Birdwatching Cape Town
Birding in & around Cape Town
Natural History Tours
Pelagics

Birdwatching Johannesburg and Pretoria
Birding in & around Johannesburg and Pretoria

Birding Tours South Africa
Birding South Africa's Dry West
Birding Kwazulu
Birding the Eastern Cape
Birding Gauteng and Kruger
South Africa in 17 Days
South Africa in 27 Days
Other African Destinations
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Gauteng (the mining, industrial and financial centre of South Africa) lies at a junction of 4 major avifaunal regions. It offers outstanding birding diversity, including a healthy proportion of Southern Africa’s endemic bird species. It is also well situated to access the world famous Kruger Park – some four hours to the east. Kruger offers a feast of birding and game viewing. We also enjoy visits to the Magoebaskloof area for fine afromontane forest birding and the Mpumalanga escarpment with it’s rich mix of grassland endemics and raptors.

BirdWatch Cape acts as agent only for the tours listed below and not as principal operator.

Day Tours (Prices are per person - minimum 2 persons, price on request)

Overnight Tours (Prices per person sharing, available on request)

The prices listed are per person for two persons sharing. Discounts are available for larger groups. For all tours, the price is inclusive of Hotel/Guest House pick up/drop off, entrance fees and lunch. In respect of all overnight tours the price is inclusive of entrance fees, meals and accommodation.

Conditions of payment – 10% deposit to secure the booking with the balance payable 21 days before tour departure. Payment by Bank Transfer or credit card. Day Tours can be paid in cash on the day.

The tours listed are an indication of options and price. They can be customised to meet your specific needs. Tours are run at a pace to suit you.

An early collection at your hotel/guest house and we head for the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, where a number of grassland and dry-west endemics can be seen. Common species include African Red-eyed Bulbul, Mocking Cliff-chat, Red-throated Wryneck, Bokmakierie and Karoo Thrush. Amongst the 60 or species to be expected in this habitat are endemics such as Red-winged Francolin, Sentinel Rock-thrush, Eastern Long-billed Lark, Mountain Wheatear and Kalahari Robin.

After a hearty picnic lunch, we transfer to Marievale Bird Sanctuary for an afternoon birding this world famous wetland The sanctuary is part of a large wetland complex and supports a host of waterbirds. Common species include Goliath and Squacco Heron and Black Egret. Endemics include Cape Shoveler, Yellow Canary and Black-chested Prinia.

We enjoy a quick lunch and then travel southward to visit diverse areas of woodland, wetland and rocky outcrop. We visit the Seringveld Conservancy where Kurrichane Thrush, Striped Kingfisher and Southern Black Flycatcher are likely. Local specials here include Pallid Flycatcher, Green-capped Eremomela and Tinkling Cisticola.

Day 1 - Johannesburg to eZemvelo
Stops are made at key birding spots en-route. Overnight at eZemvelo Game Reserve, where you will be treated to a traditional South African Braai (Barbecue) Accommodation is in comfortable, self-contained chalets.

Day 2 - Highveld and valleys
We explore the highveld grasslands and valleys of the eZemvelo Game Reserve. This area offers a chance to see Orange River Francolin, Barrows Korhaan and African Finfoot. Common species include Mocking Cliff-chat, Eastern Clapper Lark, Swainson’s Francolin and Southern Ant-eating Chat. In the afternoon we move westward to look for woodland birds such as Striped Kingfisher, Pallid Flycatcher and Green-capped Eremomela.

Overnight Kwandaba Game Lodge .

Day 3 - Western Dry Woodlands
We spend the day birding prime acacia thornveld, which offers a host of western specials such as Southern Pied Babbler, Shaft-tailed Whydah and Crimson-breasted Shrike. This is an area of exceptional diversity and day lists in excess of 120 species are typical.

Return to your hotel about 18H00.

Day 2
An early morning drive in the Pretoriuskop area will concentrate on some of the local specials, such as Gorgeous Bush Shrike, Bushveld Pipit and Yellow-throated Longclaw. After breakfast we explore the camp in the hope of seeing Brown-headed Parrot, Purple-Crested Turaco and Kurrichane Thrush.

We then move eastwards across Kruger to Skukuza, where we spend one night in en suite rondavels. There will be a dramatic change in habitat and consequently new birds and mammals. Skukuza is a good place for African Finfoot, which can be seen from the camp. Other species in this vicinity include African Fish Eagle, Eastern Bearded Robin, Trumpeter Hornbill and a host of woodland species. Overnight Skukuza.

Day 3
Today we travel down the Sabie river to the Lower Sabie camp. This area offers a good variety of habitat, including open plains areas to the east. Here we expect to see a host of new birds and mammals and look out for Black-bellied and Red-crested Korhaan, Kori Bustard, Saddle-billed Stork, Lappet-faced and White-backed Vultures and Senegal Lapwing (Lesser Black-winged Plover)
Overnight Lower Sabie.

Day 4
After an early morning bird drive, we will leave the park at Crocodile Bridge and return to Johannesburg via Nelspruit.

(Optional stop at Kaapsehoop for Blue Swallow)

Return to Johannesburg about 18H00.

This tour is designed to maximise bird species on an exciting tour in Dinokeng and Limpopo, while including a good deal of time in the Kruger National Park.

Day 1
We travel north and, within an hour, begin birding in earnest. We visit select localities in Dinokeng, which offer an excellent range of birds, including species such as Fawn-coloured Lark, Northern Black Korhaan, White-fronted Bee-eater and Tinkling Cisticola. Waterbirds may include Little Bittern and White-backed Duck. A later stop at some rocky outcrops will produce Mocking Cliff-chat, Karoo Thrush and Bar-throated Apalis. We then proceed to our overnight lodging at Tshukudu Game Lodge.

Day 2
Dawn finds us in prime acacia woodland along the Pienaar’s river valley. This provides a great opportunity to see “western” species such as Kalahari Robin, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Southern Pied Babbler, Cape Penduline-tit, Black-faced Waxbill, Ashy Tit, Barred Wren-Warbler and others– all species we will not encounter in Kruger.

After a hearty picnic brunch on a cattle ranch, we head northward – stopping en route near Polokwane to look for the range-restricted Short-clawed Lark. The accommodation at Magoebaskloof is situated in the midst of fine indigenous forest at Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge.

Day 3
Dawn finds us in the forest - target birds being Black-fronted Bush Shrike and Bat Hawk. A number of other Forest specials are be sought here, including Narina Trogon, Knysna Turaco, Orange Ground Thrush, Mountain (Long-tailed) Wagtail, Cape Parrot, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Yellow-streaked Bulbul and Green Twinspot. We also encounter a host of other forest birds such as Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Crowned Eagle, Cinnamon Dove, Starred and Chorister Robin, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Emerald Cuckoo, Forest Buzzard, Barratt's Warbler, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher and Southern and Greater Double-collared Sunbird.

We leave this area after lunch and head north towards the Punda Maria Gate of the Kruger National Park. Overnight Punda Maria Camp.

Day 4
We take a picnic basket and make an early start for Pafuri.

At the Pafuri River a wide band of Riverine forest provides refuge for a large diversity of birds. We scan the woodland for Yellow-spotted Nicator, Tropical Boubou and Green-capped Eremomela. With a bit of luck we will see African Finfoot and a host of river associated birds such as Saddle and Open-billed Stork as well as White-crowned Lapwing.

Other birds present include Long-tailed Starling, Heuglins Robin, Wattle-eyed Flycatcher and Gorgeous Bush Shrike. We scan the trees for Giant Eagle and Pel's Fishing Owl as well as Narina Trogon. Raptors are plentiful and include White-backed, Lappet-faced and Hooded Vulture, Martial Eagle, Black Eagle, Bataleur, African Harrier-hawk and Cuckoo Hawk.

In the late afternoon we drive the Mahonie Loop near Punda Maria, which offers an excellent array of woodland birds including Red-billed Helmet Shrike, Grey-headed Parrot, Ayre’s Eagle and Purple-cested Turaco.

Overnight Punda Maria.

Kori Bustard Photograph Ria Grant

Day 5 Today we head south across the park towards Satara. This long drive will provide the opportunity to see a variety of mammals, as well as diverse habitats which offer new birds! We look out for Kori Bustard, Red-winged Pratincole and Black-bellied Korhaan. We spend the night in Satara Rest Camp – an area renowned for the frequency of sightings of Lion, Leopard and Cheetah.

We leave the park at the Orpen gate and proceed with the long drive to Johannesburg, pausing only to look for the mystical Taita Falcon.

Arrive Johannesburg about 19H00.

Contact Us:

PO Box 215
Newlands
7725
South Africa

e-mail us:
info@birdwatch.co.za