SOUTH AFRICA

From the iconic Blue Crane and Cape Sugarbird to dazzling sunbirds, raptors, and flamingos, South Africa's birdlife is as varied as its landscapes. In the Cape and Karoo regions, Fynbos and Protea-rich scrubland is home not only to endemic-rich plant communities, but also to a long list of great birds from Cape Francolin, Black Harrier, Black Bustard, and White-backed Mousebird to Cape Batis, a wealth of larks, Cape Sugarbird, Karoo Scrub-Robin, the rare Protea Canary, Kopje Warbler, and Cape Rockjumper.

Offshore, the cold, rich Benguela Current provides abundant food for the endemic African Penguin, Cape, Bank, and Crowned cormorants, Cape Gannet, and Hartlaub's Gull, and, if weather permits, a pelagic trip should yield a variety of large tubenoses, including albatrosses, giant-petrels, and shearwaters.

The eastern sections of KwaZulu-Natal bring us to the scenic Drakensberg, South Africa's highest mountains and home to Drakensberg Rockjumper, Ground Woodpecker, and Sentinel Rock-Thrush, as well as the endangered Southern Bald Ibis. Montane forests in KwaZulu Natal are the home of Knysna and Livingstone's turacos, Bush Blackcap, Spotted Ground Thrush, Woodwards's Batis, and Forest Canary.

The Mkuzi Game Reserve offers great wildlife sightings, among them White Rhino and Nyala, and a variety of additional birds. Remnant native grasslands around Wakkerstroom feature range-restricted landbirds such as Yellow-breasted Pipit and Botha's and Rudd's larks, along with Long-tailed Widowbird, as well as Jackal Buzzard, Blue Bustard, and Wattled, Blue, and Gray Crowned cranes.

Famed Kruger National Park is a legendary "big five" safari destination and home to more than 500 bird species, including Hooded and Lappet-faced vultures, Southern Ground-Hornbill, and Red-crested Bustard. And the hard-to-find Short-clawed Lark and brilliant Crimson-breasted Gonolek are key species to look for in the Polokwane Nature Reserve.

Our classic South Africa tour covers all of the above areas for a comprehensive birding trip here.

South Africa is of course also famed for its fantastic wines, and so we also offer a Birds, Wines & Wildflowers itinerary focused on the Cape Region and Kruger for a shorter trip appealing to those who love both birds and wine as well as flora.

Photo credit: Our thanks to guide Tarry Butcher for the nice image of a Cape Sugarbird at the top of this page.

We offer many other AFRICA birding tours, too!