This Birding, Wine and Big Game tour has been specifically crafted for those who wish to view the wide variety of South Africa’s most sought after birds and mammals, whilst also enjoying South Africa’s award-winning, famous wines. We base ourselves in Cape Town for the beginning of the tour, widely recognised as one of the world’s most beautiful cities and within easy reach of the country’s prime vineyards! From here we venture north along the Atlantic Coast, experiencing the diverse ecosystem of the West Coast National Park, before heading east for the interior dry country riches of the Tanqua Karoo. After exploring and sampling the best wines of the Western Cape, we wing our way to the province of KwaZulu-Natal on South Africa’s eastern seaboard. From our base within the Manyoni Private Game Reserve, a private 'Big 5' wildlife reserve, we shall enjoy comfortable game drives through some of the country’s finest birding and mammal habitat. From the endemic rich Fynbos Kingdom of the Western Cape to the teeming wildlife of Manyoni Private Game Reserve, this tour offers the very best of southern African birding, game viewing and wine!
Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.
Western Cape: Cape Rockjumper, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Siskin, Protea and Cape Canaries, Orange-breasted, Malachite & Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, African Penguin, African Oystercatcher, Crowned, Bank & Cape Cormorants, Black Harrier, Southern Black and Karoo Korhaans, Cape Spurfowl, Bokmakierie, Jackal Buzzard, Southern Boubou, Swee Waxbill, Karoo and Large-billed Larks, Karoo Eremomela, Ground Woodpecker, Cape Weaver, Cape Bulbul, Maccoa Duck, Cape Teal, Cape Shoveler, South African Shelduck, Victorin’s, Cinnamon-breasted, Rufous-eared and Namaqua Warblers, Cape Penduline Tit, White-backed Mousebird, Greater and Lesser Flamingos Zululand: Common Ostrich, Saddle-billed and Marabou Storks, African Openbill, Bateleur, Martial, Crowned, African Hawk- and Tawny Eagles, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Lappet-faced Vulture, Natal Spurfowl, Crested Guineafowl, Bronze-winged Courser, Southern White-faced Owl, Trumpeter and Crowned Hornbills, Neergaard’s and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, African Broadbill, Gorgeous, Orange-breasted & Grey-headed Bushshrikes, Pink-throated Twinspot, Rudd’s Apalis, Eastern Nicator, Bearded Scrub Robin, White-throated, White-browed and Red-capped Robin-Chats, White-eared Barbet, Black-bellied & Violet-backed Starlings, Narina Trogon, Blue-mantled & African Paradise Flycatchers, Black-bellied Bustard
Western Cape: Afro-Australian Fur Seal, Common Eland, Blesbok (Bontebok), (Cape) Mountain Zebra, (Red) Hartebeest, Cape Grysbok, Cape Grey Mongoose Zululand: The ‘Big 5’ (Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, Black and White Rhinoceroses, African Buffalo), Cheetah, African Wild Dog, Serval, Waterbuck, Natal Red & Grey Duikers, Steenbok, Bushbuck, Common Wildebeest, Plains Zebra, Giraffe, Chacma Baboon and Vervet, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyena, Cape Porcupine, Black-backed Jackal, White-tailed Mongoose, Common Genet, African Savanna Hare and Thick-tailed Greater Galago
Western Cape: mountains, Fynbos, coastal waters, semi desert, wetlands Zululand: acacia savanna, bushveld, sand forest, riverine forest, grasslands, rivers, wetlands
Western Cape: subtropical with occasional rain, can be cold at times Zululand: subtropical and dry, warm to hot
9 with 1 Rockjumper leader
relaxed to moderate pace with undemanding walks
comfortable to very comfortable
mostly easy with a few tougher species
Western Cape: Table Mountain, incredible coastal scenery, Tanqua-Karoo, great food & wine Zululand: vast, pristine wilderness, large numbers of African mega-fauna
excellent
André Bernon was top notch in finding birds and getting us to see and/or hear them. He drove the car like a pro and had everything in control. Everything went totally smooth all the time and we would go on any trip with him again, in a heartbeat.
André in particular went out of his way to make sure our stay was as wonderful as it could be. Andre is also a great guide, with the ability to spot just about everything that moves, even if the movement is only breathing.
Greg and Wade were both amazing in their depth of knowledge of all things South African! They made sure we all got on the birds and described in detail what we should be looking for. Accommodations were lovely (Kruger a little less so, but ok). The Safari was the highlight of the trip. All in all I’d definitely recommend this tour.
This was our first tailor-made tour. It won't be our last. We had a great time. Dan was an excellent guide, working all the angles to get us our target birds while still covering the area specialties, affording us great looks at birds for which we had only fleeting views on our previous South Africa tour with Rockjumper (which was also great!). Dan was very persistent, which paid off in seeing a good number of very difficult specialty birds that many avid South African birders have not seen. We even had two lifer flufftails in a single day, thanks in part to Doug McCulloch, who took the morning off from his new job to help out with the Red-breasted Flufftail. Thanks, Doug! We could have used one more day in the Joburg area, as there were a few birds that were not accessible within the time frame of the tour. This always happens, though, and I am glad we went from a 6-day to a 10-day tour. This is the reason for the overall rating of 9 rather than 10. Overall, the three of us had a great time on the tour. Thanks for putting it together for us!
First, compliments to whoever came up with the concept of this tour. It seems unusual, even unique. This was a second choice for us because COVID restrictions postponed our tour to Cape, Kruger, and the Victoria Falls extension. The inclusion of the wine tastings seemed whimsical but it was genius. It’s as if we had 2 different vacations, back-to-back, and both memorable. We suspect that logistics for this tour were especially challenging. Glen was more than up to the task, every booking was right on time and of excellent quality. Rockjumper is a class act! We had some really memorable sightings and wildlife experiences due to Glen’s knowledge and diligence. We also appreciate that besides the birds and big mammals he gave us lots of information on habitat, environmental challenges, and especially for Suna and me, knowledge of plants. We walk around our California neighbourhood and notice all the imported African plants growing in our yards! We felt the timing was good too. It was late spring in the fynbos with many flowers still showing, and we were able to see many migrant birds down from the north.
19 Sep 2025 - 30 Sep 2025 (12 days)
ZAR83,950 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop
Tour price (Per person): ZAR83,950 * USD4,412 * GBP3,525 * EUR4,111 * AUD6,774
Single Supplement: ZAR9,950 * USD523 * GBP418 * EUR487 * AUD803
Flight costs: ZAR1,800 * USD95 * GBP76 * EUR88 * AUD145
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