Name: South Africa - Kruger Challenge 2026
Brand: Rockjumper Birding
Price: ZAR32,995

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Northern pre-tour Extension 2026

06 Feb 2026 - 12 Feb 2026 (7 days)

ZAR47,950 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: James Wade Lee

Tour price (Per person): ZAR47,950 * USD2,575 * GBP1,934 * EUR2,276 * AUD4,011

Single Supplement: ZAR3,550 * USD191 * GBP143 * EUR168 * AUD297

This tour pairs with the South Africa - Southern Endemics (Relaxed) 2026. Check here to include it in your booking.

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Cape pre-tour Extension 2026

07 Feb 2026 - 12 Feb 2026 (6 days)

ZAR36,950 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: James Wade Lee

Tour price (Per person): ZAR36,950 * USD1,984 * GBP1,490 * EUR1,754 * AUD3,091

Single Supplement: ZAR2,800 * USD150 * GBP113 * EUR133 * AUD234

This tour pairs with the South Africa - Kruger Challenge 2026. Check here to include it in your booking.

Flight costs (Linked Tour): ZAR2,310 * USD124 * GBP93 * EUR110 * AUD193

South Africa - Kruger Challenge 2026

12 Feb 2026 - 21 Feb 2026 (10 days)

ZAR32,995 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Rockjumper Tour Leader TBC

Pricing notes : A meal supplement of ZAR5,000.00 will be charged per person to cover all meals for the duration of the Challenge.

Tour price (Per person): ZAR32,995 * USD1,772 * GBP1,331 * EUR1,566 * AUD2,760

Single Supplement: ZAR6,550 * USD352 * GBP264 * EUR311 * AUD548

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

21 Feb 2026 - 26 Feb 2026 (6 days)

ZAR36,950 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Keith Valentine

Tour price (Per person): ZAR36,950 * USD1,984 * GBP1,490 * EUR1,754 * AUD3,091

Single Supplement: ZAR2,800 * USD150 * GBP113 * EUR133 * AUD234

This tour pairs with the South Africa - Kruger Challenge 2026. Check here to include it in your booking.

Flight costs (Linked Tour): ZAR2,310 * USD124 * GBP93 * EUR110 * AUD193

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Eastern post-tour Extension 2026

21 Feb 2026 - 03 Mar 2026 (11 days)

ZAR73,950 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: David Hoddinott

Tour price (Per person): ZAR73,950 * USD3,971 * GBP2,983 * EUR3,510 * AUD6,187

Single Supplement: ZAR3,950 * USD212 * GBP159 * EUR187 * AUD330

This tour pairs with the South Africa - Kruger Challenge 2026. Check here to include it in your booking.

This unique and fun birding and wildlife challenge provides the opportunity to explore the world-famous Kruger National Park in north-eastern South Africa, from its remote north to its vast south. Not only will you get to experience amazing birding and wildlife viewing, but you will also be assisting in saving a special bird from imminent extinction. All proceeds raised will go directly to BirdLife South Africa for vital research and conservation work to protect one of Africa’s, and indeed the world's, most endangered and little-known species – the White-winged Flufftail. Rockjumper Birding Tours has volunteered its resources and expertise to arrange and coordinate this event and will not be benefiting financially.

Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s most famous, oldest, largest and magnificent reserves and will play host to this birding and wildlife challenge during February 2026. In total, a maximum of 8 teams will take part in what will be a light-hearted, exciting competition where teams explore Kruger National Park from top to bottom, recording all the species of birds and mammals they encounter over an 8-day period. Each team of up to 9 participants will have its own open safari vehicle, professional safari driver guide, and experienced volunteer birding leader. Each team will be awarded a single point for every species of bird and mammal, regardless of the difficulty associated with locating the species, and the team with the highest score at the end of the 7 days will be crowned the Birding & Wildlife Champions of Kruger. We will be exploring the length of Kruger from Punda Maria in the north to Berg-en-Dal in the south. The challenge will begin in Johannesburg, where we will enjoy a welcome dinner and a briefing. Thereafter, we will all transfer to Mopani and the challenge begins as we enter Kruger National Park. The challenge ultimately concludes in Berg-en-Dal for an epic final night of festivities and prize-giving.

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

Tour Facts

Top Birds

Common Ostrich, Kori Bustard, Red-crested Korhaan, Southern Ground Hornbill, Bateleur, Martial, Crowned, African Hawk- and Tawny Eagles, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Lizard Buzzard, Lappet-faced, Cape, White-backed, Hooded & White-headed Vultures, chances for the elusive African Finfoot, White-crowned Lapwing, Swainson’s & Natal Spurfowls, Coqui Francolin, Bronze-winged Courser, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Southern White-faced Owl, Pearl-spotted & African Barred Owlets, Southern Red-billed & Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills, Brown-headed Parrot, Bennett’s Woodpecker, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Burchell’s & Cape Starlings, Magpie & Southern White-crowned Shrikes, Red-headed Weaver, White-throated Robin-Chat, Acacia Pied Barbet, Burchell’s Coucal, Chestnut-vented Warbler, Stierling’s Wren-Warbler, Violet-eared Waxbill, Burnt-necked Eremomela, African Pygmy & Giant Kingfishers, Black, Woolly-necked, Saddle-billed & Yellow-billed Storks, African Openbill.

Top Mammals

The ‘Big 5’, Cheetah, African Wild Dog, Side-striped Jackal, Greater Kudu, Giraffe, Spotted Hyena, Nyala, Common and Central African Large-spotted Genets, Wild Cat, African Civet, Serval, Cape Porcupine, White-tailed Mongoose, Klipspringer, Thick-tailed Greater Galago, Honey Badger, Caracal.

Habitats Covered

acacia savanna, bushveld, terminalia woodland, riverine forest, grasslands, rivers, wetlands

Expected Climate

subtropical with occasional rain, warm to very hot

Max Group Size

Teams of 9 with with 1 expert leader and one driver guide

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.

relaxed

Accommodation

comfortable

Ease of Birding

easy

Number of Species Expected

300+

Other Attractions

vast, pristine wilderness

Photographic Opportunities

excellent

What our clients say about us

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.

CB, South Africa 2017

Greg handled all personalities with poise, humor and attentiveness and constantly checked to see if everyone was happy. If someone had a problem, he immediately worked on a solution. It is obvious he loves his job, and he went out of his way to find birds for us, even in the most difficult weather conditions. His knowledge of the area was superior. He took excellent care of us and made us feel very welcome!

RO, South Africa 2022

Gregory was an excellent tour leader and bird guide. I would happily travel with him again.

P

André, who escorted us on four drives, is a superb tracker with great knowledge of the reserve and its denizens. He is also an expert on the birdlife of southern Africa and was able to bring the bush to life for us with knowledge of all that we saw.

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.

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Northern pre-tour Extension 2026

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Cape pre-tour Extension 2026

South Africa - Kruger Challenge 2026

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

South Africa - Kruger Challenge - Eastern post-tour Extension 2026