Our eastern South Africa birding and wildlife tours combine the great birds and mammals of the world-renowned Kruger National Park, the teeming Zululand game reserves, the endemic-rich mist-belt forests and grasslands of the Natal Midlands and the lofty peaks of the magnificent Drakensberg. Target species include Kori Bustard, Southern Ground Hornbill, Bateleur, Southern Bald Ibis, Bearded Vulture, Blue and Wattled Cranes, Blue Korhaan, Ground Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Rudd’s and Botha’s Larks, Spotted and Orange Ground Thrushes, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Gurney’s Sugarbird, the splendid Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Narina Trogon, Woodward’s Batis, Gorgeous and Olive Bushshrikes, Chorister Robin-Chat, Brown and Bearded Scrub Robins, Knysna and Livingstone's Turacos, Bush Blackcap and Rudd’s Apalis. Our chances of achieving the classic ‘Big Five’ (Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, African Buffalo and both Black & White Rhinoceroses) are excellent, while less common mammals include African Wild Dog, Cheetah and the endemic Black Wildebeest.
Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.
Blue, Wattled and Grey Crowned Cranes, Denham’s Bustard, Blue Korhaan, Southern Bald Ibis, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Gurney’s Sugarbird, Bush Blackcap, Ground, Bennett's and Olive Woodpeckers, Rudd’s and Botha’s Larks, Knysna, Purple-crested and Livingstone’s Turacos, Chorister Robin-Chat, Drakensberg and Karoo Prinias, Grey Tit, Karoo and Olive Thrushes, Fairy Flycatcher, Layard's and Chestnut-vented Warblers, Cape Parrot, Narina Trogon, Gorgeous and Olive Bushshrikes, Spotted and Orange Ground Thrushes, Cape and Sentinel Rock Thrushes, Rudd’s Apalis, Woodward’s and Cape Batises, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Southern Pied Babbler, Violet-eared, Grey and Black-faced Waxbills, Brown and Bearded Scrub Robins, Buff-streaked and Sickle-winged Chats, Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergaard’s, Scarlet-chested and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, Green Malkoha, Half-collared and Giant Kingfishers, Little and White-fronted Bee-eaters, Southern Boubou, Cape and Forest Canaries, Cape, Spectacled and Southern Brown-throated Weavers, Yellow-breasted Pipit.
The ‘Big 5’(Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, African Buffalo and both Black & White Rhinoceroses), Meerkat, African Wild Dog, Black Wildebeest, Nyala, Cheetah, Giraffe, Greater Kudu, Plains Zebra, Warthog, Common Eland and Sloggett’s Vlei Rat, Hippopotamus.
dune and mist-belt forest, acacia savanna, high elevation and coastal grasslands, mountains, wetlands
subtropical with chances for occasional rain, warm to hot in Kruger and Zululand, cooler in highlands, can be cold in winter
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate pace with undemanding walks, some long drives
comfortable guesthouses and lodges
easy
320 - 380 (400 - 450 with extension)
Kruger National Park, Sani Pass and Drakensberg Mountains, dramatic scenery, Zulu culture, Indian Ocean, iSimangaliso Wetland Park
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!
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.
Doug McCulloch was a great leader. He is very sensitive to his clients' individual needs and is very adroit at finding birds and making sure everyone in the group has seen them to their satisfaction. His insight into environmental issues facing South Africa specifically and Africa in general added a lot to the tour.
Greg de Klerk was an excellent guide who made sure I saw as many birds as possible and set a reasonable pace. He was easy to talk to and very informative, I was very impressed with his knowledge.
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.
Tour Leader: Quinton Josop
Tour price (Per person): ZAR72,950 * USD3,890 * GBP3,173 * EUR3,650 * AUD6,024
Single Supplement: ZAR7,000 * USD373 * GBP305 * EUR350 * AUD578
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension VI 2023
Tour Leader: Gregory de Klerk
Tour Leader: James Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,263 * GBP3,478 * EUR4,001 * AUD6,602
Single Supplement: ZAR7,100 * USD379 * GBP309 * EUR355 * AUD586
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension I 2024
Tour Leader: James Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,263 * GBP3,478 * EUR4,001 * AUD6,602
Single Supplement: ZAR7,100 * USD379 * GBP309 * EUR355 * AUD586
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension IV 2024
Tour Leader: Quinton Josop
Tour price (Per person): ZAR79,950 * USD4,263 * GBP3,478 * EUR4,001 * AUD6,602
Single Supplement: ZAR7,100 * USD379 * GBP309 * EUR355 * AUD586
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension V 2024
Tour Leader: James Lee
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): ZAR84,000 * USD4,479 * GBP3,654 * EUR4,203 * AUD6,936
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension I 2025
Tour Leader: Quinton Josop
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): ZAR84,000 * USD4,479 * GBP3,654 * EUR4,203 * AUD6,936
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension II 2025
Tour Leader: Michael Meidlinger
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): ZAR84,000 * USD4,479 * GBP3,654 * EUR4,203 * AUD6,936
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension III 2025
Tour Leader: James Lee
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): ZAR84,000 * USD4,479 * GBP3,654 * EUR4,203 * AUD6,936
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension IV 2025
Tour Leader: James Lee
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): ZAR84,000 * USD4,479 * GBP3,654 * EUR4,203 * AUD6,936
Can be linked with: South Africa - Cape Extension V 2025
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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