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
Riaan-WOW, WOW, WOW! Yes, all caps because Riaan was not only a good guide, showing us the birds, working his tail off to get them to come in, but he took care of me when I arrived at the airport only to discover that I had no flight from Cape Town to London as I thought that I had. In spite of his own need to get his boarding pass, Riaan stayed with me for almost two hours and straightened the matter out. I am eternally grateful to him because I was frustrated and at a loss. He stepped up bigtime!
Our short custom tour with two day trips out of Cape Town was really excellent. Our guide Julian was knowledgeable and engaging and generally a great fit for our small family of three. We found almost all our main target species and Julian was always quick to set up the scope to ensure we all got great views of the more distant birds. As a family with a range of interests including not only birds, but also mammals and plants, we really appreciated that Julian found the right balance between trying hard to find some of the more difficult birds and allowing some extra time for studying plants, especially at Kirstenbosch. Thanks Julian, for a great couple of days! Thanks also to Daniel and Laverne for your help with planning and logistics!
Greg was brilliant (the best guide I've ever had). He found most of the birds we were trying for, and always did his utmost to get us all onto them.
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 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.
24 Mar 2024 - 04 Apr 2024 (12 days)
ZAR51,950 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Julian Parsons
Tour price (Per person): ZAR51,950 * USD2,758 * GBP2,248 * EUR2,599 * AUD4,245
Single Supplement: ZAR7,500 * USD398 * GBP325 * EUR375 * AUD613
12 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025 (12 days)
ZAR55,000 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Quinton Josop
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): ZAR55,000 * USD2,919 * GBP2,380 * EUR2,752 * AUD4,495
South Africa - Mega: Kruger Extension III 2019 - October 2019
South Africa - Mega Birding Tour III 2019 - October 2019
South Africa - Eastern VI 2019 - September 2019
South Africa - Eastern V 2019 - September 2019
South Africa - Cape Wildflowers, Birding & Big Game I 2019 - August 2019
South Africa - Eastern IV 2019 - May 2019
South Africa - Mega: Kruger Extension II 2019 - February 2019
South Africa - Rallid Quest 2019 - February 2019
South Africa - Eastern III 2019 - February 2019
South Africa - Mega Birding Tour II 2019 - February 2019
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