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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 3 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: David Hoddinott

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Tour Price (Per person): ZAR89,950 (USD5,342 * GBP4,061 * EUR4,636 * AUD8,135)

Single Supplement: ZAR7,500 (USD445 * GBP339 * EUR387 * 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

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Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop

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Tour Price (Per person): ZAR95,000 (USD5,642 * GBP4,289 * EUR4,896 * AUD8,591)

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

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Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop

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Tour Price (Per person): ZAR99,700 (USD5,921 * GBP4,501 * EUR5,138 * AUD9,016)

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
South Africa

Thank you for a wonderful tour. We enjoyed your good company and we appreciate your expertise, effort and enthusiasm. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in South Africa and we hope to travel with you again sometime. P.S It was a cracker

Adam Riley
GB, South Africa

What can I say about Adam. As a guide and companion he was first class. Very patient and his enthusiasm is infectious.

Gregory de Klerk
JB, South Africa

Greg gave the best introductory talk (regarding group dynamics and birding etiquette), that I have ever heard. Excellent.

Keith Valentine
LAM, South Africa - Alvaro's Adventures 2025

I had the best time and found Keith Valentine the most knowledgeable guide. The trip was absolutely amazing and I would definitely travel with Rockjumper again. I particularly enjoyed the vast types of habitats we visited and the amazing numbers and diversity of the birds we observed. I look at my photos now and relive the trip. It was so much fun. The trip to Manyoni was utterly phenomenal. A trip of a lifetime observing the Big 5 in their native habitats. Thanks so much. The guides at Zebra Hills were very knowledgeable and all the extra info they gave us about animal behaviors was wonderful? I had no preconceived notions of what type of accommodations we would have, but I was very satisfied.

Glen Valentine
RH & SH, South Africa 2021

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.

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Route Map

Tour Route Map