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.

Tour Facts

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

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.

EL, South Africa 2022

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.

SC, South Africa 2018

Andre Bernon was excellent at sharing his expertise and assisting even the most novice birder (me). We couldn't have asked for a better professional. And he was so personable, considerate and had a great sense of humor.

DT, South Africa

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!

SD, South Africa 2018

I deeply appreciate that Keith Valentine worked hard to find the endemics and warblers that I had expressed an interest in.

South Africa - Seiz & Willis 2026 - March 2026

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Cape post-tour Extension 2026 - February 2026

South Africa - Eastern (Small Group) III 2026 - February 2026

South Africa - Hennige and Friends (WC Pre tour Extension) 2026 - February 2026

South Africa - Zagst (Eastern Pre-Tour Ext) 2026 - January 2026

South Africa - Eastern (Small Group) II 2026 - January 2026

South Africa - Otero (Northern Pre-Tour Ext) 2026 - January 2026

South Africa - Walton 2026 - January 2026

South Africa - Endemic highlights - Wachira Endemics 2026 - January 2026

South Africa - Eastern (Small Group) I 2026 - January 2026

South Africa - Hemmings & Wall 2025 - December 2025

South Africa - Wachira (Knysna specials) 2025 - December 2025

South Africa - ABA - December 2025

South Africa - Mega Birding Tour (Small Group) II 2025 - November 2025

South Africa - Arnold 2025 - November 2025

South Africa - Kruger Extension (Small Group) I 2025 - November 2025

South Africa - Rannels 2025 - November 2025

South Africa - Mega Birding Tour (Small Group) I 2025 - October 2025

South Africa - Wachira (Shortened ESA) 2025 - October 2025

South Africa - Eastern (Small Group) V 2025 - October 2025

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South Africa - Eastern (Small Group) I 2028

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