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Other Tours offered in 2004
Day Trips

Gauteng and Surrounds, February 28-March 1, 2004 (Ex-Johannesburg)

This tour includes two nights accomodation and all meals and transport, including transfers to and from hotel/residence in Johannesburg or Pretoria.

Tour Summary

A three day tour, which showcases the best birding in Gauteng and neighbouring Western Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North-west Province (All Malaria-free areas). This tour covers the excellent highveld (grassland) habitats in North-east Gauteng, as well as riverine and wooded valleys in this area. Grassland endemics we may encounter include Melodious Lark, Eastern Clapper Lark, Orange River Francolin, Cape Longclaw and Barrows Korhaan. Other exciting species we will search for include African Finfoot, Half-collared Kingfisher, Dark-capped Yellow Warbler and Denham's Bustard. We then move westwards into excellent broadleaved woodland in the Seringveld area, where specials include Tinkling Cisticola, Flappet Lark and African Cuckoo Hawk.

A substantial period is spend in prime acacia thornveld, brimming with regional endemics including Northern Black Korhaan, Kalahari Robin, Crimson-breasted Bush Shrike, Southern Pied Babbler, Cape Penduline-tit, Black faced Waxbill, Ashy Tit and Shaft-tailed Whydah. This area is excellent for migrants and these may include Harlequin Quail, Common White-throat, Amur Falcon, Souhthern Carmine Bee-eater and LeVaillant's Cuckoo. On the final day we will find ourselves in the superb Borakolalo National Park, where a host of woodland and water birds occurs. We expect to see Meyer's Parrot, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Grey-tit Flycatcher and a range of Kingfishers, Woodpeckers and Bee-eaters.

Overall tour expectations are 220 species and 45 regional endemics.

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Saturday 28 February (Johannesburg International - Ezemvelo Game Reserve and the Seringveld Conservancy)

Clients are met at their hotels for an early start. We will drive through to Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, where the day will be spent birding. Ezemvelo is a large Private Nature Reserve, which offers a host of grassland, woodland and riverine species. Grassland species in this area include the endemic Melodious, Eastern Clapper and Spike-heeled Lark. Francolins are particularly well represented and one may encounter Orange-river, Redwinged, Shelley's, Natal, Swainson's or Coqui Francolins. Redthroated Wryneck and Mocking Cliff Chat are both present. With luck we may see the resident African Finfoot and Half-collared Kingfisher. Other specials include Dark-capped Yellow-warbler, and three Honeyguide species.

We will enjoy a packed lunch at the reserve. The reserve also offers an excellent diversity of mammals, including the endemic Black Wildebeest, Suricate and Red Hartebeest.

In the late afternoon, we will do some birding in the Seringveld Conservancy, , an area of fine, mixed woodland, where a host of different birds will be encountered, including Brubru, African Grey Hornbill, Chinspot Batis, Striped Kingfisher, various woodpeckers, flycatchers and cuckoos.

Overnight: Mutango Lodge, Seringveld

Day 2: Sunday 29 February: Dinokeng/North-west Woodlands.

An early start will see us heading north and west into prime acacia woodland habitat along the Zaagkuildrift Road. This area consists of prime acacia woodland, and apart from holding an excellent diversity of typical african birds such as Hornbills, Barbets and mousebirds, will provide the opportunity to see a number of "North-western" species such as Northern Black Korhaan, Kalahari Robin, Crimson-breasted Bush Shrike, Southern Pied Babbler, Cape Penduline-tit, Black faced Waxbill, Ashy Tit and Barred Warbler. We will also encounter a host of other regional endemics such as Shaft-tailed Whydah, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Black-chested Prinia and possibly Temminck's Courser, Chestnut-backed Finchlark and Pale Chanting Goshawk. In February we can also expect to encounter migrants such as Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Amur Falcon.

We will enjoy a picnic lunch on a cattle ranch in the bush. In the afternoon, we will head westwards via the Kgomo-kgomo floodplain which often provides views of a range of subtropical wetland species, including storks, herons, rallids and shorebirds.

We then continue westwards into the fine diverse habitat of The Borakolalo National Park. This 14 000 ha reserve supports a variety of different habitats, and also has the Klipvoor Dam. Here we will stay at the Phuduphudu Bush Camp, in wondrous seclusion, where various species of owls can be recorded.

Accomodation: Phuduphudu Bush Camp - Borakolalo National Park

Day 3: Monday 1 March: Borakolalo National Park

Day 3 will be spent exploring the reserve where we expect to see Meyer's Parrot, Grey Tit-flycatcher, Grey-hooded, Striped, Pygmy and Woodland Kingfisher, Kurrichane Thrush, Burchell's Glossy Starling. Depending on conditions, we may also see ucnommon intra-african migrants such as Dwarf Bittern, Harlequin Quail and Dusky Lark. Birds of Prey are well represented and include Martial, Wahlberg's, African Hawk and Black-breasted Snake Eagles.

The lakeshore is often worth exploring and here we expect to see a host of Herons, egrets and ducks, as well as plenty of African Fish Eagle and Great Crested Grebe. Mammal watching can be excellent and we expect to see Giraffe, White Rhinoceros, Kudu and Black-backed Jackal. The bush-camp itself can be excellent and Rhinoceros regularly come to drink at a well-positioned waterhole that the camp overlooks.

The area is so diverse and interesting, that a day will seem like much too little time. We expect to record about 140 species today.

In the afternoon, participants will be transferred back to Johannesburg Hotels/Airport.

ALSO: See information on Tailor-made Tours
Other Tours offered in 2004
Day Trips