As from February 2010, we are offering fabulous day tours and excursions – for birders and non-birders alike!  We focus on all aspects of the natural world including birds, wildlife, trees and plants, so you will get the most out of your day tour excursions with us!

Tours take a minimum of 5 pax and a maximum of 8.  We will collect you and drop you off at your accommodation.  You will receive a complete info pack with information about the place/s you will be visiting, bird and animal listings and everything else you might need to know.  Our prices include a delicious picnic lunch with a selection of soft drinks (max 2 per person), park and reserve entry fees, transport in a luxury mini-bus and the services of a qualified, registered nature guide and driver, who is also a qualified horticulturalist and bird photographer.     

See below for details of the tours we offer:

Excursions available to people staying anywhere in Johannesburg or Pretoria

 This is a 55 ooo-hectare Big Five game reserve situated about 1.5 – 2 hours drive from Johannesburg on the site of an ancient volcano.  The unique landscape created consists of four rings of concentric hills, affording a magnificent backdrop to the savanna, mixed woodland and bushveld regions of the Park.  Besides the Big Five, the park is stocked with a wide variety of general game species, which were introduced during Operation Genesis, the biggest game relocation operation of its kind, which took place during the 1970s and 1980s.  Some 400 bird species are to be found in the Park, which is also an Important Bird Area and home to several raptors including birds of prey, which face serious conservation issues (including poisoning, trapping and lack of suitable food sources) in the country areas surrounding the Park.  Several bird and game viewing hides situated at the edge of attractive dams as well as several rivers create ideal places to view wildlife and birds.  A full day trip to the Park is perfect to see the variety of habitats, animals and birds this unique reserve has to offer.     

WALTER SISULU BOTANICAL GARDENS 

Excursions available for those staying on the East Rand as well as northern suburbs of Johannesburg (e.g. Parktown, Rosebank, Sandton)

This is Johannesburg’s premier Botanical Gardens and preserves a unique selection of Highveld plants with natural areas as well as extensive parklands and lawns.  Visit the interesting “Geological Garden” exhibit as well as a fabulous succulent collection, which is particularly beautiful in autum and winter when the aloes flower in a profusion of colours.  A cycad collection will enable you to see the best of these prehistoric plants, which are endangered and protected throughout South Africa.  The Crocodile River rises just outside the borders of the gardens and plunges in a spectacular fall down a vast, ochre cliff before rushing off on its way to Hartebeesport Dam, some distance away.  The cliffs beside the fall are home to a pair of magnificent Vereaux (Black) Eagles, which breed almost every year in June/July.  Although there are no animals in the gardens – apart from the occasional tortoise or mongoose which wanders in from the surrounding koppies (small hills), the gardens are worth a visit for the amazing displays of indigenous trees and plants which grow there.  The gardens has a delightful restaurant and lovely, tranquil walks laid out on a seris of paths.  Natural grassland areas have been incorporated into some parts of the gardens and may also be seen while visiting.  Numberous birds may be viewed, particularly those which occur in Highveld grasslands, as well as woodland areas and on cliffs.  The birds here are relatively “tame”, being used to people and so easy to see and photograph.

KRUGERSDORP GAME RESERVE 

Excursions available for those staying on the East Rand as well as the northern suburbs of Johannesburg (e.g. Parktown, Rosebank, Sandton)  This reserve is situated west of Johannesburg, just past the town of Krugersdorp.  The reserve preserves mainly grassland savannas and is stocked with a variety of game including lions, zebra, wildebeest and various antelope species.  Birdlife is confined to Highveld grassland species.

 SUIKERBOSRAND NATURE RESERVE

Excursions available to those staying on the Eastern side of Johannesburg (East Rand areas) only

 This reserve preserves approximately 13 000 hectares of the rare Bankenveld grasslands, which form a transition zone between the Highveld grassland and bushveld biomes.  Rocky hills are a feature of this reserve, enabling visitors to see birds and animals which favour these regions as well as the grasslands.  Rolling hills and endless, grassy valleys as well as mixed woodland along several streams and rivers that run through the reserve create a variety of endless panoramas for you to experience on your visit.  The reserve is stocked with plains game, so you can expect to see a variety of antelope (including eland, the larges antelope in Africa), zebra, wildebeest, springbuck – and more.  In October/November, after the summer rains have begun, the grasslands and hills become swathes of colour as wildflowers bloom.  Around 250 bird species have been recorded on the reserve, some of which are endemic to this region and found nowhere else.   In summer, several migrants such as the Didericks Cuckoo and Red-chested Cuckoo are very much in evidence and you may also see birds such as the Long-tailed Widowbird, Red-collared Widowbird, Pin-tailed Wydah and several others in their glorious breeding plumage!  For non-birders the beautiful landscapes and sudden sightings of animals – as well as views of the more colourful Highveld grassland birds – will add to the experience.  A shorter day trip is available at this reserve, for those who want to relax in the late afternoon at their accommodation afterwards.

MAGALIESBERG

Enjoy an incredible elephant experience in the Magaliesberg

The Magaliesberg is a range of hills north-west of Johannesburg and Pretoria.  Spectacular landscapes consisting of rolling hills bisected by quartzite cliffs through which streams, rivers and waterfalls meander were created by a massive upheaval millennia ago.  The region is a popular playground for locals living in the nearby cities – and offers a plethora of things to do for tourists and South Africans alike.  We offer three options on our tours:

Tour a local cheese farm or citrus cellar (including tastings) followed by an opportunity to get up close and personal with African elephants (walk with, touch and feed them) in an incredible wildlife experience.  Alternatively, explore one of the Magaliesberg’s unspoilt gorges by flying through the gorge on a series of zip-lines suspended between a number of platforms in the gorge, before enjoying a tour of the nearby citrus cellar.  These two tours also offer opportunities to visit a local craft market near Hartebeesport Dam to purchase curios and gifts.  On a third option, visit a professionally-run Cultural Village, where you will be introduced to all South Africa’s African cultures, watch tribal dancing and enjoy a delicious lunch before doing a game drive at a local game reserve.  These full day outings are available for people staying in both Johannesburg and Pretoria.  Contact us for itineraries and prices.