Ethiopia – Spring Endemics

May 25 – Jun 10, 2019 (17 days)

Spring brings earth-quenching rain, painting the spectacular landscapes in green. Spring means the Palearctic migrants have already returned home, but the essential endemic and specialty species are beginning to breed, at a time when regular tourist season is over, such that we’ll have Ethiopia all to ourselves. We also have chances for the monotypic Egyptian Plover, not possible here at any other time of year. Fascinating history, diverse cultures, and extraordinary wildlife make Ethiopia a thrilling destination for both hard-core and casual birders. Indeed, many fall in love with the country, and among your Rockjumper leaders it remains a prized destination on the African continent.

Canada – New Brunswick & Quebec:
Great Migration & Whales

Aug 23 – Sep 02, 2019 (11 days)

Manitoba Extension

From scenery that is nothing short of epic to the stunning wildlife that calls it home, the natural wealth of eastern Canada is undeniable. This exclusive expedition offers a variety of snazzy migrant warblers, several boreal specialties, an array of seabirds, and possibly even the world’s largest and heaviest member of the deer family: the moose! We combine two unsurpassed natural events, with the Great Whales that have arrived at the St. Lawrence River to feed, and the passage of millions of shorebirds on the Bay of Fundy – also home of the largest tides in the world.

Argentina – North West Endemics

Jan 25 – Feb 07, 2020 (14 days)

Cordoba Extension | North East Extension

This comprehensive north-west tour is set amongst some of the most magnificent scenery in all of South America, and targets every single endemic and near-endemic bird the region has to offer! From such diverse areas as Quebrada de las Conchas and Tafi del Valle to the spectacular Humahuaca Valley and Yungas Cloud forests of Calilegua National Park, no better backdrop exists for seeking the region’s avian gems! Highlights include Rufous-throated Dipper, Tucuman Mountain Finch, flashy Red-tailed Comet, immense Andean Condor, Sandy Gallito, Burrowing Parrot, Tucuman Amazon, Lark-like Brushrunner and even Spot-winged Falconet.

Vietnam – Southern and Central Specialties

Feb 15 – 29, 2020 (15 days)

Northern Extension

After being isolated from the world for decades, Vietnam is now a coveted destination on the world birding travel map. Encompassing all the essential sites of southern and central Vietnam, and combining this tour with the Northern Extension gives us an excellent chance of locating all viable endemic and near-endemic species. Starting in the south, we will explore highlands, lowlands and everything in between for an incredible suite of avian and mammalian specialties. This tour is for anyone with a taste for the exotic. Join us in exploring this incredible country.

Costa Rica – Budget Birding

May 01 – 11, 2020 (11 days)

The small Republic of Costa Rica has strategically and firmly situated itself at the top of the avitourism market. By developing a superb infrastructure to service the numerous visiting birders, and with over 850 bird species, staggeringly scenic landscapes, and year-round tropical climes, it is easy to understand why. A wide variety of habitats are on display, including the montane forests of the volcanic belt and the dry northern Pacific lowlands. Together, we’ll see a vast array of trogons, toucans, motmots and hummingbirds, among many other spectacular species. Thrilling birds, quality lodges, and a relaxed pace make this destination perfect for anyone who has yet to experience the wonder of Central America!

Turkey – Birding Eastern Anatolia

Jun 14 – 24, 2020 (11 days)

The size of Texas, Turkey is a spectacular avian and cultural crossroads. This fascinating nation owns an ancient history, dating back to well before Greek, Roman, and Byzantine domination, through the 500-year Ottoman Empire, and into the modern era. Needless to say, with such a pedigree Turkey offers many archaeological and cultural treasures. However, it is the birds that are of primary interest to us! As we traverse the eastern limits of the Western Palearctic, we expect to find unusual and seldom-seen species that are sure to thrill all who bear witness.

South West Pacific Islands – Samoa & Fiji

Jul 26 – Aug 07, 2019 (13 days)

New Caledonia Extension

A tour unlike any other, each island explored on this epic adventure exhibits its own distinctive ensemble of memorable, rarely-seen endemics, including some of our planet’s least-known species. Although these oceanic islands and their bird lists are not large, they are exceptional. Treated to a beautiful assortment of imperial pigeons, fruit doves, parrots, lorikeets and kingfishers, we will also enjoy hosts of flycatchers, monarchs, fantails, whistlers, honeyeaters, and white-eyes, all endemic to this extraordinary destination.

Peru – Central: Iquitos Endemics

Sep 12 – 21, 2019 (10 days)

Promising full immersion in the Amazon rainforest, Peru is clearly among the leading South American destinations. Our time in Iquitos will be divided between Allpahuayo Mishana, Explornapo, and Muyuna Lodge. With an area species list of over 600, we are sure to have our birding lists filled with a fantastic volume of new species! While it is impossible to know every potential highlight beforehand, we do know that this area holds fantastic opportunities for several range-restricted, endemic, and critically endangered species, as well as a slew of other fabulous Amazonian icons.

Gabon – Rainforest Birds & Mammals

Aug 04 – 18, 2019 (15 days)

 This tour takes in the bird-rich Leconi area of south-eastern Gabon, near the Congo border, as well as the fabulous Lope and Ivindo National Parks. As we search for some of Africa’s toughest and most attractive bird species, including Black-headed and Rosy Bee-eaters, Bare-cheeked Trogon, Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Fiery-breasted Bushshrike, Shining-blue, Chocolate-backed and African Dwarf Kingfishers, African Finfoot, Black-casqued Hornbill, Finsch’s Francolin, Congo Moor Chat, Black-chinned Weaver and both Vermiculated and Pel’s Fishing Owls – to name just a handful, we will also seek out some incredible mammals, including Lowland Gorilla!

Indian Ocean Islands –
Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion & Seychelles

Sep 17 – 28, 2019 (12 days)

Sprinkled on the tropical seas near East Africa is a series of islands where paradise is defined! On our exploration, we will search for birds in the most spectacular scenery: forest-clad volcanic peaks, verdant forest patches and white, shell-laden beaches. Over 35 regional endemics are possible, including some of the world’s rarest birds. Our exploration of these tropical islands is a fantastic birding getaway in its own right and serves as a perfect pre-tour to the Comoros or as an add-on to our Madagascar tours. We welcome you to join us as we island-hop with binoculars in hand in our quest to find the birds of these heavenly Indian Ocean isles.

Adam Riley – Red-rumped Swallow

During the 3^rd week of January, we held our annual Rockjumper strategy and planning session. Our senior team jetted in from around the world (George Armistead from Philadelphia, Wendy Clark from Ohio, Keith Valentine from Cape Town, Niki Stuart from Mauritius and Clayton Burne and myself from the Natal Midlands), to our inspirational destination high in the Drakensberg Mountains of Lesotho. Between our sessions, we enjoyed some great birding and found a few Lesotho rarities, such as Pale Chanting Goshawk and an influx of Black-headed Canaries – always a tough bird to connect with. However, the biggest surprise came just after we dropped Wendy off at the airport. George and I decided to visit a nearby waterworks in Pietermaritzburg. As we arrived, George joked about finding a rarity! And, sure enough, within minutes a strange swallow flew past us. Fortunately, it landed, and I was able to snap a few images, documenting KwaZulu-Natal province’s 1^st and South Africa’s 3^rd Red-rumped Swallow record. This widespread Asian, European and African species normally only occurs as far south as Malawi and northern Zambia.

Andre Bernon – Green Cochoa

The most memorable and bizarre bird sighting for me happened on a fantastic 14-day Thailand Highlights tour at the end of November 2018. Before we had even reached Khao Yai National Park, we had already made really good work of the areas we had birded, seeing tough species like Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann’s Greenshank, Claudia’s Leaf Warbler, Tickell’s Brown Hornbill, Ferruginous Partridge, Chinese Egret, Far Eastern Curlew and Asian Dowitcher. We had a full day to bird in Khao Yai, and while we were looking for the extremely shy Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo, a green bird flew straight over our heads, showing a beautiful black and white patterning in the wing. Luckily, it landed in a sparsely-leafed tree not too far from us, allowing us to get great looks at this notoriously difficult species to even get glimpses of!

Daniel Danckwerts – African Pitta

Pittas are renowned as one of the toughest groups of birds to connect with and, among them, African Pitta is widely regarded as one of the most elusive of them all; the species is sometimes even referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ of African birdwatching. African Pitta occurs widely across sub-Saharan Africa, frequenting the understory of lowland thickets and rainforests. In spite of its widespread distribution, the species is rarely seen due to its secretive habits and quiet nature. The birds call for just a short period of the year, usually coinciding with the first summer rains and the start of the breeding period, after which they fall totally silent and become almost impossible to find.

After many years of wishful thinking, I finally landed an opportunity to search for African Pitta on a Tailor-Made tour through Zambia. My guests and I camped along the edge of an extremely remote ephemeral river in the Zambezi valley, near the border of Zimbabwe, for three days. Days one and two yielded nothing in the form of a pitta; however, late in the afternoon on the third day, a pitta called a fair distance away in an impenetrable thicket. After an anxious twenty minutes, the birds were coaxed closer. Using a small game trail to navigate the spiny thicket, we headed in the direction we thought the bird had called from. We sat and waited. We waited a bit more. To our surprise, not three meters away, a small shape parachuted down from the canopy. Could it be? A few more anxious minutes and the bird melted into view. Splashes of red, iridescent blue, and buff broke the swathes of endless green within the thicket. Who would believe that a second bird would then join the perch and, together, they’d sit preening for some five minutes? The sighting left us shaking with excitement, and several cold beers were enjoyed by all in celebration.

David Erterius – Madagascar Pochard

Madagascar Pochard is known as one of the rarest bird species on earth. Once believed to be extinct, the species was rediscovered at a remote lake in 2006, and it was estimated that there were only 20 pochards left in the world. Soon after, Durrell in partnership with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Madagascar Government began an emergency operation to save the species from extinction. A captive-rearing project has been up and running ever since and so far a number of ducklings have been reared and released into the wild. The aim of this project is to one day return this species to other parts of Madagascar. As of November 2018, the wild population of Madagascar Pochard numbered 62 individuals.

On the Madagascar Mega tour in November last year, we managed to get to this remote lake where we spent a few hours with this highly endangered species, watching them forage, preen and rear their young. A total of 22 adults and 24 ducklings were noted by us. A true privilege, and something that yields hope for future conservation on earth!

David Hoddinott – Scissor-tailed Kite

On a recent trip to Senegal, we witnessed one of those birding spectacles that you dream about, and one which will forever stay etched in our memories. We visited a Scissor-tailed Kite roost where thousands of birds (sometimes up to 30,000) come in from all directions to roost on an island. These numbers vary from year to year, but with even 7,000 such as this year, it is quite a phenomenal experience. Watching such numbers of these enigmatic and extremely elegant raptors coming in to roost has to be seen to be believed. I had seen this species before in Cameroon and Ethiopia, but never more than 15 birds at a time, and one needs to travel to remote areas of these countries just to have a chance of seeing it. In Senegal, the sightings we had of these splendid raptors exceeded our expectations, and an added bonus was thousands of Lesser Kestrels (up to 20,000) joining them at the roost. This has to rate as one of THE great birding spectacles! Simply a must see.

Dušan Brinkhuizen – Yellow-breasted Crake

The tiny Yellow-breasted Crake has been eluding me for quite a while. It’s fairly widespread in Central and South America, but the species seems very locally distributed in most countries, and in common with many other rallids, their behavior is typically secretive. The species doesn’t seem to be as vocal compared to some other crake species, so Yellow-breasted Crake is very likely under-detected. Over the past few years, I’ve done numerous tours to Cuba but failed to pick up any evidence of Yellow-breasted Crakes. And, not to forget, the same obviously holds for the mythical Zapata Rail! In January of 2019, during our regular Cuba III tour, we heard a Spotted Rail calling from a freshwater marsh and, after some hide and seek, we got wonderful views of this very attractive bird. At the same spot, Least Bittern popped out of the reeds, and suddenly something else was flushed that surely looked like a tiny crake with yellow legs! Immediately, we carefully played the tape of Yellow-breasted Crake, and after a few minutes something responded very softly, an unfamiliar sound to me, certainly not matching Spotted Rail. We placed the speaker at a tactical opening in the marsh in the hope that it, whatever it was, would come out. After a few more minutes of silence, suddenly a tiny but strikingly patterned crake walked out of the reeds: it was a Yellow-breasted Crake indeed – an adult bird – posing only a few meters away from us! For at least a full minute, we all got mind-blowing views of this little stunner, and we even managed to photograph it.

Greg de Klerk – White-tailed Swallow

On my recent tour to Ethiopia, we set out to cover as much ground as possible in the Yabelo area. Having been restricted for birding the previous day, we had a packed schedule and needed to find as many species as possible. Yet, by midday, as we stopped for lunch our hope of connecting with a White-tailed Swallow, an endemic species with a small range in Southern Ethiopia, was fading – despite chasing every hirundine we saw in the sky. Finally, we decided to leave the area, having not found this sought-after species. As we turned onto the main road heading back to our accommodation, a swallow flew past us and, as if in slow motion, banked wonderfully to show us the diagnostic white tail. Instantly, I called all participants to me and proceeded to give horse-race-like commentary to ensure all managed a great view of this endemic. With everyone exhilarated with the experience, we returned to the vehicles and traveled happily to camp.

Heinz Ortmann – Bearded Vulture

Bearded Vulture is an incredible bird that I have had the privilege of seeing in South Africa, Lesotho and Ethiopia. Although not a lifer, on a recent private trip to Ethiopia we had amazing numbers of this species in the Lalibela area, as well as in the Simien Mountains. It was in the unbelievably impressive Simien Mountains from the lodge deck that I, along with some members of the group, experienced quite an astounding sighting. The sheer number of species and individuals of corvids, vultures and raptors in the Simiens is quite simply one of the most impressive birding experiences I have had on continental Africa. It was one late afternoon, whilst watching several species of vulture, eagle and smaller raptors that included Lappet-faced Vulture, and Steppe and Tawny Eagles through to Lanner Falcons and Thick-billed Ravens, that I noticed a Bearded Vulture carrying something whilst in flight. At first glance, it did not look like a bone, and as the bird came into better view in my binoculars, I was able to confirm that this vulture was carrying a dead young Gelada – a baboon-like primate endemic to Ethiopia! What ensued was incredible, as a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles began harassing the vulture in mid-air, all three birds twisting and turning until the vulture eventually gave up and dropped the Gelada, which was then immediately caught by the female Verreaux’s Eagle in mid-flight! The pair of eagles flew off to the cliff, out of sight and presumably to their nest, whilst the vulture continued in search of more food. This was one of many incredible experiences in the Simien Mountains, an absolute must-visit part of Africa in my view!

Nigel Redman – Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise

As the first shafts of daylight penetrated through the canopy to a small clearing in the forest, a dark shape appeared on a horizontal branch a few meters above the ground. In the gloom, the bird began to call before dropping silently down to the ground. As it moved into the gradually improving light, the black silhouette all-of-a-sudden became a riot of bright scarlet, golden-yellow, deep blue and iridescent green, topped with a sky-blue crown. It was, of course, a male Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, arguably one of the best-looking birds in the world, and here we were peering through the holes in the blind, watching one at close range as he performed his daily chore of tidying his backyard, removing unwanted leaves that had fallen during the night. We spent the next three hours admiring this vision of utter beauty while trying to capture the moment with our cameras. A female made a brief appearance but did not stay around, and another male also showed up but was chased off. This magical treat on the island of Waigeo was the unanimous bird of the trip on our Indonesia Eastern Highlights tour, and will remain one of the best birds that any of us ever sees.

Rob Williams – Slender-billed Flufftail

Arriving in Madagascar, my most-wanted bird was the scarce Slender-billed Flufftail, but it seemed improbable, as the only area with regular recent sightings was in the remote north and not on our itinerary. Thankfully, the Madagascar Comprehensive tour that I was guiding was enjoying a great run of luck. We had seen Madagascar Snipe at a small marsh in the highlands of Ranomafana National Park, and were searching for Madagascar Rail when I spotted a flufftail’s head peeping out of some grass some 30m away. Putting my bins up, I saw it was red with a short bill and unspotted upperparts – in disbelief, I quickly encouraged the group to look. The bird dashed across a small opening and was gone, and only a couple of people had seen it. Placing a speaker a couple of meters deep in the marsh, we played the call. Suddenly, it appeared nearer briefly, but kept darting back into the dense vegetation. Eventually, we all enjoyed amazing views of this rarely seen bird just a couple of meters away in the open. It had not been recorded in Ranomafana for many years and was even a lifer for the local guide.

Tuomas Seimola – Black and Rosy Bee-eaters

One of the most intriguing bird families in the Old World are the bee-eaters, Meropidae. Most of the species in this family occur in Africa, but there are some bee-eater species in Europe, Asia and Australia as well. These birds are specialized to catch insects from the air, and seeing them hawking leaves you in awe of their agility. During my recent Ghana Comprehensive tour, we were lucky to see a total of 8 species of these aerial masters. Some of them were rare, some common, some local, but all of them very handsome birds.

In the Kakum National Park area, we had the opportunity to observe two very special bee-eater species. One of them stands out for having a name that doesn’t give nearly enough credit to its stylish plumage. Black Bee-eater inhabits tall forest and farm bush areas in Western Africa. The Rosy Bee-eater on the other hand, is a migratory bird that comes to Ghana to spend their winter in forested areas. We saw an incredible 200 birds that were gathering in a feeding area, catching mainly butterflies. These two species certainly stood out as my favorites from the 8 species we saw.

Yoav Perlman – Jaguar

While on a Tailor-Made tour in Brazil, we traveled down to the spectacular Pantanal floodplains. After a long trip from São Paulo, we arrived at Porto Jofre, the Gateway to the Pantanal, quite exhausted. Our first boat trip along the mighty Cuiaba River was wonderful, but we missed what we really wanted. However, on our second trip, we had a heart-stopping encounter with a beautiful female Jaguar resting on a large tree trunk over one of the Cuiaba River tributaries. What an awesome animal. That afternoon, we saw another two Jaguars, and over the next couple of days we encountered a total of five, despite visiting in the Low Season for them. And with days of 100+ bird species, including spectacles such as a Bat Falcon hunting a martin, Toco Toucan thrashing a Yellow-rumped Cacique nest, or hundreds of Band-tailed Nighthawks hawking over the river at dusk, our birding in the Pantanal was nothing short of brilliant.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect since this was my first birding specific trip and it exceeded my expectations. Seeing all the endemic birds, mammals and reptiles was a once in a lifetime experience I will always remember. Adam Walleyn is a great guide who is extremely knowledgeable about most things “Madagascar”. And he has balanced the skills of keeping us all on track and being fun to hang around with – so many interesting stories about his travels.

– MF, Madagascar 2018

Adam Walleyn was amazing, and we will definitely be looking into arranging a private Rockjumper tour with him in the future. Not only did he have extensive knowledge of the birds, but also the other flora and fauna, as well as some of the historical aspects of Madagascar.

– KO & MD, Madagascar 2018

All my expectations for this trip were met and exceeded, beginning with our guide Andre Bernon who is a delight in and out of the field.  Fantastic birding skills and people skills, a great combination for a guide.

– DH & KH, Thailand 2018

As for the tour itself, it was excellent – Andre Bernon is a super leader, not just an excellent birder but very good with all the trip details… nothing was too much trouble. He is a thoroughly good bloke…

– CB, Thailand 2018

Doug McCulloch was great and he worked extremely hard at finding lots of birds and wildlife for our group to enjoy. He is very knowledgeable regarding the flora of each type of habitat and has excellent birding skills.

– VS & BS, South Africa 2018

Our guide, Doug McCulloch, was outstanding. Both professional and personable. He made sure we all got on the bird if possible. He has great eyes and ears, and went out of his way at times. Ie: The scope set up too high, but was the only way to see the bird. For Joanie, Doug got down on all fours and had her step up on his back to see an African Finfoot through the scope. (We have a photo of this).

– MH & JH, South Africa 2018

Dušan Brinkhuizen is a fantastic guide! He is incredibly talented as a birder but equally important, he is very patient and he managed our group perfectly. We had a great time together based on his leadership. He is an asset to Rockjumper.

– AB, Ecuador 2018

It was a well-oiled machine. Dušan Brinkhuizen is an excellent guide. It goes without saying he knows his birds and he kept the whole adventure moving smoothly. I would hope Dušan would be the guide on my next Rockjumper tour.

– DS, Ecuador 2018

Erik Forsyth is a wonderful guy, so enjoyable to travel with. He is knowledgeable, down to earth and quite humorous! We did New Zealand with Erik a few years ago and would definitely go with him on other Rockjumper trips in the future. Also, we would recommend Erik to others considering him as their leader.

– MR & MB, Australia 2018

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, which covered a wonderfully varied range of environments, scenery, birds, etc., and was a great introduction to New Zealand. Erik Forsyth did a good job of rearranging times and/or dates for two of the pelagics, which were ultimately successful–even given substantial rain and wind.

– AW & DW, New Zealand 2018