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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 (USD5,338 * GBP4,064 * EUR4,639 * AUD8,164)

Single Supplement: ZAR7,500 (USD445 * GBP339 * EUR387 * AUD681)

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 (USD5,638 * GBP4,292 * EUR4,900 * AUD8,622)

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 (USD5,916 * GBP4,504 * EUR5,142 * AUD9,048)

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

5 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

André Bernon
JL, South Africa 2018

This was my first experience with Rockjumper - it far exceeded my expectations. In fact, it far exceeded my experiences with other tours. I don't know how anybody could have been better than Andre Bernon. He was always professional, organized, and I felt completely safe with his driving. His knowledge of birds, animal behavior, the country, the history, goes without saying - but really it was his personality that made the trip. I so enjoyed his sense of humor. I know it is an old-fashioned word, but he was a complete gentleman - showing respect and courtesy to everyone but always with a twinkle in his eye and ready to either hand out or be on the receiving end of a joke. We just plain had fun on this trip! When time and money allows, I would happily go on another trip with him.

Heinz Ortmann
JM, South Africa 2016 (Private)

We were very happy to have Heinz Ortmann as our guide. He operated the tour very skilfully in every way and with flexibility when needed to try to get all possible targets. We were also very positively surprised that he had such a great knowledge about mammals, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians beside the birds. Since we also are very interested in all these groups, this was a most welcome bonus. A great tour that we will remember for a long time. We would be very happy doing another private trip with Heinz as our guide.

Julian Parsons
CH, South Africa

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.

Glen Valentine
BC, South Africa 2021

Hi. Glen and Julian were great guides. I really enjoyed spending time with them. The trip was great, lodging was great. The wineries were amazing, as were the bird and animal sightings. I would travel with Glen or Julian again any time!

André Bernon
PB, South Africa 2017

Pre-tour the office staff were superb in sorting out my problems and the personal touches added to our email communications really made a big difference to how I felt about the trip. The guide, Andre Bernon, was excellent. He was able to quickly and effectively locate and identify birds and get the group onto them. His knowledge of locations and ability to manage things on the ground showed real expertise and experience. His people skills and ability to ensure group dynamics were as smooth as possible was exceptional.

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