Our eastern South Africa birding and wildlife tours combine the great birds and mammals of the world-renowned Kruger National Park, the teeming Zululand game reserves, the endemic-rich mist-belt forests and grasslands of the Natal Midlands and the lofty peaks of the magnificent Drakensberg. Target species include Kori Bustard, Southern Ground Hornbill, Bateleur, Southern Bald Ibis, Bearded Vulture, Blue and Wattled Cranes, Blue Korhaan, Ground Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Rudd’s and Botha’s Larks, Spotted and Orange Ground Thrushes, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Gurney’s Sugarbird, the splendid Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Narina Trogon, Woodward’s Batis, Gorgeous and Olive Bushshrikes, Chorister Robin-Chat, Brown and Bearded Scrub Robins, Knysna and Livingstone's Turacos, Bush Blackcap and Rudd’s Apalis. Our chances of achieving the classic ‘Big Five’ (Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, African Buffalo and both Black & White Rhinoceroses) are excellent, while less common mammals include African Wild Dog, Cheetah and the endemic Black Wildebeest.
Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.
Blue, Wattled & Grey Crowned Cranes; Denham’s Bustard; Blue Korhaan; Southern Bald Ibis; Drakensberg Rockjumper; Gurney’s Sugarbird; Bush Blackcap; Ground, Bennett's & Olive Woodpeckers; Rudd’s & Botha’s Larks; Knysna, Purple-crested & Livingstone’s Turacos; Chorister Robin-Chat; Drakensberg & Karoo Prinias; Grey Tit; Karoo & Olive Thrushes; Fairy Flycatcher; Layard's & Chestnut-vented Warblers; Cape Parrot; Narina Trogon; Gorgeous & Olive Bushshrikes; Spotted & Orange Ground Thrushes; Cape & Sentinel Rock Thrushes; Rudd’s Apalis; Woodward’s & Cape Batises; Grey Waxbill; Brown & Bearded Scrub Robins; Buff-streaked & Sickle-winged Chats; Pink-throated Twinspot; Neergaard’s, Scarlet-chested & Southern Double-collared Sunbirds; Green Malkoha; Half-collared & Giant Kingfishers; Little & White-fronted Bee-eaters; Southern Boubou; Cape & Forest Canaries; Cape, Spectacled & Southern Brown-throated Weavers; Yellow-breasted Pipit.
Lion; Leopard; African Elephant; African Buffalo; Black & White Rhinoceroses; Meerkat, African Wild Dog; Black Wildebeest; Nyala; Cheetah; Southern Giraffe; Greater Kudu; Plains Zebra; Common Warthog; Common Eland; Sloggett’s Vlei Rat; Common Hippopotamus.
Dune and mist-belt forest, acacia savanna, high elevation and coastal grasslands, mountains, wetlands
Subtropical with chances for occasional rain, warm to hot in Kruger and Zululand, cooler in highlands, can be cold in winter
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
Moderate. Suitable for all birding / wildlife interest levels and most mobility capabilities. Can be a little tiring due to travel distances.
Good to comfortable.
Undemanding, most species provide good visuals. A small number of scarce/rare species.
320 - 380 (400 - 450 with extension)
Kruger National Park, Sani Pass and Drakensberg Mountains, dramatic scenery, Zulu culture, Indian Ocean, iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Good to very good. Some hides, mostly for mammal photography.
Both Greg and Wade were amazing. Greg has a fantastic knowledge of the area and it's wildlife. He was always willing to add information and facts regarding the wildlife we observed. He managed the tour expertly and his enthusiasm was contagious. And Wade is flat out the best bird/wildlife finder that I have ever been around. Truly extraordinary. The trip was beyond my expectations.
Andre Bernon was excellent at sharing his expertise and assisting even the most novice birder (me). We couldn't have asked for a better professional. And he was so personable, considerate and had a great sense of humor.
Great tour with amazing birds to see. Greg and Ward did a terrific job of finding the birds and making sure we saw everything. Kruger National Park was spectacular and we had unbelievable views of the animals. Loved the safari vehicle through the park and would recommend using it on future tours. The van was good as we all had window seats. Unfortunately there were issues with opening a couple of the windows along with electrical issues with the refrigerator and charging units at each seat but the guides adjusted to the situation as needed to make the experience a good one. The trip had a lot of time inside the van and sighting/seeing birds from the van. I would have liked more walking maybe on the roads when possible but I understand we were trying to see as many birds as possible. Overall a remarkable trip lead by professional, experienced guides and a great group of birders made this trip memorable.
David Hoddinott was a superior guide with extensive knowledge (of course) about the avifauna, but also provided good knowledge about other nature matters as well as SA culture and geography apart from being an overall nice person. Would highly recommend.
Pre-tour the office staff were superb in sorting out my problems and the personal touches added to our email communications really made a big difference to how I felt about the trip. The guide, Andre Bernon, was excellent. He was able to quickly and effectively locate and identify birds and get the group onto them. His knowledge of locations and ability to manage things on the ground showed real expertise and experience. His people skills and ability to ensure group dynamics were as smooth as possible was exceptional.
Tour Leader: James Wade Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,100 * USD384 * GBP307 * EUR357 * AUD582
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension IV 2024
Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,100 * USD384 * GBP307 * EUR357 * AUD582
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension V 2024
Tour Leader: James Wade Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,200 * USD389 * GBP312 * EUR362 * AUD590
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension I 2025
Tour Leader: Ryan Tyrer
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,200 * USD389 * GBP312 * EUR362 * AUD590
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension II 2025
Tour Leader: Ryan Tyrer
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,200 * USD389 * GBP312 * EUR362 * AUD590
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension III 2025
Tour Leader: James Wade Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,200 * USD389 * GBP312 * EUR362 * AUD590
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension IV 2025
Tour Leader: James Wade Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,324 * GBP3,460 * EUR4,017 * AUD6,550
Single Supplement: ZAR7,200 * USD389 * GBP312 * EUR362 * AUD590
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension V 2025
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South Africa - Williamson Wild Dog ext (RWT) 2024 - February 2024
South Africa - Frederick 2024 - February 2024
South Africa - Cape Extension I 2024 - January 2024
South Africa - Eastern I 2024 - January 2024
South Africa - Kruger Extension I 2023 - November 2023
South Africa - Mega Birding Tour I 2023 - November 2023
South Africa - Ball Karoo 2023 - October 2023
South Africa - Eastern VI 2023 - October 2023
South Africa - Cape Extension V 2023 - October 2023
South Africa - Eastern V 2023 - September 2023
South Africa - Budget Eastern (Small Group) 2023 - September 2023
South Africa - Harris (RWT) 2023 - August 2023
South Africa - Heller 2023 - June 2023
South Africa - Woo 2023 - June 2023
South Africa - Cape & Kruger I 2023 - May 2023
South Africa - Inglet 2023 - February 2023