Photo Gallery
Steve Rooke
We begin amidst the red dunes and open plains of the Kalahari Desert where we’ll watch Namaqua Sandgrouse coming to drink at waterholes.
And where the resident Lanner Falcons are always on the look-out for an easy meal.
And we’ll seek out regional specialities such as this dainty Kalahari Scrub Robin.
While mammals range in size from the impressive Gemsbok…
…to the always endearing Meerkats.
The loud calls and vibrant plumage of Crimson-breasted Shrike make it a hard bird to miss.
Whereas careful searchnig is needed to find a Southern White-faced Scops Owl in its daytime roost.
Moving south we come to Bushmanland and landscapes dominated by the unique Quiver trees…..
…and the distinctive huge nests of Sociable Weavers which seem to adorn almost every roadside pole.
Southern Africa is the centre of llark evolution and we’ll see around 16 species on the tour, although some such as the fabulous endemic Red Lark need us to be up at dawn to catch them singing.
Others of that family will include Karoo Long-billed Lark….
and the confiding Spike-heeled Lark.
Heading towards the atlantic coast we enter Namaqualand where, if the austral winter rains have been good, we may be treated to some amazing displays of wildflowers.
Moving down the coast we’ll call in at Lambert’s Bay, a small fishing town famous for its massive colony of nesting Cape Gannets.
Moving back inland we cross the Cedarburg mountains and find ourselves in the awesome landscape of the Great Karoo…
…where our isolated but wonderfully cosy guesthouse provides the perfect base from which to explore the Karoo in search of birds.
The region gives it’s name to several species such as this Karoo Lark,….
….the wary Karoo Korhaan,…
…and the endemic Karoo Eremomela.
While other special birds of this area include the very vocal Chestnut-vented Tit Babbler…
…and Rufous-eared Warbler.
Travelling south we pass through rich agricultural land where we are bound to find groups of elegant Blue Cranes.
We approach the end of the tour appropiately at the end of the continent and where two oceans meet - the Cape of Good Hope.
For our 5 days around the Cape we are based at the delightful Afton Grove.
There will be plenty of birds to look for here such as the stunning Bokmakarie,….
…or the distinctive Cape Sparrow.
While in the open fynbos habitat we’ll look for Southern Black Korhaan.
Our excursions will include a visit to the world-famous botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch.
Here we’ll find a superb collection of proteas, a family of plants endemic to southern Africa whose stunning flowers…
…attract an equally stunning array of birds such as this Lesser Double-collared Sunbird,…
…the endemic Orange-breasted-Sunbird,…
…and the vibrant Malachite Sunbird.
We’ll also see Cape Sugarbird, one of only two species of a family also endemic to southern Africa.
Other highlights there could include the dainty Swee Waxbill.
Elsewhere we’ll look for Cape Rockjumper – another endemic…
…and visit a colony of African penguins…
…where we are also bound to find some African Oystercatchers.
Finally we take to the sea for a pelagic, where our main aim will be to find a trawler which always has hundreds if not thousands of birds in tow…
…allowing us to get really great views of a variety of petrels and albatrosses including Shy Albatross…
…and dainty Pintado Petrels.
We can also look forward to encounters with both Humpback Whale, seen here breaching, and the more common Soouthern Right Whale.
And back on dry land we of course pose for the obligatory group photo.