South Africa: the Kalahari to the Cape Saturday 6 September to Sunday 21 September 2008 Saturday 5 September to Sunday 20 September 2009 with Steve Rooke as leader.
Cost: £2850 plus about £960 for flights (2009) Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 7 with 1 leader; 14 with 2 leaders. |
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| In recent years South Africa has become a very popular destination for birdwatchers and a glance at one of its many excellent field guides soon reveals why. Over 700 different bird species occur there, of which over 100 are endemic or near-endemic. Thousands of kilometres of shoreline harbour migrant and resident birds, and offshore congregate some of the largest concentrations of seabirds in the world. Early September is the absolute best time to visit western South Africa. Spring will be under way and many of the birds will be full breeding plumage as they busy themselves with the onset of nesting. If the early rains have been good, they will have coaxed life from the desert and we should be treated to some wonderful wildflower displays. Our journey will take us from the rolling red sand dunes of the Kalahari Desert, through the hauntingly beautiful plains of Bushmanland to the Atlantic coast. From there we travel to the vast expanse of the Great Karoo before ending our tour where Africa itself ends and two oceans meet, at the windswept Cape of Good Hope. Steve has been running tours to South Africa for eleven years and this itinerary has been designed by him to show us the best birding the Western Cape has to offer at the very best time to visit the region.Day 1: The tour begins with an overnight flight from London to Johannesburg, arriving early the following day. Day 2: After arriving in Johannesburg, we’ll connect with an onward flight to Uppington, gateway to the Kalahari Desert. Uppington sits on the Orange River and our first stop will be along its banks where our birding begins with White-throated Swallow, White-backed and Red-faced Mousebirds, Hoopoe, Red-eyed Bulbul, Orange River White-eye, the localised Namaqua Warbler, Cape Sparrow and Black-throated Canary. Later we begin our drive into the Kalahari. As the landscape gradually becomes more arid, the birdlife will also change and we’ll have not gone far before we see our first massive Sociable Weaver nest, which are a feature of this region. Other species that will break our journey could include White-backed Vulture, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon and possibly Double-banded Courser and Short-toed Rock Thrush. Night in a lodge close to the Kalahari Gemsbok Reserve. Day 3: Sandwiched between Namibia and Botswana, the Kalahari Gemsbok Park is one of Africa’s wildest and least known National Parks. Our day will begin at a small waterhole where we should be treated to flocks of Burchell’s and Namaqua Sandgrouse coming to drink, along with hordes of other birds such as Namaqua Doves, Pink-billed Lark and Grey-backed Sparrowlarks, Red-headed Finch and of course those ubiquitous Sociable Weavers. The Park is also a great place for raptors and we can expect to encounter Gabar Goshawk, Lanner, and possibly Red-necked Falcons, Bateleur, and Martial Eagle and the massive Verreaux’s Eagles Owls can usually be found with ease. Among the bright red dunes interspersed with grassy plains and wooded riverbeds we will search for a variety of special birds including Kori Bustard, Northern Black Korhaans, Burchell’s Courser, and Swallow-tailed Bee-eater. Among the smaller birds, we should easily find Chat and Marico Flycatchers, Kalahari Scrub-Robin, Ashy Tit, and Dusky Sunbird. Gemsbok or Namib Oryx are common here, as are Springbok and Red Hartebeeste while Zebra, Blue Wildebeeste and Greater Kudu are also possible and we might also see a pride of the large black-maned Kalahari Lions or a skulking Cheetah. The grounds of our lodge can be an excellent place for birds with noisy African Grey and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills, Pearl Spotted Owlet, striking Crimson-breasted Shrike, and Groundscraper Thrush all possible. Night in a lodge close to the Kalahari Gemsbok Park. Day 4: Today we retrace our steps to Uppington and then on to Pofadder, calling in at Augrabies National Park along the way. Here the Orange River tumbles into a deep and spectacular gorge before flowing on to form the border with Namibia. We’ll have time to admire the falls and look at some of the plentiful birdlife to be found nearby, including Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Acacia Pied Barbet, Pale-winged Starling, White-throated Canary and Southern Masked Weaver. South of the Orange River lies the arid and semi-arid regions of Bushmanland, a hauntingly beautiful landscape where, in the not too distant past, the tiny San people hunted the migrant herds of antelopes. Today this area is still sparsely populated and it is possible to travel through this stark wilderness all day without seeing another person. Driving along the endless dirt roads that service the remote farms we hope to see Great Kestrel, Karoo Korhaan, Ludwig’s Bustard, Tractrac, Sickle-winged and Karoo Chats, Layard’s Tit-babbler, Southern Grey Tit, and Lark-like Bunting, among many other species. Night in Pofadder. Day 5: This habitat is ideal for larks and we begin the day with a trip to the breeding grounds of the fabulous Red Lark, an elusive bird restricted to the red dune systems of this region. Others we hope to see in this region include Sclater’s, Stark’s, Spike-heeled, Thick-billed, and Red-capped Larks. We’ll then travel west to the town of Springbok, gateway to Namaqualand and the world famous wildflower region. Close to the town lies the reserve of Goegap and a visit here will instantly tell us if the rains have been good as in some years the place can be covered in sheets of pastel-coloured flowers. Whether the flowers are there or not, there are still birds to see including Mountain Chat, Bokmakierie, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Malachite Sunbird, and Black-headed and Damara Canaries. Night in Springbok. Day 6: We take the main road south today but soon turn off to follow a maze of dirt tracks that head inland through a mosaic of hills and agricultural land where again we can find whole fields cloaked in wild flowers. Dragging ourselves away from this botanical extravagance will not be easy but an ornithological one awaits us further south at the thriving fishing port of Lambert’s Bay. Here we visit the famous Cape Gannet colony, which will be teeming with tens of thousands of birds well into their breeding season. The sight, sound and, it must be said, smell of all these birds packed together is unforgettable. In the throng of Cape Gannets we should also find Cape and Crowned Cormorants jostling for space, and we’ll watch Cape Fur Seals basking on the rocks. Night at Lambert’s Bay. Day 7: Close to Lambert’s Bay we’ll search the extensive coastal fynbos looking for Karoo, Cape Clapper and Cape Long-billed Larks, Karoo Robin, Karoo Prinia, Grey-backed Cisticola, Cape Penduline Tit, and Bar-throated Apalis. We continue our journey south, calling in at a reliable site for the rare Protea Canary before arriving at Veldriff at the mouth of the Berg River. Swift Terns will be much in evidence on the salt pans, along with Caspian Terns, Kelp and Hartlaub’s Gulls, and a variety of waders including Chestnut-banded and White-fronted Plovers. We’ll move onto Saldana where we can get close views of Bank Cormorants and where we’ll have our first encounter with African Black Oystercatchers, before ending the day at Langebaan. Night in Langebaan. Day 8: Langebaan lies at the head of an enormous inlet that forms the spectacular West Coast Nature Reserve. We’ll visit the Reserve to search for striking Black Harriers quartering the flower-strewn coastal fynbos and spend time searching through the flocks of waders that make this huge natural lagoon their winter home. Around the edge of small pools we will find nesting Cape Weavers and vivid Southern Red Bishops while Southern Black Korhaans and Cape Francolins can frequently be found along the roadside. As the day draws to a close we’ll travel inland to the Cedarberg Mountains where we’ll spend the night at a wonderful remote guest house high in the hills.
Day 9: We'll awake to find ourselves surrounded by truly spectacular scenery and to the sound of displaying Cape Clapper Larks. We have a full day to explore these hills and the wonderful karoo habitat. We begin with a visit to a rocky gorge where we have another chance for Cinnamon-breasted Warbler as well as Fairy Flycatcher, Pririt Batis and Layard’s Tit Babbler. Moving on we’ll travel towards the Tanqua Karoo, an endless stony plain covered in the most beautiful array of small Euphorbias and succulent scrub. If there has been rain we may find flocks of Black-eared Finchlarks visiting waterholes or Double-banded Coursers running over the stony ground and a Karoo Korhaan could turn up anywhere. Elsewhere we may find Orange-throated Longclaw, Rufous-eared Warbler, Karoo Eremomela or Grey-winged Francolin and a visit to the town of Ceres should give us African Black Duck. Day 10: We’ll leave the Cederburg Mountains and drive to a high pass where we have an excellent chance of finding the bizarre Cape Rock Jumper, as well as Cape Rock Thrush. As we then head east we’ll see flocks of Pied Starlings along the roadside and Fiscal Flycatchers on roadside wires before we reach the delightful small town of Swellendam. Night in Swellendam. Day 11: Close to the town lies a reserve established to protect that beautifully marked antelope the Bontebok, and where we could also see Stanley’s Bustard, Knysna Woodpecker, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Agulhas Clapper and Agulhas Long-billed Larks and Southern Tchagra. Later we’ll head south, driving through undulating arable fields where we should find large groups of non-breeding Blue Cranes. We’ll call in at Potberg, a towering hill which is one of the last strongholds of Cape Vulture before turning west and driving into Cape Town. If time permits we'll call in at Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Africa and perhaps visit a wide beach to look for Damara Tern. Night in Cape Town. Days 12-15: We’ll have four days in which to sample the delights that birding around the tip of Africa has to offer. The weather here is notoriously fickle, but if conditions permit we’ll venture out one day into the South Atlantic in search of seabirds. Our objective is to find a deep-sea trawler which, when sighted, appears to have a thick dark cloud of smoke trailing for several kilometres behind it. Astonishingly, this is a throng of thousands of seabirds, mostly albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, following the ship in search of offal being dumped overboard. We’ll cruise among this throng where binoculars will hardly be necessary, as many of the birds will be almost too close to focus on. We should see Shy, Black-browed and both Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Southern Giant, Pintado and White-chinned Petrels, Sooty and Great Shearwaters, Sub-antarctic Skua, and Wilson’s Storm-petrel. Less common possibilities include Wandering and Grey-headed Albatrosses, Soft-plumaged Petrel, and Black-bellied Storm-petrel. Back on dry land, we’ll explore the Cape’s verdant mountains, passes and valleys looking for Ground Woodpecker, Knysna Warbler, Grassbird, Orange-breasted Sunbirds, and Cape Siskin. We will take time to visit the world famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, lying in the shadow of Table Mountain. These gardens are not just a wonderful place for plants – there are plenty of birds to be seen as well. A resident Spotted Eagle Owl can usually be found at its daytime roost, Forest Canaries feed among the undergrowth and Cape Sugarbirds, Cape White Eyes and Lesser Double-collared Sunbirds buzz around the masses of flowers and Sombre Greenbuls call loudly from the undergrowth. Black Sawwings skim overhead and there is a good chance of seeing a majestic Black Eagle or a Red-breasted Sparrowhawk soaring around the slopes of Table Mountain. A visit to the famous Strandfontein Sewage Farm should give us close encounters with Greater Flamingoes, Glossy ibis, Pied Avocets and a number of ducks including Southern Pochard adn Maccoa Duck. We’ll visit the Simonstown Jackass Penguin colony and and, of course, we’ll fit in a visit to the Cape of Good Hope itself. Nights in Cape Town. During the evening of Day 15 we’ll catch an overnight flight back to London where the tour ends on Day 16.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated June 2008. |
A Cape Sugarbird on a protea flower - a classic image from the tour.
We can expect to see some of the best wildflower displays in the world in Namaqualand...
where we also find smart Mountain Chats.
Our pelagic out of Cape Town will encounter thousands of seabirds, including plenty of White-chinned Petrels.
Celebrating with hot coffee after seeing the Red Lark at dawn.
Cape Gulls are a common sight along the coast, here nesting at Lambert's Bay...
although the main attraction here is of course the Cape Gannet colony.
Dainty Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters can be quite common in the Kalahari Desert...
as can the distinctive Gemsbok.
And we always see the mighty Verreaux's Eagle Owl at its daytime roost.
Groundscraper Thrushes are often found around the grounds of our lodge in the Kalahari Desert.
The colourful and very vocal Bokmakarie.
A trio of African Black Oystercatchers close to Cape Town.
Photos by Steve Rooke and Peter Lord.
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Bird List
