Southern African Birding Tours

Now is your opportunity to explore South Africa – one of the most biodiverse places in the world – with an unforgettable experience creating memories to last a lifetime.  The country has seven vegetation biomes offering an amazing array of habitats and ecosystems, supporting some 900 bird species across the sub-region not to mention numerous wild animals from the Big Five to general game, small mammals and reptiles.  Our African landscapes and wild places will captivate you too.  We offer a range of safaris tailoed to to suit either birding enthusiasts or those keen to experience an African wildlife safari, so let us know which type of tour interests you when enquiring and we will tailor it to your requirements.  For further information about our offerings, which include day safaris and short excursions as well as longer wildlife or birding tours, visit the “Day Tours” and “Itineraries” pages of this web site.  Scroll down for general information on what we offer for both wildlife safaris and birding tours.

Lion

WILDLIFE SAFARIS

South Africa is the quintessential wildlife destination on the continent, offering several National Parks stocked with the Big Five as well as excellent small private nature and game reserves affording fabulous game viewing, often including the Big Five.  The country’s magnificent scenery can be enjoyed en route or within certain reserves; there will always be something to delight. 

Our wildlife safaris visit the malaria-free Pilanesberg National Park, offering both day safaris and a range of overnight options including a variety of optional activities such as open vehicle game drives, hot air ballooning, horseback riding, quad biking and elephant experiences; you can also visit a private game reserve bordering the Kruger National Park, and fabulous Zululand.

Wildlife viewing is generally excellent in all of the above areas throughout the year. 

Lilac-breasted Roller, a typical bushveld bird

BIRDING SAFARIS

South Africa’s bird list stands at around 900 species, 144 of which are endemic or near-endemic. The country is a birders’ paradise, no matter whether you’re an average twitcher or an international birder in search of more lifers to add to your list.  Many of the birds are located in prime wildlife areas, so you will have an excellent chance of enjoying a superb game experience too and may even have opportunities to see the Big Five in some of the reserves we visit on our tours.

Summer (September to April) is definitely the time to visit as you will see intra-African migrants as well as Paleoarctic and Paleoantarctic migrants. Many birds will also be in colourful breeding plumage; spectacular to behold and easier to identify.

On the flip side, South Africa’s winter birding is also excellent with many lowerlying regions supporting altitudinal migrants and having an average bird list numbering well over 350 species, even in winter.

The climate of many of the country’s warmer areas such as the Kruger National Park and Lowveld, as well as certain areas of KwaZulu-Natal is generally mild and pleasant at that time of year.

As most of South Africa is a summer rainfall region, you are also less likely to experience rain and thunderstorms on your trips and birds will be more active. Malaria in the eastern parts of South Africa is also less prevalent at that time of year.

FOR A LIST OF BIRDING SPECIALS YOU MAY SEE ON OUR TOURS, CLICK HERE.