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South Africa - Budget Eastern (Small Group)

© Southern bald ibis by Hugh Chittenden

Our Budget Eastern South Africa birding safari incorporates the very best of southern African bird watching and game viewing at a more affordable rate than our standard tour. On this adventure we will explore the classic African savanna of the world-renowned Kruger National Park, the teeming Zululand game reserves, and the endemic-rich mist-belt forests and grasslands of the Natal Midlands. Target birds include Southern Bald Ibis, Blue and Wattled Cranes, Blue Korhaan, Knysna and Livingstone's Turacos, Rudd’s and Botha’s Larks, Orange and Spotted Ground Thrushes, Bush Blackcap, Rudd's Apalis, the lovely Pink-throated Twinspot, Olive and Gorgeous Bushshrikes, delightful Swee Waxbill, Forest and Cape Canaries, Buff-streaked Chat and the highly endangered Cape Parrot. Our chances of finding the classic ‘Big Five’ (Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, African Buffalo and Rhinoceros) are excellent, while less common mammals on our route include African Wild Dog, Cheetah and the endemic Black Wildebeest. This tour can be combined with our Budget Western South Africa tour for a very comprehensive coverage of the birds and wildlife of this amazing country.

Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.

Top Birds

Blue, Wattled and Grey Crowned Cranes, Blue Korhaan, Southern Bald Ibis, Bush Blackcap, Rudd's & Botha's Larks, Knysna, Purple-crested and Livingstone's Turacos, Cape Parrot, Narina Trogon, Gorgeous & Olive Bushshrikes, Spotted and Orange Ground Thrushes, Cape Rock Thrush, Rudd's Apalis, Brown and Bearded Scrub Robins, Buff-streaked Chat, Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergaard’s and Southern Double-collared, Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Yellow-breasted, African Rock and Long-billed Pipits, Southern Boubou, Cape Shoveler, South African Shelduck, Maccoa Duck, Cape and Forest Canaries, Ground Woodpecker, African Black Swift, Jackal Buzzard, Cape, Eastern Golden and Southern Brown-throated Weavers, White-eared Barbet, Black-bellied and Burchell's Starlings, Green Malkoha, Southern Red-billed and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills, Southern Ground Hornbill

Top Mammals

The ‘Big 5’ (Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, African Buffalo, Rhinoceros), Cheetah, African Wild Dog, Meerkat, Black Wildebeest, Nyala, Greater Kudu, Giraffe, Plains Zebra

Habitats Covered

mist-belt forest, Acacia savanna, high elevation and coastal grasslands, wetlands

Expected Climate

subtropical with occasional rain, warm in Kruger National Park and Zululand, cooler in the highlands, can be cold in winter

Max Group Size

6 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

moderate pace with some long drives

Accommodation

comfortable

Ease of Birding

easy

Number of Species Expected

320 - 350

Other Attractions

Kruger National Park, great food & wine, Zulu culture

Photographic Opportunities

excellent

What our clients say about us

Daniel Danckwerts
AC & MJ, South Africa 2019

Thanks to Rynart Bezuidenhout and Daniel Danckwerts for an unforgettable tour. Their effort to give us the very best experience was sublime. Not only was our ambition to see the wanted birds, animals and nature much more than fulfilled – our competent, friendly and openminded guides also managed to give a perspective into the life and culture in South Africa of today. This we appreciate a lot.

Gregory de Klerk
WB & BB, South Africa

The lynchpin for our entire experience was the guide - and Greg de Klerk was simply brilliant. He was extremely skilled in knowing where the birds might be, and finding them once we got there. He carefully made sure that we all saw the bird. He was very knowledgeable about bird and mammal behaviour, and shared a lot of information with the tour members. He smoothly handled logistics, is a good driver, and patient with non-nationals who are unfamiliar with South African customs. He has a wonderful sense of humour; and a very warm and outgoing personality, which stimulated good relations between tour members. We would be very excited to go on another Rockjumper trip with him!

André Bernon
B

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.

Heinz Ortmann
JH, Cape & Kruger II 2015

Heinz was incredible. His knowledge and personality were wonderful. What a wonderful young man! We had an incredible time.

Gregory de Klerk
JM - South Africa 2024

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.

South Africa - Budget Eastern (Small Group) 2025

01 Mar 2025 - 12 Mar 2025 (12 days)

ZAR51,950 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop

Tour price (Per person): ZAR51,950 * USD2,861 * GBP2,249 * EUR2,632 * AUD4,289

Single Supplement: ZAR4,950 * USD273 * GBP214 * EUR251 * AUD409

Can be linked with: South Africa - Budget Western (Small Group) 2025

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