Cost: US $ 4,290 per person, US $ 480 single supplement
Group size: 3-6 people
Accommodation: Luxury lodges and safari tents (Shoebill Island)
Included: All accommodation, meals, soft drinks, mineral water, guiding fees, park entrance fees, chartered flights and Lusaka-Johannesburg flight
Note: All members of the tour group should arrive at Johannesburg International Airport at least 1 day before the tour commencement date. We normally advice our clients to book in at one of the many hotels or guest houses close to the airport so as to minimise logistical problems. We can arrange for transfers from the airport to your hotel and will gladly advice on places to stay.
Day 1:
You will be picked up from your hotel early in the morning, a last minute check to ensure that all travel documents are in order and we are ready to hit the road. After leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind we head for the Botswana border. Our first stop is for breakfast in the town of Thabazimbi, from here we will continue our northward journey stopping a few times to stretch legs and of course for any significant birds that we might encounter on the road. We should pick up quite a few interesting birds on the way; Pearlspotted Owlets are sometimes seen perching boldly on the telephone lines next to the road. Lilacbreasted and Purple Rollers will become more common as we head further north. Black-shouldered Kite is probably the most common raptor in Southern Africa as you will soon realise. Our first overnight stop is not far from the border and we will arrive here in the early afternoon, just in time to have some quick refreshments before doing some birding on the Limpopo River. We should find Grey-Headed Bush-Shrike (more often heard than seen), Great-Spotted Cuckoo, Broadbilled Roller, Temminck’s Courser, Meyer’s Parrot, White-Throated Robin-Chat, Southern Pied Babbler and a variety of raptors as well as waterbirds here. After supper we listen for some nocturnal action and might even take a drive to see if we can find some owls and nightjars.
Day 2:
After breakfast we head for the border post and if all goes well we should be in Botswana in less than an hour. Botswana is a landlocked country with a bird list of over 560 species. Our destination, Nata Lodge lies at the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. On the way we might see some Southern Ground-hornbill, Anteating Chat, Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, Southern White-Crowned Shrike and you will soon realise why Botswana is renowned as raptor country, mixed flocks of vultures are often encountered as well as many of the bigger eagles. African grey, Southern Red-Billed as well as Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill will be frequently encountered before stopping for lunch in Francistown. We arrive at Nata Lodge in the afternoon and do some birding in and around the lodge grounds before we enjoy a hearty dinner, possibilities here include a resident pair of Red-Necked Falcon and also the very elusive River Warbler.
Day 3:
We head for the Nata Bird Sanctuary first thing in the morning. Here we find thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, covering the pans in an absolute sea of pink. Secretary Bird and Kori Bustard are almost certain to be found, strutting their stuff in the open veldt, this is probably also the last place where we will record African Red-Eyed Bulbul with relative ease. Other specials that we might encounter here include Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Grey Crowned Crane, Collared Pratincole, Black-winged Pratincole, Great White Pelican, Burchell's Sandgrouse and Yellow-throated Sandgrouse. After a quick breakfast we head for the town of Kasane and the Chobe National Park, where we will be staying at the Chobe Safari Lodge on the banks of the Chobe River. This is a truly magnificent place in birding terms, with no less than 450 species on record, we will be spending 2 nights here. White-Browed Robin-Chat and African Yellow White-Eye abound in the gardens around the lodge, where after settling in, we will enjoy a buffet style dinner before heading off for a well deserved rest.
Day 4:
The morning will be spent enjoying a boat cruise up the Chobe River. This is a truly unforgettable experience, herds of Elephant and Buffalo will add to the atmosphere, African Fish-Eagles soar overhead and Wire-Tailed Swallow’s use the railings on the boat as a welcome resting place. Openbilled and Yellowbilled Storks abound while African Jacana is ever present. Further upstream we will find AfricanSkimmers on the open sand banks and with some luck even Rock Pratincole. This is birding at its best and our skipper will make sure that we get some good opportunities for photography. Other birds we might encounter include Lesser Jacana, Slaty Egret, Rufous-Bellied Heron, African Finfoot, Allen’s Gallinule and Whitebacked Night-Heron. The rest of the morning will be spent birding some very productive spots next to the river, these are easily accessible from the main road and here we will concentrate mainly on some woodland birds. Brown Firefinch, SwampBoubou, Narina Trogon, SouthernCarmine Bee-Eater and Purple-BandedSunbird are just some of the birds that we should keep a look-out for. We will enjoy a light lunch at a coffee shop in town where we will also have the opportunity to purchase or just admire some exquisite artworks by local artists. At this time we might decide to have a well deserved rest and a dip in the pool, before heading for an afternoon drive through the Chobe National Park. Here we will soon find Red-billed Spurfowl which is endemic to Southern Africa, we will also get the chance to spot the magnificent Sable Antelope, which is quite common here as well as Puku which is another antelope which is near endemic to this area. Ground Hornbill’s abound here and we are almost guaranteed good sightings, Wahlberg’s and Tawny Eagles are also very common, with the occasional sighting of Bateleur and Martial Eagle a real possibility. Other birds that we might encounter include, Burchells Starling, Striped Kingfisher as well as many other arid Savannah birds. While enjoying supper we might hear the resident Barn Owls screeching overhead.
Day 5:
We will continue our journey towards Zambia shortly after breakfast where the route will once again take us through the Chobe National Park. We will stick to the low speed limit as this is a main road passing through a National Park where animals have the right of way. Bird spotting on this route in the early morning can be very productive and we will have another chance on some of the species we might have dipped on the previous day. After about an hour’s drive we will reach the border post where we will cross into Namibia’s famous Caprivi Strip, it takes about another hour to cross the Caprivi Strip depending on how many good birds we encounter on the way. This is a good area for Meyer’s Parrot, Sharp-Tailed Starling as well as Bradfield’s Hornbill. We cross into Zambia at the Katimo Mulilo border post from where we have about a 2.5 hour drive to our destination in Livingstone. We will encounter birds such as Magpie Shrike, Meve’s Starling, Purple Roller, Lilac-Breasted Roller and we might also be lucky enough to find the more elusive Racket-Tailed Roller. We arrive at Taita Falcon Lodge just after midday, this lodge has a spectacular setting right on the edge of the Batoka Gorge, overlooking the mighty Zambezi River. From the deck we will see Verreaux’s Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Black Stork, Taita Falcons used to breed here but the more aggressive Peregrine’s have displaced them from this part of the gorge, although they are still seen here from time to time. We will take an afternoon walk to a wooded kloof leading down into the gorge, there is particularly many Accipter’s here and we should find one or more of the following, Little Sparrowhawk, Shikra, Gabar Goshawk and African Goshawk. Other species that are likely to occur include Lizard Buzzard, Trumpeter Hornbill, Augur Buzzard, African Golden Oriole, Yellow-Bellied Greenbul, Tropical Boubou, White-Helmet Shrike, Cut-Throat Finch, Mocking Cliff-Chat and Southern Black Tit.
Day 6:
We will be off to an early start and will focus our attention on birding around the lodge where Blue Waxbill, Jamesons Firefinch, Goldenbreasted and Cinnamonbreasted Bunting abound, as well as down in the kloof, after which we will enjoy a delicious breakfast. Our hosts will provide us a picnic lunch that will be enjoyed in the Zambezi National Park where we will be doing our afternoon birding. Birds to be on the lookout for include Bat Hawk, Emerald-Spotted Wood-Dove, Broad-Tailed Paradise Whydah, Schalow’s Turaco, Grey-Headed Parrot and Woodland Kingfisher. After some hectic birding we will enjoy a scenic and relaxing sundowner cruise on the upper Zambezi river, with a chance nonetheless of seeing the elusive African Finfoot and some Water Thickknee, Longcrested Eagle and Whiteheaded Vulture. Dinner will be had at Taita Lodge which will be the venue for another night’s stay.
Day 7:
Just in case anybody started wondering, we did not forget the Victoria Falls. After all what would a visit to Zambia be without going to see the falls. So after an early breakfast we find ourselves heading to the mighty Vic Falls, where we have a couple of hours to spend and ample opportunity for some laid back birding as well. Be prepared to get wet though, the less adventurous might opt for a raincoat offered on a rental basis, before venturing too close to the falls. After leaving Livingstone, we head towards the town of Choma, our destination, Masuku Lodge, is about 20km’s past Choma and is situated in the Nkanga River Conservancy. This area in my opinion is certainly one of the best birding hotspots in Zambia, birding here is fast and furious with a bewildering variety of birds that wont give you a chance to put your binoculars down for one second. This area is also home to Zambia’s only true endemic the Chaplin’s Barbet which will be one of our target birds during our stay here. In the grounds around the lodge we will quickly tick off Arnot’s Chat, Scarlet-Chested Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, Bennett’s Woodpecker and Blackheaded Oriole, there is also a very dynamic little dam just a couple of hundred metres from the lodge where we will find Painted Snipe, Black Crake, African Jacana, Greater and Lesser Honeyguides. After dinner we will spend some time reflecting on the day’s birding and updating our bird lists.
Day 8:
Our search for Chaplin’s Barbet will start early morning in a patch of fig trees where they are normally found, Coqui Francolin as well as Yellowfronted Tinkerbird can also be found here, after breakfast we will spend some more time birding the surrounding area, other specials include African Harrier-Hawk, Cuckoo Hawk, Brown Snake-Eagle, Greenbacked Woodpecker, Red-Capped Crombec, Collared Flycatcher and Olive-Tree Warbler. After supper we will go for a night drive to look for some Owls and Nightjars with Pennant-Winged Nightjar high up on the agenda, we might also encounter Bronze-Winged, and Three-Banded Courser.
Day 9:
We will have another chance to search for Chaplin’s Barbet in the morning just in case we were unsuccessful the previous day. After breakfast we have a four hour drive to the Protea Safari Lodge just outside the capital Lusaka, on the way we will stop for refreshments as well as any special birds which could include Dickinson’s Kestrel and Bateleur, we will also stop at the bridge crossing the Kafue River and might well see something special here. Protea Safari Lodge is situated in its own 2,500 acre private game reserve and although not generally known as a birding mecca, it still offers some excellent birding. Specials include Collared Palm-Trush, Yellow-Breasted Appalis and Blackbreasted Snake Eagle. A dip in the pool comes highly recommended before dinner.
Day 10:
We have a fairly long drive ahead of us and will leave shortly after breakfast for our next destination, the 420 km²,Kasanka National Park. The park contains a large number of different habitats, which makes for good birding, the predominant vegetation being dry miombo woodland through mushitu forests to papyrus swamp. We will stay at the Luwombwa camp which overlooks the river of the same name. After unpacking we will just have enough time to undertake a canoe trip down the river. Pel’s Fishing Owl has its favourite haunt in a big tree barely a stones throw from the camp and should be an easy tick. Half-Collared Kingfishers must rate as one of the most beautiful Kingfishers in Southern Africa and we will have ample opportunity to photograph them at will. Other specials along the river include African Finfoot, Böhm's Bee-eater, African Green Pigeon, Ross’s Turaco, Olive Woodpecker and Western Banded Snake-Eagle. After supper we will listen to the bush coming alive with night sounds, we might even be able to lure an African Wood-owl into view.
Day 11:
A full day’s exploring of Kasanka lies ahead of us. Firstly we will head for the Sitatunga hide where, as the name suggest, we should find the very elusive Sitatunga antelope. This is also a good area for Brown Firefinch, Moustached Grass Warbler,Hartlaub’s Babbler, Variable Sunbird, Red-Throated Twinspot, Black-Backed Barbet and last but not least a nesting pair of Crowned Eagles. Thereafter we head for Wasa Lake, on the way there we should see Pale-Billed Hornbill and Cabanis Bunting. Once at the lake we will hopefully find African Pygmy Goose and a selection of other waterbirds. We will spend the rest of the day birding various other habitats as well as concentrating a lot of our attention on finding bird parties in the miombo woodland. Miombo specials include Racket-Tailed Roller, Rufous-BelliedTit, Redcapped Crombec, Miombo Pied Barbet, Thick-Billed Cuckoo, Böhm's Flycatcher, Spotted Creeper, Anchieta’s and Whyte’s Barbets. Back at the camp we will go for a walk along the river in the hope of finding the spectacular NarinaTrogon. After dinner we will reflect on the day’s birding around the fire.
Day 12:
After breakfast we’ll head for the airstrip near Wasa camp where most of the group will take a chartered flight to Shoebill Island camp. For those, who like me, prefer terra firma, there is the option of joining me for the arduous four or so hour’s journey by road. We will meet up again at Shoebill Island where some of us will have settled in nicely by now, the Bengweulu swamp is an absolute waterbird mecca, with over 400 species on record, and covers over a million hectares. Fantastic birding can be had in the immediate vicinity of the camp, depending on the time of year we might even see the Shoebill Stork from the camp. In the afternoon we will go for a drive and will see herds of Black Lechwe numbering in the thousands, this antelope is endemic to the Bengweulu swamp and is found only here, Tsessebe and Buffalo are also common. From a birding perspective we will see big flocks of the endangered Wattled Crane as well as Saddlebilled Stork. After dinner we will enjoy a wonderful nights rest at one of Africa’s most important wetlands.
Day 13:
Our focus today will be on finding the Shoebill. This huge bird is one of Africa’s most sought after birds and we will do our utmost best to get everybody as close as possible while keeping disturbance to a minimum. At the same time we will also be on the lookout for other specials which might include Eurasian Bittern, Great Snipe, Pallid Harrier, Slaty Egret, Pink-Backed Pelican, Great White Pelican and many more. The surrounding floodplains support Denham’s Bustard, Collared Pratincoles, Grey Crowned Cranes, Swamp Flycatcher, Rosy-Breasted Longclaw and Sooty Chat to name but a few. The floodplains periphery advance and retreat by as much as 45 km between the peaks of the dry season and the wet season and therefore not one tour to this water wonderland is ever the same. Once back at the camp, there is a nice dining area overlooking the edge of the floodplain where we will enjoy some refreshments and some snacks while enjoying some of the best wetland birding on offer in Zambia. Around the camp Copper Sunbird as well as Blue-Breasted Bee-Eater is common and often seen, as is a resident pair of Lizzard Buzzards which seem to have a particular affinity for rats around here. Lots of mosquito repellent is the order of the day as the sun sets, lots of water means lots of mosquito’s in these parts.
Day 14:
A quick bit of early morning birding and a hearty breakfast to see us on the road to our next destination, Mutinondo Wilderness, 10 000 hectares of pristine Miombo woodland, massive chunks of granite inselbergs, intersected by crystal clear rivers. Mutinondo is rated as one of the best places in the world to see Long-Toed Flufftail and Bar-Winged Weaver, things get interesting soon after leaving the main road from where we have a fairly long drive through Miombo woodland before we reach the lodge. Whitebreasted Cuckooshrike is normally one of the first in the welcoming party. We will do some afternoon birding after lunch, and should soon notch up the likes of Striped Pipit and Miombo Scrub-Robin, both being quite common around the camp. Sunbird enthusiasts will have a feast here with Amethyst, Miombo Doublecollared and the brilliant Anchieta’s Sunbirds all easily seen here.
Day 15:
We have a lot of habitat to cover today and shortly after breakfast we will tackle the grassy dambo’s to look for Long-Toed Flufftail, Fülleborn's Longclaw, Marsh Widowbird, Blue Quail and Fawn- breasted Waxbill. We will look for Bocage’s Akalat and White-tailed Blue Flycatcher in the Mushitu (Riverine Forest) and Miombo Rock-Trush and Thick-Billed Cuckoo in the miombo areas. After lunch we look for more of the specials that occur here which include Rufous-Bellied Tit, Natal Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Souza’s Shrike and Reichard’s Seedeater. After a hearty dinner we will reflect for a final time on our trip thus far, as this is the final day before heading back to Lusaka where we will take a connecting flight back to Johannesburg.
Day 16:
We leave Mutinondo soon after breakfast for the long drive back to Lusaka, where we will spend one more night at the Protea Safari Lodge before departing for Johannesburg.
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