Southern Africa’s dry west is a unique and fascinating yet under-visited land. A hotbed of faunal and floral diversity, this area harbours two botanical regions found nowhere else on earth; the Cape Floristic Region and the Succulent Karoo. Our ‘Budget Western SA’ tour showcases these areas and the range of special birds endemic to them; you can expect not only great birds, but some of the most dramatic scenery in Africa! Tour highlights include the unique fynbos-clad slopes of the Western Cape, home to the stunning Cape Rockjumper, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Cape Bulbul and Cape Sugarbird, amongst a plethora of highly range-restricted endemics; the world famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for Cape Spurfowl, Southern Double-collared Sunbird and the delightful Bokmakierie; the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve at the most southwestern point of the continent, where targets include the smart Black Harrier, Grey-winged Francolin and Cape Siskin; the rugged Hottentots-Holland Mountains region, home to Sentinel Rock Thrush and the beautiful endemic Victorin’s Warbler and Protea Canary; an optional pelagic in this seabird hotspot is a must and should yield 1000s of birds of numerous pelagic species such as Atlantic and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Cape Petrel and Southern and Northern Giant Petrels; the arid and semi-arid areas of the Karoo, which provide another great backdrop for a variety of bustards, larks and other endemics before we head back to Cape Town, taking in an impressive Cape Gannet colony and the West Coast National Park on the way. All in all, this short yet comprehensive budget safari encompasses the very best of this amazing part of South Africa, promising a whole host of endemic birds and a range of exciting mammals, incredible scenery and fascinating culture to boot. (This tour can be combined with our Budget Eastern South Africa tour.)
Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.
Cape Rockjumper, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Siskin, Cape Bulbul, Protea and Black-headed Canaries, Orange-breasted and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, African Penguin, African Oystercatcher, Crowned, Bank and Cape Cormorants, Hartlaub’s Gull, Southern Black and Karoo Korhaans, Ludwig’s Bustard, Cape Spurfowl, Victorin’s, Namaqua, Cinnamon-breasted, Layard’s, Rufous-eared Warblers, Fairy and Fiscal Flycatchers, Karoo Eremomela, Barlow’s, Red, Sclater’s and Cape Long-billed Lark, Cape Penduline Tit, White-backed Mousebird, Karoo and Tractrac Chats, Karoo Scrub Robin, Cape Grassbird, Karoo Prinia, Southern Boubou, Cape Batis, Verreaux's and Booted Eagles, South African Shelduck, Karoo Thrush, Forest and Cape Canaries. The optional pelagic could provide Indian, Atlantic Yellow-nosed, Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses, Cape Petrel and Southern and Northern Giant Petrels
Afro-Australian Fur Seal, Southern Right Whale, Common Eland, Blesbok (Bontebok), (Cape) Mountain Zebra, (Red) Hartebeest, Cape Grey Mongoose, Cape Grysbok, Springbok, Klipspringer, Grey Rhebok, Chacma Baboon, and Meerkat
mountains, semi-desert, fynbos, coastal and pelagic waters, wetlands
temperate with occasional rain, can be cold in winter
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate
comfortable
easy
185 - 220
Tanqua-Karoo, Table Mountain, Cape Peninsula, great food & wine
excellent
We found our guide, Andre Bernon to be extremely competent at finding and identifying birds. He also had an impressive range of knowledge about other biota, plus extensive knowledge of the local history.
Daniel Danckwerts was excellent—great hearing and eyesight and was excellent at pointing out exactly where the skulky bird was lurking. He was able to find the group many birds that various members of the group had missed on previous trips to South Africa. And more importantly, he was a store of information about the birds, animals and Kruger. Teamed up with Daniel was our most excellent Kruger driver-guide Dirk who knew where everything was and could find it. We navigated this very complicated trip (flight to Skukuza, travel in south Kruger, flight to Cape Town, testing for covid, boarding the MSC Orchestra and off on our cruise around the Cape of Good Hope only with Daniel’s help and guidance. I am hoping to return to Kruger (for the third time) to bird with Daniel and Dirk on the Kruger Challenge. More than the birds, the trip was fun.
"We all immensely enjoyed this Tailor-made tour. Dan is an excellent guide: great ears, great eyes, persistent, patient, cheerful, and knowledgeable about all nature. He really went all out for us, and he succeeded in finding very elusive and range-restricted species. We hope to travel with him in the future. Other aspects of the trip: lodging, transportation, etc. were excellent too. We appreciate the behind-the-scenes efforts by Heinz and the rest of the Rockjumper team."
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.
I would like to especially thank Julian Parsons for his outstanding guiding. Julian has just the right touch of skill and personality to make a tour like this fire on all cylinders. His ability is unique, a top-notch combination of outgoing and enthusiastic personality traits, deft handling of logistical details, fundamental knowledge of the landscapes and biota, and keeping the fire going for finding more birds. I do not give such praise lightly. I have myself have been an ecotour leader, so I well know how difficult it can be to keep satisfied the very demanding expectations of diverse participants. Julian possesses a novel blend of open-mindedness, too, which can be a scarce trait in birding guides. If Julian were the guide on an itinerary that I wished to sign up for, his presence could be a deciding criteria for my participation with a RockJumper tour. In addition to the guide, the itinerary, food, and accommodations all exceeded my personal expectations. Lodging at Hout Bay and Calvinia stand out, but frankly all of it was excellent.
12 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025 (12 days)
ZAR51,950 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop
Tour price (Per person): ZAR51,950 * USD2,716 * GBP2,184 * EUR2,546 * AUD4,230
Single Supplement: ZAR6,250 * USD327 * GBP263 * EUR306 * AUD509
South Africa - Bletsch 2024 - March 2024
South Africa - Rallid Quest (Small Group) 2024 - February 2024
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