August 30-September 11, 2025 with Marcelo Padua & Tarry Butcher
This was another wonderful and successful trip to Africa focusing on the floral-rich Cape Fynbos region and the animal-rich Kruger National Park of South Africa. 11 exciting days of good birds and delightful wines, enhanced by an awesome group. We exceeded the number of sightings of the previous year, recording more birds and exceptional mammals, accumulating a total of 277 bird species and spectacular wildlife sightings. Trying to select a best sighting is impossible, having to choose between a single Caracal walking through the wildflowers of the West Coast National Park, a pride of Lionesses with a kill right next to the road, or a majestic Leopard resting in a massive fig tree in Kruger National Park.
Great bird sightings included good looks at Cape Rockjumper, Ground Woodpecker, and Cape Sugarbird, as well as Kori Bustard, a nesting Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Saddle-billed Stork, Ground Hornbill, Purple-crested Turaco, and a brilliant Lilac-breasted Roller. With good weather throughout, the trip was an outstanding success. Special thanks to Marcello for leading the trip.
The adventure started with the group meeting in the glorious gardens of our Cape Town hotel, situated in the foothills of the magnificent Table Mountain, accompanied by a beautiful bottle of bubbles to get the tour started. Some time was spent exploring the grounds before dinner at the hotel. The following day was dedicated to exploring the richly biodiverse Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where many of the incredible Proteas, Ericas and Pin-cushions were seen. The highlight was a stunning King Protea in full flower, visited by a Cape Sugarbird as a bonus. As the morning progressed, we had good views of the cute Cape Batis, Sombre Greenbul, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Cape Bulbul, and Karoo Prinia, whilst overhead Black Goshawk, Booted Eagle, Common and Forest Buzzard were present. The brilliant expanse of lawns were home to Helmeted Guineafowl, Cape Spurfowl, Olive Thrush, Cape Robin-chat, and Southern Boubou. With the weather playing in our favour, we made the most of it with an additional stop at the Cape of Good Hope for lunch. After a short trip to the viewing point where we had good looks at South African Fur seals, it was time to head back to Groot Constantia, the oldest winery in South Africa, where we enjoyed a tour of the production area and cellars, followed by Wine Tasting of a selection of their delectable wines, including the Grand Constance, a fortified wine made famous by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte. The next day had us heading to the West Coast National Park, where we found Black Kite, Black Harrier, and Gray-winged Francolin in the open areas. A quick stop at a birding hide delivered Kittlitz’s Plover, Common Greenshank, Greater Flamingo, and Whimbrel. The highlight of the area was the stunning display of the colourful wildflowers on show, grazed upon by elegant Cape Mountain Zebra. Remarkable views, but outdone by an incredible and unexpected sighting from the bus of a Caracal walking through the wild flowers. Lunch was enjoyed in the wine area of Darling, which also produced a pair of Blue Cranes, South Africa’s national bird. Then it was time to head back to Cape Town, giving us awesome views of Table Mountain as we made our approach into Cape Town. Dinner was enjoyed at our hotel in Cape Town with a good selection of local wines.
Our next destination in the Cape area was a day exploring the hills around False Bay and Rooi Els, a quiet little village at the base of the Cape Fold Mountains. After a very scenic drive along the coast, our first birding stop was a walk along a gravel track in search of the charming and endemic Cape Rockjumper. This search was made easier due to the fantastic weather conditions and we soon found a pair of Cape Rockjumpers. The rest of the walk was very productive, finding Ground Woodpecker, Cape Rock Thrush, Cape Grassbird, as well as Cape Bunting. After lunch at the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, we made our way to Stoney Point to enjoy watching the endangered African Penguins at their breeding colony. Other specials included 4 species of Cormorant, African Oystercatcher, and a decent fly-by of Cape Gannet. Our last day in the Cape region was a delightful mix of easy birding and great wines, with the morning spent at Strandfontein Water Treatment Plant; it’s not a bird tour without including a sewerage pond! Using the bus as a moving blind, we found large numbers of birds including Sacred Ibis, Cape Teal, Fulvous Whistling, Yellow-billed, Maccoa and Red-billed ducks. Good looks at Great White Pelican and African Swamphen wrapped up the morning. Lunch was enjoyed at the fantastic Steenberg Wine Estate, with the afternoon spent birding at the productive grounds of Spier wine farm in the Stellenbosch area. African Black Duck, Pin-tailed Whydah and Fiscal Flycatcher were seen before a tasting of the farm’s premier selection of wines. This unfortunately meant an end of our time in the Cape Region.
The next phase of the trip was a short flight across the country, leaving a cold misty Cape Town behind us, heading for the sunny skies of Kruger National Park, landing at Skukuza Airstrip in the heart of the bushveld. We were met by our Safari guides and open game-viewing vehicles. A quick afternoon drive started the bird ball rolling with African Openbill, Hamerkop, African Hawk-Eagle, Giant and Pied Kingfishers, with a lucky sighting of Spotted Hyenas at a den and Elephant in the road, all these overshadowed by spotting a Leopard sleeping in a dead tree. Dinner was enhanced by a visit by a Cape Porcupine. The following day was a full day of game viewing along the Sabie River, with spectacular birds. Purple-crested Turaco, African Fish-Eagle, Four-coloured Bushshrike and Martial Eagle before our first stop, followed by Marabou Stork, White-headed Vulture, White-throated Robin-Chat, Green Woodhoopoe, as well as Red and Yellow-billed Ox-peckers before lunch. The best sighting of the day was a majestic young female Leopard resting in a large Fig tree on our way back to the lodge. But the numerous Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, Hippo, Kudu, Impala and Waterbuck can’t be forgotten!
Birding at camp grounds is always great in the mornings, as most people leave early for game drives and we are able to walk around instead of birding from a vehicle. That is exactly what we did at Skukuza on our last morning, connecting with some splendid birds such as Trumpeter Hornbill, Black-collared Barbet, Cape Crombec, White-breasted Sunbird, Bearded Scrub-robins, White-browed and Red-capped Robin-chats to name but a few. It was then time to pack up and move to our next destination at Satara Camp, taking a full day to cover the 80 miles that separate the two camps. We picked up many special birds and mammals along the way, including the handsome Goliath Heron, Red-crested bustards, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl on a nest, Bateleur, Lappet-faced vulture and the iconic Saddle-billed Stork. The lodging at Satara was quite basic, but the birding in the morning was pretty good, and we enjoyed good looks at African Scops-owl, Brown-headed Parrots, Red-billed Firefinch, Green-backed Camaroptera, Marico Sunbird, and many others before heading to our final stop at Tulela Lodge.
After a short transfer we arrived at the spectacular Tulela Lodge, situated in the Greater Kruger area. 2 nights here was a perfect tranquil setting to end off a great tour. Morning and afternoon games drives, a bush breakfast and final sundowners on top a hill with a 360-degree view of the African bush below were but some of the memories that will last forever. Dinner was accompanied by good wine and the sweet sound of Fiery-necked Nightjars while overlooking the floodlit waterhole. Our game drives around Tulela were just as productive, with Double-banded Sandgrouse, Sabota Lark and African Penduline Tit, followed by 2 Lionesses and a massive herd of Buffalo. Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, Gray-headed Bushshrike, and Kurrichane Thrush around the grounds, while Brown-hooded Kingfishers and Chinspot Batis wrapped up the final morning walk before making our way back to the airport. The transfer was not complete without one last stop admiring the graceful giraffe and stunning Lilac-breasted Roller.
Many thanks to everyone who made this trip possible and so enjoyable, and looking forward to seeing you on future tours.
Mammals:
Wahlberg's Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi)
Mauritian Tomb Bat (Taphozous mauritianus)
Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus)
Smith's Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi)
Xeric Four-striped Grass Rat (Rhabdomys pumilio)
Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)
Cape Gray Mongoose (Herpestes pulverulentus)
Common Slender Mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus)
Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula)
Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Lion (Panthera leo)
Caracal (Caracal caraca)
Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus)
African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)
Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra)
Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
Desert Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)
Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Northern Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
Nyala (Tragelaphus angasi)
Northern Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)
Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
Common Eland (Tragelaphus oryx)
Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
Bush Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)
Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)
Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus)
Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus)
Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris)
Impala (Aepyceros malampus)
Winery, Wine name, Origin, Wine type, Vintage
Graham Beck, Brut Rose, Western Cape, Sparkling, No Vintage
Wade Bales, Constantia White, Constantia, White, 2022
Waterford Winery, Kevin Arnold Shiraz, Stellenbosch, 2009
Waterford Winery, Kevin Arnold Shiraz, Stellenbosch, 2010
Painted Wolf Winery, The Den Chenin Blanc, Swartland, White, 2024
Boekenhoutskloof, The Chocolate Block, Swartland, Red, 2023
Groot Constantia, Estate Wine Sauvignon Blanc, Constantia, White, 2023
Groot Constantia, Lady of Abundance, Constantia, Red 2021
Groot Constantia, Pinotage, Constantia, Red ,2023
Groot Constantia, Shiraz, Constantia, Red 2022
Groot Constantia, Gouverneurs Reserve, Constantia, Red, 2021
Warwick, The first Lady, Western Cape, White, 2024
Stellenrust, Peppergrinder’s Shiraz, Stellenbosch, Red, 2022
Eagle’s Nest, Constantia Viognier, Constantia, White, 2018
Ken Forrester Wines, The FMC, Stellenbosch, White, 2023
Habibi Farm, Damascene Cabernet Franc, Stellenbosch, Red, 2022
Spier, Creative Block 2, Stellenbosch, White, 2024
Spier, 21 Gables Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, White, 2023
Spier, Creative Block 3, Stellenbosch, Red, 2021
Spier, Creative Block 5, Stellenbosch, Red, 2022
Spier, 21 Gables Pinotage, Stellenbosch, Red, 2020
Spier, First Stone, Stellenbosch, Red, 2021
Waterford Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, Red, 2018
Vonderling, Chenin Blanc, Voor Paardeberg, White, 2024
Iona, One Man Band, Elgin, Red, 2020
Beyerskloof, Pinotage Rose, Western Cape, Rose, 2024
Donkiesbaai, Steen, Stellenbosch, White, 2024
Jean Engelbrecht, Hangbrug Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, White 2024
Jean Engelbrecht, Moederkerk Chardonnay Stellenbosch, White 2023
Guardian Peak, Sauvignon Blanc, White, 2024
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/409874
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/sbw25TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Tarry Butcher