Crested Barbet

We currently offer two tours, both of which focus on top birding areas in the eastern and northern parts of South Africa. Our itineraries also include opportunities for game and bird viewing in national parks, private game reserves and small nature reserves (where the locals go to bird). Special activities include game drives in open safari vehicles as well as boat cruises on rivers and dams, where you may see birds from a completely different perspective.

Maximum/minimum Numbers: As these are birding tours, “Lifers & Twitchers” works on a standard group size of eight people.

Tour Accommodation: Accommodation on all our tours has been personally vetted by the operators. We use up-market B&Bs, guest houses and country hotels, some of which are four-star graded. In certain areas, accommodation is in luxury, en-suite safari tents in indigenous forests or pristine bushveld surrounds. We also use private game lodges on occasion. Birder-friendly establishments (many endorsed by BirdLife South Africa) are used wherever possible.

You will be accompanied by qualified, registered nature guides and drivers, who will conduct the tour and take you on birding excursions. Depending on the itinerary, we will usually spend 1 – 2 nights  in each region, enabling you to sample fully the full range of birding on offer. Transport is in comfortable minibuses.

Before leaving on any of our tours, you will enjoy a first day introduction to South African birds. Your guides will give you a morning slide show focusing on some of the birds you may see on your tour, followed by a trip to Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, a grassland reserve south-east of Johannesburg. All participants will receive a copy of a national birding guide, together with comprehensive bird lists for each area you will be visiting.