Shoebill Tour (Tour 1) 16 days
01 June 2006 – 17 June 2006, or enquire for custom dates to suit you

This is the flagship of our tours and is a must for any serious birder. We will spend a few days birding in Botswana, on our way to Zambia. We enter Zambia from the south and slowly work our way up to the north, birding some of the many hotspots on offer in this magnificent country. One of our target birds, the Chaplin’s Barbet Zambia’s only endemic, should be found with a bit of luck in the Nkanga River conservancy near the town of Choma. But undoubtedly the highlight of the tour is getting face to face with one of Africa’s most sought after birds, the Shoebill Stork. The hunt for the Shoebill takes us to Northern Zambia and more specifically the Bangweulu swamp, were we have a very efficient intelligence network on the ground, guaranteeing us a 99% strike rate in finding the Shoebill. This network comprises mostly members of the local fishing communities, thereby involving them in the future conservation of this magnificent bird. You will leave Zambia with a truly amazing bird list and a hunger to come back for more. See our detailed itinerary for more details.

Kalahari Tour (Tour 2)
Anytime departures (30 days notice required)

Another must do tour for any birder visiting South Africa, we will concentrate on the more arid north-westerly region of the country and in particular the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. At 3.6 million hectares it is almost twice the size of the Kruger National Park, with red sand dunes, dry riverbeds and camelthorn trees setting the backdrop to huge herds of Gemsbok, Eland, Springbok and magnificent black maned Lions. Kgalagadi has a bird list of just over 300 species with a wide array of arid and bushveld birds but it is most renowned for its raptors, with some 46 species on record. We will also visit the 28,000 hectare Augrabies National Park where the Orange River thunders its way over the 56 metre Augrabies Falls, it is here that we will find breeding pairs of both Black Stork and Verreaux’s Eagle. We will also visit places like Barberspan with its huge flocks of waterfowl, Kamfer’s dam just outside the town of Kimberley for Greater and Lesser Flamingoes as well as Kimberley’s Big Hole (the biggest man made hole in the world) for the endemic Bradfield’s Swift. All in all a fantastic tour with top notch accommodation, excellent bird as well as game viewing and some spectacular scenery. Please enquire here for a detailed itinerary and pricing.

Limpopo Tour (Tour 3) from 3-12 day itineraries
Anytime departures (21 days notice required)

The Limpopo province is one of the less visited areas in South Africa in terms of birding. With over 540 bird species (55% of the Southern African list) this is a truly magnificent birding destination covering a wide variety of habitats which is made up of a mix of bushveld, forest, open grassland, wetlands and mountains. The abundance of birds will suit every birders needs from beginners to experts and a bird list of 350+ in 10 days feasible in summer. The area boasts no less than 29 Southern African endemics. The only area of miombo in South Africa occurs here and miombo specials such as White-breasted Cuckooshrike and Southern Hyliota can be found. The breeding colony of CapeVultures at Blouberg is another special feature, with the possibility of seeing Ruppell’s Griffon well south of its known range a real possibility. Specials to look out for include AfricanBroadbill, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Grey-Headed Parrot, Blue-Spotted Wood-Dove, Three-Banded Courser, Pink-ThroatedTwinspot as well as Mottled and Bohm’s Spinetail.

There is a variety of itineraries available from a couple of days to two weeks so please enquire here.

Day Trips (Tour 4)
Prices: R800 per person full day, R450 per person half day.
Group size: 2-8 people
Included: Packed picnic lunch, soft drinks/mineral water, guiding fees and transportation in minibus or 4x4

There is a multitude of good birding areas in and within easy reach of Johannesburg and Pretoria. The following list is an example of a few of the day trips that we offer, any of them can be combined into longer trips and this is by no means the only trips that we undertake in the area. We can tailor make trips from 1 day to 1 month to suit your needs and pocket. We pride ourselves in the fact that we are passionate bird trackers and will go to all corners of the sub continent to find you the birds you are looking for. So send us your wish list and let’s start planning!!!! Please click on the day trips below for more information.