Impala

Now you can enjoy the very best of Africa’s wildlife with the plethora of the region’s birds!  We have now launched new short excursions, which focus both on providing a terrific wildlife experience while enabling both beginner birders and professional twitchers wanting to add more species to their life lists to fulful their wishes.  Tours will be tailored to the type of groups we have.

REGIONS WE VISIT

Magaliesberg:  This serene range of hills is in fact a series of geological fault lines and lies about 45 minutes’ drive west of the city of Pretoria.  The region is unique with a number of plants and animal species found nowhere else.  Quartzite cliffs fissured by magnificent gorges featuring tumbling waterfalls, chattering streams and crystal-clear pools alternate with rolling grasslands and bush-covered slopes.  Here you will find animals such as baboons and vervet monkeys, black-backed jackal, rock hyrax (known in South Africa as “dassies”), hares, tortoises, mongoose and antelope such as grey reedbuck and klipspringers.  If you’re extremely fortunate, you may even see one of the region’s elusive leopards.  The region’s cliffs are home to two vulture colonies and local farmers provide animal carcasses at vulture restaurants to ensure that the vultures’ diet contains sufficient calcium.  This region is home to the Cape Vulture although you may also see other raptors such as the Black-shouldered Kite, Yellow-billed Kite, Greater and Lesser Kestrel, Lanner and Peregrine Falcon – and more.  The Magaliesberg is an Important Bird Area with around 250 listed bird species.

Sun City:  This internationally-renowned resort complex was built by the so-called “Sun King”, hotel magnate Sol Kerzner in the 1970s when gambiling was illegal in South Africa but could be enjoyed at one of the so-called “homelands”!  Since then, many things have changed and the resort with its three hotels and myriad of activities and facilities is positioned itself to capture the international and local leisure markets.  Sun City’s facilities include two magnificent golf courses, a bird aviary, horseback riding at the edge of Pilanesberg National Park, a Butterfly Sanctuary, Cultural Village, botanical garden, not to mention two casinos and an entertainment world.  (Certain of these activities attract a charge to enter and/or enjoy activities – these prices are not included in our tour costs but are available on request.) 

Leopard Tortoise

Pilanesberg National Park:  The Park covers some 55 000 hectares and is situated in a range of concentric hills created by the eruption of an ancient volcano.  The Park therefore has unique geological formations and beautiful landscapes.  It is a transition zone between the bushveld and arid western areas of South Africa and therefore has a wide range of species of plants, animals and birds.  During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Park was stocked with game in one of the largest wildlife relocation programmes of its kind ever undertaken – Operation Genesis.  The Park is now home to all of the Big Five, together some 50 other large mammal species including hippo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and antelope such as eland, kudu, impala, springbuck, waterbuck, bushbuck and several others.  Reptiles include the Nile Crocodile and rare leopard tortoise, although you may see other species as well.  Look out for small animals too – we have seen squirrels, mongoose and chameleons to name but a few.  Pilanesberg is perfect for birders too – this Important Bird Area has some 400 recorded bird species and is a refuge for raptors in particular, which face a variety of conservation problems outside of Park borders including lack of suitable habitat, human encroachment, reduction in their prey base, hunting, poisoning and trapping (largely by accident when poisoned carcasses or traps are set for animals).  There are several dams and rivers with incredible game and bird viewing hides within the Park and we visit several of these on our tours.

Lions are often seen in Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park:  This ever-popular destination is one of South Africa’s prime wildlife areas.  Proclaimed in the early 1900s, this reserve covers some 2 million hectares – and area that has since been augmented as private game reserves surrounding the Park dropped their fences to create a massive wildlife refuge.  Here, you have a good chance of seeing all of the Big Five, not to mention a plethora of general game species and numerous small creatures.  You may also see special creatures such as the spotted hyena or the rare wild dog.  This Important Bird Area has some 500 recorded bird species – over half of those found in the entire southern African sub-region.  Raptors, Marabou Storks, Saddlebilled Storks and oxpeckers are some of the more unusual species rarely found outside reserves, which you may see in Kruger.  We do not stay in the Park but offer a tw0-night stay at an affordable private game lodge.  The lodges offer two game drives in open safari vehicles daily, as well as optional bush walks.  Accommodation, dinner, breakfast and a high tea in the late afternoon are all included (some establishments may also offer lunch).

Pre and post-tour accommodation may be arranged on request.  We also arrange airport transfers if required.  Ask us for a quotation.

Further Information: 

• Tours can take a maximum of 8 people. 
• Tours depart from Johannesburg/Pretoria and return to those cities.  Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation is included.
• Transport is in an air-conditioned luxury mini-bus.
• Tours include the services of a qualified, registered national nature guide and driver, who is a qualified horticulturalist and bird and wildlife photographer.
• We provide you with an information pack about the region/s you will be visiting, together with bird and animal check lists
• Reservations must be made at least 14 days prior to departure to enable us to book accommodation and activities for you
• Tours and activities are all undertaken at the participant’s own risk.
• Prices generally include all accommodation, dinner and breakfast (some lunches may be included but not all), transport, services of a qualified, registered national nature guide and driver, information pack
• Prices exclude all drinks and alcoholic beverages, telephone calls, laundry, mini bar bills, room service, tips & gratuities, purchase of souvenirs/curios/gifts, personal purchases and all similar extras
• We regret that we have no credit card facilities – payment by cash, bank transfer or travellers cheques accepted.  Payment MUST be made in full before the reservation is confirmed.
• Travellers are responsible for arranging their own travel and medical insurance while on tour.  We have public liability and passenger liability insurance as required by South African law but this does not cover all eventualities.