| Kwazulu |
| The Kwazulu area has much to offer the birder
and naturalist. The spectacular scenery of the 240 000 hectare
Drakensberg wilderness makes this area alone a birding experience
hard to beat. In addition, there is a greater diversity of forest
type in Kwazulu than anywhere else in South Africa. The area
also supports a wonderful diversity of lagoons, estuaries, marshes,
pans and patches of bushveld.
BirdWatch Cape acts as agent only
for the tours listed below and
not as principal operator. |
|
Day Tours (price available on request) |
| DD1 |
South Coast |
|
| DD2 |
North Coast |
|
| DD3 |
City's Best |
|
| DD4 |
Forest and Bush |
|
| DD5 |
Wetlands and Bush |
|
|
Overnight Tours (price available on request) |
| KZN2 |
Blazing the
East Coast |
|
| KZN3 |
Montane Forest
and Drakensberg |
|
| KZN4 |
Kwazulu Coast
and Wakkerstroom |
|
| KZN5 |
Drakensberg Mountains, Forest and Bushveld |
|
| In the case
of the day tours the price is inclusive
of Hotel/Guest House pick up/drop
off but excludes
meals and entrance fees. In respect of all overnight
tours the price is inclusive of entrance
fees, meals and accommodation.
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. |
| Day Tours - Durban |
| Durban is a large, cosmopolitan and very African
city. It enjoys a wealth of natural areas and a warm tropical
climate. A variety of different habitat types can be explored
depending on particular interests and the birds one wants
to see.
Tour
duration 10-12 hours unless otherwise indicated.
All day tours target about 90 birds with 4 – 6 Southern
African endemics. |
| DD1
- South Coast Tour |
Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve. Patches of coastal grassland
and forest form the bulk of the habitat types we will be birding
here.
We lunch in a small coastal town before making our way to
Umdoni Park - another great patch of coastal forest.
Top Birds - Knysna Turaco, Brown Scrub-Robin,
Magpie Mannikin, Green Malkoha, Little Bee-eater and Grey
Waxbill |
Knysna Turaco
Photograph courtesy N. Bickall, South Africa |
| DD2
- North Coast Tour |
First stop Dhlinza Forest. A canopy walkway
at Dhlinza eases the job of finding specials. We then head
to nearby Entumeni Forest for a few more forest birds. Our
return journey takes in a productive wetland and an excellent
patch of coastal grassland.
Top Birds - Spotted Ground-Thrush, Eastern
Bronze-naped pigeon, Yellow-streaked Bulbul, Green Twinspot
and  Crowned
Eagle |
| DD3
- The City's Best (8 - 10 hours)
|
This trip covers the most productive birding
areas close to the city. We visit the Durban Bayhead and Umgeni
River Mouth in the hours around low tide. These areas have
some great shorebirds. We also visit the Kenneth Stainbank
Reserve that harbours pristine forest and grassland.
Top Birds - Terek Sandpiper, Little Tern,
Goliath Heron, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, White-eared Barbet
and Green
Malkoha |
| DD4
- Forest and Bush (8 - 10 hours)
|
We begin our day in the wonderful Kranzkloof
Forest Reserve. A flat and easy trail gives us access to excellent
birding. For here it is off to the fine bushveld of Shongweni
Nature Reserve. Great bushveld birding with a few specials
makes this a popular day out.
Top Birds - Black Stork, Striped Pipit, African
Black Duck, Yellow-throated Wood Warbler, Southern Tchagra
and Knysna
Turaco |
| DD5
- Wetlands and Bush |
Our first stop is Cumberland Nature
Reserve. Bird rich Acacia woodland and cliffs draped in forest
form the bulk of habitat here. Next stop is a water treatment
plant near Pietermaritzburg - a half-hour drive away. The
various pools team with waterfowl and will boost the species
number today considerably. |
| Overnight Tours - Kwazulu |
| KZN2
- Blazing the East Coast |
| 4 Days, 700km, We target
320 birds including 8 endemics |
Day 1
Our first stop is Amatikulu Reserve, our best chance for grassland
birds. We then head up to Dhinza Forest, which is rich in
specials, easily accessible and has the only canopy walkway
in the country. We overnight in a quaint, comfortable guesthouse a short distance from the forest.
Top Birds - Olive Sunbird, Black-throated Wattle-eye,
Brown-throated Weaver, Crowned Eagle and Eastern Bronze-naped
Pigeon
Day 2
Dhlinza forest at first light. Next stop Mtunzini where we
search for Palmnut Vulture. We overnight in Bonamanzi Game
Park in comfortable hutted accommodation.
Top Birds - Black Coucal, Emerald Cuckoo, Giant Eagle
Owl, Green Twinspot and Olive Bush-shrike
Day 3
We bird the grasslands, palmveld and thornveld areas of Bonamanzi.
Later in the day we head to our overnight accommodation near
Mkuze Game Reserve. Our lodge has a platform overlooking a
lovely stretch of water where we are treated to typical African
cuisine.
Top Birds - Lemon-breasted Canary, Rosy-throated
Longclaw, Pink-throated Twinspot, Grey Penduline Tit and Gorgeous
Bush Shrike
Day 4
The morning is spent exploring the sand forests and bushveld of Mkuze. We will also visit some great game viewing hides and a large pan teeming with waterfowl. Mkuze also supports a wide variety of small and larger mammals. We return to Durban that afternoon.
Top Birds - Stierlings Wren-Warbler, Neergard’s Sunbird, Rudd’s Apalis, African Broadbill and Southern Banded Snake-eagle |
Lilac-breasted Roller
Photograph Ria Grant |
|
| KZN3
- Montane Forest and Drakensberg
|
| 4 Days, 600 km, 280 birds
including 16 endemics |
| Day 1
Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve (see DD1 above)
We then head inland to the small town of Creighton where we
spend the afternoon birding grassland and wetland habitats.
We overnight at a guesthouse in the area which caters specifically
for birders.
Top Birds - Green Malkoha, Black-rumped Buttonquail,
Cape Eagle-owl, Striped Flufftail, Corncrake and Broad-tailed
Warbler
Day 2
The day begins in a spectacular mist belt forest near our
accommodation. Our main target is the increasingly rare Cape
Parrot. We then head for the wonderful Drakensberg Mountains.
Our accommodation is in the quaint town of Himeville.
Top Birds - Cape Parrot, White-starred Robin, Bush
Blackcap, Olive Woodpecker, Drakensberg Prinia and Black Sparrowhawk
Mist Belt Forest
Photograph Richard White
Day 3
Today we make our way up the magnificent Sani Pass. Patches
of woodland, rocky slopes, grassland and mountain streams
are some of the exciting habitat types that we encounter on
this endemic rich day. Overnight Himeville.
Top Birds – Barrat’s Warbler, Orange-breasted
Rock-jumper, Drakensberg Siskin, Buff-streaked Chat, Ground
Woodpecker and Bearded Vulture
Day 4
We do some early morning birding in the vicinity of our accommodation
before heading back to Durban via a different route.
Top Birds - Blue Swallow, Grey Crowned Crane,
Denhams Bustard, Wailing Cisticola and Long-crested
Eagle |
| KZN4
- Kwazulu Coast and Wakkerstroom
|
| 6 Days, 1000km, We target
350 birds including South African 18 endemics |
| Day 1
Our first stop is Amatikulu Reserve - our best chance for
coastal grassland birds. We then head up to Dhlinza Forest
and over-night in a quaint, comfortable guesthouse a short
distance from the forest.
Top Birds - Spotted Ground Thrush, Eastern Bronze-naped
Pigeon, White-eared Barbet, Green Twinspot and Swamp Nightjar
Day 2
Dhlinza Forest and Mtunzini. (see KZN2
Day 2 above) Overnight near the bird rich Mkuze Game Reserve.
Top Birds - Grey Cuckooshrike, Olive Woodpecker,
Chorister Robin-Chat, Olive Bush shrike and Green Malkoha
Day 3
Mkuzi. (See KZN2 Day 4 above) Overnight Mkuzi.
Top Birds -Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergard’s
Sunbird, Rudd’s Apalis, African Broadbill and Southern
Banded Snake-eagle
Day 4
A final few hours at Mkuzi before making our way to Wakkerstroom
Wetlands, Highveld Grassland and patches of Leucosidia forest
are the habitats that we will be exploring here. We overnight
in a beautiful farmhouse in town.
Top Birds - African Snipe, African Rail, SA Shelduck,
African Marsh Harrier and Marsh and Grass Owls
Day 5
Today we explore the areas around Wakkerstroom. A convenient
network of good roads allows us to access most of the area
highlights in just one day. One can expect great grassland
and forest birding. Overnight Wakkerstroom.
Top Birds - Eastern Long-billed, Rudds and Bothas
Larks, Grey-winged Francolin, Yellow-breasted Pipit and Southern
Bald Ibis
Day 6
A final few hours birding the Wakkerstroom
area before the long drive back to Durban – via
a selection of good birding spots en route. |
| KZN5
- Drakensberg Mountains, Forest
and Bushveld |
| 6 Days, 1000 kms, We target
320 birds including 18 endemics |
| Day 1
We spend the morning concentrating on coastal specials close
to Durban. We then make our way to our overnight accommodation in Himeville set in the Drakensberg Mountains.
Top Birds - Purple-banded Sunbird, Spotted Ground
Thrush (April-September), Pinkbacked Pelican, Olive Sunbird,
Yellow Bishop and Dehnam’s Bustard
Day 2
Sani Pass. (See KZN3 Day 3) Overnight again in Himeville.
Top Birds – Barrat’s Warbler, Orange-breasted
Rock-jumper, Drakensberg Siskin, Buff-streaked Mountain Chat,
Ground Woodpecker, Bearded Vulture
Day 3
The day begins in a patch of exciting Afro-montane Forest.
We then we head for the coast again - visiting a sewerage
works on the way. Overnight in a country style guesthouse near the Dhlinza Forest.
Top Birds - Bush Blackcap, White-starred Robin, Blue-mantled
Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Wood Warbler, Dark-capped Yellow
Warbler and Ballions Crake
Day 4
Dhlinza forest and Mtunzini. (See KZN2
Day 2) Overnight in luxury accommodation near Mkuzi Game Reserve.
Top Birds - Spotted Ground Thrush, Green Twinspot,
Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Black Sparrowhawk and Green Malkoha
Day 5
Mkuze. (See KZN2 Day 4) Overnight Mkuze.
Top Birds -Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergard’s
Sunbird, Rudd’s Apalis, African Broadbill and Southern
Banded Snake-eagle
Day 6
We do some birding around the Game
lodge before heading back to Durban taking in some 'hotspots'
along
the way. |
 |
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Tel: +27 (0)72 211 9863
Fax: +27 (0)21 592 7438 |
|
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Box 215
Newlands
7725
South Africa
e-mail us:
info@birdwatch.co.za
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