This comparatively short tour is designed both for those who have already visited South Africa and fallen in love with its fabulous birds and wildlife and for those with a limited amount of time in search of the quintessential African safari.  With the exception of Kruger National Park—obligatory in light of its stupendous bird and big game viewing opportunities—the venues we visit are different from most other South African tours, and will offer us the chance to see many birds and mammals that are unique to their regions.  Our first morning will find us approaching the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, a postage stamp nation surrounded by South Africa.  An astonishing number of specialties occur in Sani Pass en route to Lesotho, including the unique Ground Woodpecker, endemic Gurney’s Sugarbird (belonging to a family endemic to Southern Africa), and the energetic Drakensberg Rockjumper.  Targets on the alpine “Rooftop of Africa,” include Southern Bald Ibis on the mountain streams, Cape Bunting in adjacent meadows, and the enigmatic Ice Rat at sheltering rock piles.  Overhead we may see the magnificent Lammergeier soaring past, as well as the beautiful black, white, and red Jackal Buzzard.  Another special habitat is the cool mistbelt forest, home to the rare Cape Parrot, Knysna Turaco, and White-starred Robin.  A plethora of Aardvark burrows nearby furnish nest sites for endangered Blue Swallows, a species unlikely to be seen in the course of a “normal” birder’s holiday to South Africa.  The only rain forest canopy walkway in South Africa is located at Dhlinza.  Among the myriad possibilities here are African Goshawk, Narina Trogon, Purple-crested Turaco, Trumpeter Hornbill, Chorister Robin-Chat, and the endangered Spotted Ground-Thrush.  Coastal Mtunzini is home to Africa’s southernmost breeding population of Palmnut Vultures, while the dunes of neighboring St. Lucia support the scarce and local Fasciated Snake-Eagle and Livingstone’s Turaco.  Legendary Mkuzi is not only wonderful for game, it also offers a superb array of avian possibilities.  Among its specialties are Black-bellied Bustard, Senegal Lapwing, Eastern Nicator, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Gorgeous Bush-shrike, and Pink-throated Twinspot.  Potential mammals include both Black and White Rhinos, Giraffe, Suni, Hippopotamus, and even Leopard.  The emerald Karkloof range is home to many species of South African endemic birds, some large and glamorous such as Mountain Buzzard and others elusive, including Bush Blackcap—one of South Africa’s most sought-after birds.  Farther up the Karkloof, we visit a pristine area of upland grassland near Wakkerstroom hosting breeding Blue Cranes, indisputably one of the world’s most elegant species.  Gray-crowned Cranes share the tall grassveld here with scarce and majestic Wattled Cranes, largest of South Africa’s three species.  Striking and endemic Buff-streaked Chat is another local Karkloof specialty.  The grand finale of our tour, of course, is Kruger National Park.  Kruger provides us with an excellent opportunity to see the African “Big Five:”  Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, and White Rhinoceros.  Hippopotamus and a variety of smaller mammals are also common.  The  savanna bushveld at Kruger is also home to such large and wide-ranging African birds as Ostrich, Bateleur Eagle, Marabou Stork, and Red-billed Hornbill, as well as local specialties like Southern Ground Hornbill, Black Korhaan (a bustard), and Shikra.  Other highly sought-after animals we have a chance of finding include Cheetah, African Wild Dog, and Spotted Hyena.  Mammals really abound and we should have no difficulty in seeing Giraffe, Plain’s Zebra, Rhinoceros, Blue Wildebeest, Greater Kudu, Impala, Klipspringer, Bushbuck, Warthog, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, and Dwarf Mongoose.  Kruger National Park also provides us with fantastic birding opportunities.  Of special note here are species requiring vast expanses of wilderness, such as Kori Bustard, the world’s heaviest flying bird, Martial Eagle, and Saddle-billed Storks.  The “classic” African families such as turacos, mousebirds, bee-eaters, kingfishers, rollers, woodhoopoes, hornbills, barbets, shrikes, starlings, widows, weavers, and sunbirds are all well represented.  We expect to find a variety of examples of each of these families.  Altogether over 750 species of birds are recorded from South Africa, and more than 100 of these are endemic or nearly so. Given excellent accommodations, delicious food, internationally famous wines, and its dazzling bird communities, it is easy to understand why South Africa is considered one of the world’s great birding destinations.     

Leaders: Chris Sharpe & Richard White

Photo: Southern Ground-Hornbill
Photo by: Dave Semler

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