The demure Pink-throated Twinspot is one of the many specialties we look for in Mkuzi National Park. Photo: Steve Rooke
We begin this new tour on the warm and humid coast of the Indian Ocean before heading inland to the lofty peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, cloaked in springtime green and awash in flowers. Bizarre Rockjumpers and stately Wattled Cranes await us before we travel down to the lush tropical lowlands of Zululand, where we’ll experience the superb birding of the coastal forests around St. Lucia and the wonderful mammals and birds of Mkuzi. We’ll then seek out some rare and elusive endemics in the high grasslands of the southern Transvaal before traveling to vast Kruger National Park with its rich and varied birdlife and spectacular mammals. Finally, we visit Nylsvley, a gem of a wetland which should be alive with waterbirds and rails.
This tour perfectly complements our South Africa tour down the western Cape. On this new tour, we visit the eastern half of the country at the very best time to see its birds at the height of the breeding season and the truly stunning scenery in all its late spring splendor.
No matter when you visit South Africa, the excellent road system, very comfortable lodges and hotels, and great food and wine all combine to make the tour one to remember.
Day 1: The tour begins this evening in Durban, South Africa.
Day 2: We’ll connect this morning with the group arriving from London and drive to the fabulous forest at Oribi Gorge, where the River Mzimkulwana carves a deep ravine through the surrounding uplands. Here we’ll look for such special birds as Crowned, Black, and Long-crested Eagles, Forest Buzzard, Rameron and Delegorgue’s Pigeon, Knysna Woodpecker, Southern Tchagra, Orange Ground Thrush, and Starred Robin. Night in Oribi Gorge Lodge.
Day 3: Our morning will be spent birding Oribi Gorge before heading the Drakensberg Mountains. We’ll make a roadside stop to look for the rare Blue Swallow over the grassy meadows that are its home. As we approach the Drakensberg massif, we’ll be on the lookout for birds of the upland grasslands and marshes, such as Stanley’s Bustard, Blue and Wattled Cranes, Southern Crowned Crane, Orange-throated Longclaw, and Cape Weaver. Night in Himeville.
Day 4: Much of today will be spent surrounded by the splendor of the Drakensberg Mountains. Switching to four-wheel-drive vehicles, we’ll climb up the Sani Pass and cross into the remote mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Here, among spectacular scenery, we should find Cape Vulture, Lammergeier, Jackal Buzzard, Red-breasted Sparrowhawk, Sentinel Rockthrush, Mountain Pipit, Buff-streaked Chat, Orange-breasted Rockjumper, Drakensberg Prinia, Gurney’s Sugarbird, and Drakensberg Siskin. Mammals are sparse in this mountainous region, but they include the diminutive Sloggert’s Ice Rat and the mighty Eland. We’ll have lunch at the highest pub in Africa before descending into South Africa, stopping along the way to look for birds such as Red-throated Wryneck and Barratt’s Warbler. Night in Himeville.
Day 5: We’ll start early to visit a patch of forest where we’ll look for Forest Buzzard, Knysna Lourie, Cape Parrot, Bush Blackcap, Chorister Robin, Cape Batis, Black-faced Swee, and Forest Canary, then start the long drive down to the coastal regions of Zululand. Reaching the coast, we’ll stop to look for Palmnut Vulture at a small forest reserve, then stop in at Richard’s Bay to search for Pygmy Goose, Lesser Jacana, Burchell’s Coucal, and a host of waterbirds. Night in St. Lucia.
Day 6: The lush, liana-strung coastal forest surrounding St. Lucia offers some really great birding. Walking an excellent series of wide trails, we’ll hope to find Livingstone’s Turaco, Green and Burchell’s Coucals, White-eared Barbet, Square–tailed Drongo, Natal and Brown Robins, Rudd’s Apalis, Woodward’s Batis, Olive Bushshrike, Green Twinspot, and Red-backed Mannikin, among many other species. As dusk falls, we’ll search for Natal Nightjar in a nearby reserve, where we may also catch a glimpse of Wood Owl. Night in St. Lucia.
Days 7-8: Leaving St. Lucia, we drive north to Mkuzi National Park, where the dry scrub and grasslands are very similar to some parts of East Africa. Our time here will be spent driving around the park and walking through its woodlands on the trail of Crested Guinea Fowl, Kurrichane and Black-rumped Buttonquails, Purple-crested and Gray Turacos, Black-collared Barbet, African Broadbill, White-throated and Eastern Bearded Robins, Short-tailed Pipit, Gorgeous Bushshrike, Neergard’s Sunbird, Lemon-breasted Canary, and Pink-throated Twinspot, along with the recently described Pink-throated Twinspot Indigobird. Mammals in the area include both Black and White Rhinoceroses, the endemic Nyala, Red Duiker, Hippopotamus, Blue and Vervet Monkeys, and Chacma Baboon. Nights near Mkuzi.
Day 9: Our next destination in this northeastern part of South Africa is the high windswept plains around the town of Wakkerstroom, where grasslands still hold some of the most sought-after of South Africa’s endemic birds. I n the marshes, we should hear (but be lucky to see!) Red-chested and African Water R ails. These wetlands also play host to an occasional White-winged Flufftail, one of Africa’s most enigmatic birds. On the higher ridges we’ll search for Eastern Long-billed Lark, Yellow-breasted and African Rock Pipits, Mountain Chat, and Ayres and Cloud Cisticolas, while in the rougher pastures we’ll look for Blue Korhaan, Southern Bald Ibis, Swainson’s Francolin, and Rudd’s, Botha’s, and Melodious Larks. A twilight watch at one of the many marshes might reward us with tantalizing views of both Marsh and Grass Owls, and we’ll almost certainly see and hear Ethiopian Snipe in their display flight. Night in Wakkerstroom.
Day 10: After another full morning spent birding in the Wakkerstroom area, we’ll head to Lydenburg for one night on our way to Kruger National Park. Night in Lydenburg.
Day 11: The very scenic drive from Lydenburg to Kruger Park will take us past the famous Blyde River Canyon, where we’ll stop not only to admire the wonderful views but also to look for the rare Taita Falcon and to visit a large colony of Cape Vultures. Later in the day we’ll enter Kruger Park and make our way to our camp. Night in Olifants Camp, in the heart of Kruger Park.
Day 12: During our stay in Kruger, we’ll visit various regions in the northern sector of the park. Among the herds of African Elephants, Plains Zebra, African Buffalo, and Impala, we might glimpse Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, African Wild Dog, Spotted Hyena, Giraffe, and many more wild mammals. We’ll also take a night drive in search of elusive mammals and birds.
With a species list exceeding 500, Kruger should yield a wide range of birds, including Common Ostrich; Swainson’s and Natal Spurfowls; Hooded, White-backed, White Headed, and Lappet-faced Vultures; Wahlberg’s, Tawny, Steppe, and Lesser Spotted Eagles; Bateleur; Red-crested and Kori Bustards; Purple-crested Turaco; African Green-Pigeon; Red-faced Mousebird; Rufous-crowned, Broad-billed, European, and Lilac-breasted Rollers; Thick-billed, Levaillant’s, Great Spotted, and Jacobin Cuckoos; Flappet, Monotonous, and Sabota Larks; Arrow-marked Babbler; White and Retz’s Helmetshrikes; Amethyst and White-bellied Sunbirds; and Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver. Night in Letaba Camp.
Day 13: Today we’ll drive out of Kruger and west to Magoebaskloof. This will be our final chance for forest birds we may have missed farther south, including Knysna Turaco, Cape Parrot, Olive Woodpecker, Orange Ground-Thrush, White-starred Robin, Chorister Robin-Chat, Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler, Barratt’s Warbler, and both Southern and Greater Double-collared Sunbirds. We also have a chance to find some species not encountered elsewhere on the tour, including Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, and the rare Bat Hawk, for which this is a very reliable site. Night in Magoebaskloof Hotel.
Day 14: After a morning’s birding in Magoebaskloof, we’ll head south towards the wetland reserve at Nylsvley, stopping at various birding sites en route. One of the main species we’ll search for on the drive is the extremely local Short-clawed Lark, restricted to a small area of grassland near the town of Polokwane. The woodland and savanna we’ll pass through between Polokwane and Nylsvley has some of the richest birding in southern Africa. Night at Nylsvley.
Day 15: We’ll spend the morning birding the wetland reserve at Nylsvley and the surrounding acacia scrub. Here we have the chance to see a good selection of such dry-country species as African Hawk-Eagle; Southern Yellow-billed, Red-billed, and Gray Hornbills; African Hoopoe; Bennett’s Woodpecker; Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird; Greater Honeyguide; Pearl-spotted Owlet; Lesser Striped-Swallow; African Black-headed Oriole; Marico Flycatcher; African Barred Warbler; Long-billed Crombec; Marico Sunbird; White-browed Sparrow-Weaver; Gray-backed Camaroptera; White-winged Widowbird; Arrow-marked Babbler; Black-cheeked Waxbill; Kalahari Scrub-Robin; African White-throated Robin; Scaly-feathered Finch; and Violet-eared Waxbill. One species we’ll seek energetically is Crimson-breasted Shrike, a stunning bird found nowhere else on the tour route.
If the rains have been good, the famous wetland at the heart of Nylsvley should be alive with birds. Species such as White-faced Whistling-Duck, Yellow-billed Duck, African Spoonbill, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, Sacred Ibis, African Jacana, and Blacksmith Lapwing should be common; if the grasslands are flooded, they also attract scarcer species, with Dwarf Bittern, Greater Painted Snipe, Allen’s Gallinule, Lesser Moorhen, and African Crake all possible.
After lunch in the bird-rich gardens of our accommodation, we’ll drive back to Johannesburg where the tour concludes in time to connect with international flights home.
Updated: 24 May 2010
Prices
- 2011 Tour Price $6,220*
- Single Occupancy Supplement $270
Notes
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.
Maximum group size 12 with two leaders.