phone-icon 1-888-990-5552 email-icon info@rockjumper.com
user-icon
Log in / Register

South Africa - Eastern Bird Photography Tour (Small Group)

© Drakensberg Rockjumper by Adam Riley
South Africa - Eastern Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2026

30 Jun 2026 - 12 Jul 2026 (13 days)

ZAR89,950 4 SPACES AVAILABLE

client-img

Tour Leader: David Hoddinott

Book Now

Tour Price (Per person): ZAR89,950 (USD5,211 * GBP4,039 * EUR4,598 * AUD8,128)

Single Supplement: ZAR7,500 (USD434 * GBP337 * EUR383 * AUD678)

This tour pairs with: South Africa - Western Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2026

South Africa - Eastern Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2027

02 Jun 2027 - 14 Jun 2027 (13 days)

ZAR95,000 SPACES AVAILABLE

client-img

Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop

Book Now

Tour Price (Per person): ZAR95,000 (USD5,503 * GBP4,266 * EUR4,856 * AUD8,584)

This tour pairs with: South Africa - Western Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2027

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

South Africa - Eastern Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2028

31 May 2028 - 12 Jun 2028 (13 days)

ZAR99,700 SPACES AVAILABLE

client-img

Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop

Book Now

Tour Price (Per person): ZAR99,700 (USD5,776 * GBP4,477 * EUR5,096 * AUD9,009)

This tour pairs with: South Africa - Western Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2028

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

The provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga on South Africa’s eastern seaboard offer up some of the finest photographic opportunities on the continent and boast some of the country’s best birding as well as exceptional mammal viewing. The regions incredible natural diversity, coupled with a modern infrastructure well suited to the needs of the modern traveller, makes travelling here an absolute delight. Focusing on a variety of the country’s very best sites including the endemic-rich mist-belt forests of the Natal Midlands, the lofty peaks of the magnificent Drakensberg and the classic African savanna of the world-renowned Kruger National Park this unique bird photo tour of eastern South Africa offers the very best of southern African photography, birding, and game viewing!

Highlights

  • Spending time exploring Kruger National Park in open air safari vehicles. Kruger is one of Africa’s, and indeed the world’s, largest wildlife havens
  • Enjoy an exhibition of big mammals with the likes of Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Wild Dog, African Elephant, African Buffalo, White Rhinoceros, and Southern Giraffe all likely.
  • Visit a dedicated vulture hide offering incredible photo opportunities, where Cape and Bearded Vultures regularly attend
  • Exploring Sani Pass, one of the most dramatic passes in Africa with incredible scenery throughout the day and a plethora of unique endemics to enjoy
  • Opportunities to see and photograph a variety of South Africa’s rarest endemic, near-endemic and range-restricted species including Cape Parrot, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Bush Blackcap, Southern Bald Ibis, Blue Korhaan, Drakensberg Rockjumper, and Gurney’s Sugarbird
  • Excellent chances of seeing the two endemic bird families to Southern Africa – Rockjumpers & Sugarbirds

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

Top Birds

Cape Parrot; Yellow-breasted Pipit; Bush Blackcap; Southern Bald Ibis; Blue Korhaan; Drakensberg Rockjumper; Gurney’s Sugarbird.

Top Mammals

Lion; Leopard; Cheetah; African Wild Dog; African Elephant; African Buffalo; White Rhinoceros; Southern Giraffe.

Habitats Covered

mist-belt forest, acacia savanna, high elevation grasslands, mountains, wetlands

Expected Climate

Subtropical and dry, warm to hot. Can be cold to very cold in the early mornings and evenings

Max Group Size

6 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Moderate. Suitable for all photography / birding / wildlife interest levels and most mobility capabilities. Can be a little tiring due to travel distances. Our Bird Photo Tours are a hybrid between our Classic birding tours and dedicated photographic tours. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or have the biggest lens; this is for everyone with an interest in photography and birding. Whether you’re using a bridge camera or the latest body and prime lens, our aims are the same. • These tours are not aimed at seeing the most species possible on the route, rather taking time to photograph key targets and any other interesting species we may find. Naturally, the overall species list will be lower than a comparable birding focused tour. • Whilst we may use blinds, feeders and hide setups on some of these tours, we will not be spending an entire day nor even several hours fixed in one spot. • These tours are suitable for photographers who prefer opportunistic photography over entire days in a hide. • Our leaders will assist in helping everyone secure good photographic opportunities and advise as much as they can on camera setup. However, they are not professional photographic tour leaders.

Accommodation

Good to comfortable.

Ease of Birding

Undemanding, most species provide good visuals. A small number of scarce/rare species.

Photographic Opportunities

Good to very good. Some hides will be visited.

What our clients say about us

David Hoddinott
EB, South Africa 2014

My wife and I were part of a six person tour of South Africa that was led by David Hoddinott. Our trip was excellent and seamless. David was the perfect guide for our group and, as I’m sure you’re aware, is an extraordinary birder and bird finder.... Thank you to Rockjumper, and David especially, for taking the time to create such a wonderful trip for our group. As always, I’m sure that it’s a challenge to accommodate numerous personalities within a group and David was great at it. We all liked him from day one and he was always positive and up for anything. He was an absolute joy to be with. We’d previously been to Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Botswana and South Africa was a totally different experience. We really enjoyed the people that we got to meet and the sheer beauty of the country is breathtaking. David’s enthusiasm and pride of his homeland was inspiring and infectious. We can’t thank him enough for making it come alive for us. And thanks to all who had a part in setting it all up. We’d happily recommend Rockjumper to anyone thinking about a trip led by you.

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.

David Hoddinott
RH, South Africa 2021

This was my first pelagic tour, and I loved every minute of it. The guides were excellent - informative, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and patient. Couldn't have asked for better, thank you.

Gregory de Klerk
RB - South Africa 2024

Both Greg and Wade were amazing. Greg has a fantastic knowledge of the area and it's wildlife. He was always willing to add information and facts regarding the wildlife we observed. He managed the tour expertly and his enthusiasm was contagious. And Wade is flat out the best bird/wildlife finder that I have ever been around. Truly extraordinary. The trip was beyond my expectations.

Daniel Danckwerts
SR, South Africa 2019

This tour was fantastic-it exceeded all expectations in every aspect. The country is beautiful and it was shown to us in a way I will never forget - the plants, birds, mammals landscapes, insects and people. One of the most rounded lifetime experiences I have had. And now for the guide. Daniel was one of the best (if not the best) guide I’ve ever had. He has incredible birding skills-we missed nothing! His natural science knowledge is vast, especially for his age-it shows his love of nature and willingness to share it. He was very good with us as a group-able to joke around with everyone and meet individual needs. He adapted to all situations smoothly and with great confidence. His driving skills were superb-in the 13 000 km we traveled, not once did I think he made a dangerous or even slightly aggressive move. His choice of lodges and restaurants was great-we didn't lose any weight on the trip! I would travel with him anytime and will seek out destinations where I know he is the guide. Thanks Rockjumper for a wonderful trip.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Your details

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form

  • Contact permission

    We would love to send you Newsletters (twice yearly).via Type a message, Promotions/Discounts (weekly), Blog Articles/Image of the Month (monthly) and other content that we think you would find interesting. If you are happy with this then please select your preferences below. If you would like to unsubscribe from previous subscriptions, or leave our mailing list entirely, then please do so by visiting the Preference Centre link at the bottom of these emails.

Route Map

Tour Route Map

map-direction-img
Download Tour Itinerary