in some years this
species is absent. After brunch, we head to the famed
Lake
St. Lucia, which has a phenomenally rich assemblage of waterbirds,
forest birds, grassland birds and others in its great variety of
different habitats.
Overnight:
St.
Lucia Wetlands B&B
Day 6: Cape Vidal
We will leave early with a packed breakfast for Cape Vidal. We are
bound to stumble across White Rhino and other megafauna en route to Cape
Vidal, which is one of the best sites for Green Twinspot, the elusive
Southern Banded Snake Eagle and the attractive Crested Guineafowl – far
more exotic in appearance than its more common cousin the Helmeted
Guineafowl. There are of course many other birds, such as Green
Malkoha, Red-backed Mannikin, etc. The rare and local Samango Monkey
occurs at Cape Vidal along with the more widespread Vervet Monkey. After
birding Cape Vidal and other parts of
St. Lucia,
we depart for Bonamanzi Game Reserve.
Overnight:
Bonamanzi Game Reserve
Day 7: Bonamanzi - Mkuze Game Reserve
Morning birding at Bonamanzi usually yields the spectacular
Rosy-throated Longclaw (plus the other two less localized longclaw
species), and the recently described Lemon-breasted Canary. A more
difficult mega-special is the almost mystical (to many birders)
Short-tailed Pipit. Lesser Black-winged (Senegal) Lapwing is sometimes
found. In case we missed Southern Banded Snake Eagle at
St. Lucia,
Bonamanzi is also a good site for it. Bonamanzi also presents our first
chance for another southeast African coast endemic, the splendid
Pink-throated Twinspot. After Bonamanzi, if time permits, we can head
to a site where we usually find Pel’s Fishing Owl at its daytime roost,
before driving to Mkuze Game Reserve. After dinner at Mkuze, we can
embark on a night drive. Mkuze night drives quite often yield leopard,
and there are chances of seeing several owl, nightjar, thickknee and
courser species.
Overnight:
Mkuze Game Reserve
Day 8: Sand Forest - Wakkerstroom
An early morning bird walk in the Sand Forest should yield the extremely
localized Neergaard’s Sunbird, African Broadbill with its bizarre
display flight, Pink-throated Twinspot and other tantalizing endemics,
plus a phenomenal diversity of other species. Mkuze is one of the
richest sites for birds on the entire African continent. We will also
have a reasonable chance of finding the diminutive Suni Antelope in the
Sand Forest. After our early morning bird walk, we will embark on a
birding drive in search of a whole host of exciting species – we will
bird woodland, savanna and wetland areas. While looking for birds,
there is also an excellent chance of stumbling across White Rhino and
possibly the rarer Black Rhino. Nyala, as well as other mammals that are
difficult to find in other game reserves, should be found. After lunch,
we depart for Wakkerstroom, an area of rolling green hills on the
Drakensberg Escarpment - in stark contrast to Mkuze’s dry woodland. The
first bird we will focus on finding at Wakkerstroom, in areas of long
grass at relatively low altitude, is Barrow’s (Southern White-bellied)
Korhaan. This is a difficult korhaan because it is small yet usually
lurks in tall grass. We usually find it in the late afternoon when it
ventures into open fields nearby its typical habitat. While looking for
this species, we should also find South African Cliff Swallow, Southern
Ant-eating Chat, Southern Crowned Crane, Blue Crane (South Africa’s
national bird) and many more.
Overnight:
Weaver’s Nest or similar,
Wakkerstroom
Day 9: Wakkerstroom
We will spend the day birding the beautiful Wakkerstroom area. This
small town is famed for being the best site on earth for the extremely
localized Rudd’s Lark as well as Botha’s Lark. We also usually find the
endemic Pink-billed Lark, Eastern Clapper Lark, Eastern Long-billed Lark
and Spike-heeled Lark. Blue Korhaan is common and conspicuous, and
Denham’s Bustard is also usually obvious. Jackal Buzzard, Bush Blackcap,
Red-throated Wryneck, Grass Owl, Marsh Owl and many other fine birds are
also possible.
Overnight:
Weaver’s Nest or similar, Wakkerstroom
Day 10: Wakkerstroom - Kruger National Park
After some final early morning birding around Wakkerstroom, we head for
one of Africa’s greatest game parks, the
Kruger
National Park! This park has a staggering bird diversity, and we are
bound to find multiple species of each of the following groups:
hornbills, barbets, rollers, bee-eaters, kingfishers, cuckoos, storks,
eagles (including the amazing Bateleur), vultures, owls, weavers
(including Red-headed Weaver), turacos and many others. As a by-product
of our marked focus on birding, we should also encounter elephant, lion,
giraffe, buffalo, a plethora of antelope species, hippopotamus,
crocodile, and many small mammals, such as mongooses, etc. We will,
however, require much luck for leopard or cheetah.
Overnight:
Lower Sabie Rest Camp
Kruger
National Park
Day 11: Kruger National Park
We will spend a full day birding the rivers, riverine forests, woodlands
and savannas of this pristine and huge African wilderness area.
Overnight:
Satara Rest Camp
Kruger National Park
Day 12: Kruger National Park - Dullstroom
After final Kruger birding, we will look for the incredibly rare Taita
Falcon on the escarpment west of the park. Here we might also find
Mocking Cliff Chat and many other birds en route to the pretty trout
fishing highland town of Dullstroom, where we have a reasonable chance
of finding Cape Eagle Owl, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Secretarybird and
other quite a number of other specials.
Overnight:
Country B&B in
Dullstroom
Day 13: Dullstroom - Kwa Ndaba
After final upland birding around Dullstroom, we drive to an area where
we find a whole new suite of bird species more characteristic of the dry
west of South Africa – we find Kalahari species such as the attractive
Southern Pied Babbler, the stunning Crimson-breasted Shrike, Northern
Black Korhaan, Kalahari Scrub Robin, Desert Cisticola, and a host of
others.
Overnight:
Kwa Ndaba Game Lodge
Day 14: Kwa Ndaba - Departure
Final birding around Kwa Ndaba, followed by a 1.5 hour drive from Kwa
Ndaba Lodge to Johannesburg Airport to catch international flight home.
Prices
Price includes:
daily full breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, cool-drinks, bottled water,
accommodation, entrance fees, guiding fees, and all transport while on
tour in
South Africa.
Not included:
Air ticket to
South Africa, personal insurance, alcoholic beverages, tips, laundry and
personal expenses such as gifts.
NB All Anytime Tour itineraries are essentially drafts - the final
itinerary will be arrived at during discussions with the clients and
tailored to the client's individual needs and is, of course, subject to
the availability of accommodation etc. and any changes in local
conditions. Our aim is to arrive at an itinerary which gives you the
maximum chance to see the birds [& etc.] you want to see.
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