October 4-26, 2025 with Tarry Butcher & Jesse Fagan
South Africa, at the southern tip of Africa stands out above the rest with an amazing variety of birds, mammals and also incredible flora. This year was no different. We started our journey with a trip around False Bay to Rooi Els, a small seaside village, where after a short walk we found 2 pairs of Cape Rockjumpers and a single Ground Woodpecker amongst the coastal Proteas. Further down the road at Betty’s Bay, we had really good views of Great, Bank, Crowned and Cape Cormorants as well as African Oystercatcher and Rock Hyrax basking in the sun. We cannot forget the delightful African Penguins around our feet. Lunch was enjoyed at the Botanical Gardens and we took some time to do a short walk, finding a surprising female Black Cuckooshrike and good views of Swee Waxbill, African Dusky Flycatcher and White-necked Raven.
The next day we made our way north from Cape Town over the Cape Fold Mountains, that provided stunning landscapes as we climbed in elevation. Our first bathroom stop revealed another surprise, finding a non-breeding Knob-billed Duck, well out of its normal range. The same pond produced Levaillant’s Cisticola and gorgeous looks at Red Bishop. Our next stop produced a super responsive Victorin’s Warbler which gave us unbelievable views, as well as a delightful Cape Grassbird, a good start for the day. The afternoon was spent exploring the southern section of the Karoo habitat along the infamous R355 road. We found our targets, which included Rufous-eared Warbler, Karoo Chat, Dusky Sunbird and Grey Tit, as well as Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Mountain Chat and Karoo Scrub Robin.
The next day, we moved further north into the drier Karoo and another fortuitous bathroom stop revealed two massive targets of Protea Canary and Cape Sugarbird, with a bonus fly-by Booted Eagle. We continued the journey further north into the very dry, arid northern section of the Karoo biome, and birding around Brandvlei. This spot produced good views of Namaqua Sandgrouse, Lark-like Bunting, Red Lark, Large-billed Lark, Black-eared Sparrow-Lark, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Karoo Lark, Scaly Weaver, Tractrac Chat and brief views of Sclater's Lark and White-quilled Bustard. Before heading to the West Coast, we wrapped up the Karoo targets, getting good views of Karoo and Ludwig's bustard as well as a singing Namaqua Warbler.
After the hot days in the Karoo, we made our way to the cooler West Coast, staying at Lambert's Bay. The drive is mixture of spectacular scenery - especially the view from the edge of the Escarpment over the valley below as we descend down Van Rhyn's Pass. Lunch revealed a good look at Klipspringer and Fairy Flycatcher, while with some road-side birding we managed to find a lonely Secretary Bird before arriving in Lambert's Bay. The afternoon was time well-spent admiring the stunning sight of 35,000 Cape Gannets at their breeding colony on Bird Island. The well-built hide gives unprecedented views of these gracious birds. We also had time to bird along the Lambert's Bay lagoon, finding Spotted Thick-knee, Purple Heron and a brief view of Little Bittern, as well as White-fronted, Kittlitz’s and Common Ringed Plover.
The next day started well, birding the coastal dunes south of Lambert's Bay and finding the endemic Cape Clapper Lark doing its “trampoline display”, fittingly described by someone while watching it bounce up and down in the sky. We also had some views of Bokmakierie, Rock Kestrel and Sanderlings. The surprise sighting of the morning was a Common Quail flushed by a very excited German Shepherd who was birding with us. Road side sightings before reaching the West Coast National Park included the “Bird of the year”, Black Harrier, Great White Pelican and African Spoonbill. This year we made an additional stop in Velddrift, birding the small sections of salt pans with a local guide. We had awesome views of Chestnut-banded Plover and Red-necked Phalarope, as well as a roosting Western Barn Owl and Spotted Eagle-Owl. We did well on the terns amongst the salt pans, with Caspian, Common, Sandwich, Great Crested and Whiskered Tern. A short but eventful stop, but it was time to get to our main target for the day, the West Coast National Park. The highlight of the park was a very co-operative Black Bustard, as well as Cape Long-billed Lark and Ostrich with babies. We also got our first looks at Bontebok, a South African endemic mammal. A quick stop at the bird hide gave us nice views of Greater and Lesser Flamingo, while lunch was accompanied by friendly Cape Spurfowl as entertainment.
Our final destination in the Cape Region was a day spent in the famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, with its excellent network of paths leading through endemic flora. Jesse’s sharp eyes found us a Lemon Dove quietly feeding in a recently turned bed. Other specials included Cape Batis, Brown-backed Honeybird, Forest Canary, Rameron Pigeon and Black Goshawk. A great ending to the first leg of the tour.
After a short flight to Durban, our next destination was Underberg in preparation for our ascent up the Sani Pass into Lesotho. The excitement was evident and with an early start we bagged a few good garden birds, Malachite Sunbird and Cape White-eyes, before climbing into 4x4 vehicles for the day trip. A group of Grey-crowned Cranes and Long-crested Eagles were the attractions before our first roadside stop in the lower valley of the pass. Birding along the road was excellent, and we had good views of Bush Blackcap, Olive Woodpecker, Drakensberg Prinia, Red-throated Wryneck, Diederik and Klaas’s cuckoo, as well as African Yellow Warbler and African Paradise-Flycatcher, all sighted before our breakfast stop. Things didn’t slow down after breakfast, and with the weather clearing we made our way up towards the South African border post, getting Buff-streaked Chat, Ground Woodpecker, Brimstone Canary and Gurney’s Sugarbird. The border procedure was smooth and without issues under the watchful eyes of a Sentinel Rock Thrush and Slogget's Ice Rat. so it was on past the fountain of youth and up to the steeper slopes of the pass. After quite some effort we were finally rewarded with great views of Barratt’s Warbler and just before the summit, a pair of beautiful Drakensberg Rockjumpers. Making our way further into Lesotho, we reached our target destination at 10,600 ft, the highest point reached on tour, with breath-taking views over the valleys below. The elevation paid off with great views of a Bearded Vulture, Mountain Pipit and cute Drakensberg Siskin. At a quick afternoon stop along a wetland, we had really good views of displaying Long-tailed Widowbirds and Orange-throated Longclaw - a fitting end to a great day.
Over the next few days we made numerous small stops, making our way along the scenic KwaZulu Natal coastline, including Marutswa Forest, Umlalazi Nature Reserve, and Dlinza Forest. Birding over lunch at St. Lucia, overlooking the Indian Ocean, and also at Mkuze Game Reserve, gradually added to the list. The highly-endangered Cape Parrot was one of the main highlights, seen initially in heavy mist but luckily second looks were seen later once the mist cleared. Spotted Ground-Thrush, Narina Trogon, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon were also sighted. In a small farm dam, we found two pairs of African Pygmy Goose, Yellow-throated Longclaw and Palmnut Vulture. St. Lucia was short but exciting, with great birds on offer, but even better were hippos grazing in the streets at night on our way back from dinner. We were able to watch these huge beasts placidly grazing in the headlights. Birds were equally good, with singing Brown Scrub-Robin, Rudd’s Apalis, Crested Guineafowl, Livingstone’s Turaco and a surprising Mangrove Kingfisher. Mkuze Game Reserve was great again this year with Purple-Crested Turaco, Striped Pipit and Violet-backed Starlings being the highlights. It was also the first sightings of big mammals, with fantastic views of Burchell’s Zebra, Common Giraffe, Impala, Warthog, Hippo, Nyala, Kudu and a surprising White Rhino wallowing in the muddy waterhole, staying cool.
After a short, rainy stop along the Eswatini border, we made our way to Wakkerstroom, an area of high grasslands and home to a number of important endemics. Unfortunately, again the weather was not playing ball, producing a cold wind with a light drizzle for most of the day, but we made the best of the birding between showers. We started south of Wakkerstoom with good views of Yellow-breasted Pipit, Secretary Bird, and Eastern Long-billed Lark, before continuing east of town to find a displaying Denham’s Bustard, Buffy Pipit, Black-bellied Bustard and a breeding colony of South African Swallows. A surprise find in the late afternoon was a distant view of Wattled Crane, breeding Southern Bald Ibis and a beautifully-perched Lanner Falcon. On route back to town, we finally connected with Blue Bustard, as well as Eastern Clapper Lark, Spike-heeled Lark, a large number of Blue and Grey-crowned cranes and a small covey of Grey-winged Francolins to wrap up a successful day, despite the less than favourable conditions. The next morning we visited the Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve just outside town. We were lucky to get good views of Cape Clawless Otter and some nice birds as well. African Marsh Harrier flying over the expanse of reedbeds, Purple, Grey and Squacco herons around the wetland itself, and from deep in the reeds the calls of hidden Black Crake, Red-Chested Flufftail and African Rail who appeared briefly.
Then it was off to Kruger National Park, certainly one of the most anticipated sections of the tour, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Birding and mammal sightings ere excellent from the start. We ticked off Giant Kingfisher, Saddle-billed Stork and African Pied Wagtail, as well as Common Waterbuck, Impala and Nile Crocodile from the bridge entering the park. The short drive to our first camp was just as exciting, with Lilac-breasted Roller, a herd of African Elephant, with a tiny new born, right next to the road, and a very lucky sighting of African Wild Dog, an animal not often seen. Birding around Berg-n-Dal camp the next morning was very productive, with us finally spotting Eastern Nicator, a battle that played out over a number of days. We also had good views of Retz’s Helmetshrike, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill and Kurrichane Thrush, but birding was disturbed by a stampede of Helmeted Guineafowl heading down the road in a hurry and we weren’t standing in their way. Throughout the day as we made our way north through the park, we had numerous great sightings, beginning with a pride of lions crossing the road in front of us soon after leaving the camp. In addition, Wild Dogs were playing in a dry river bed, a Leopard relaxed next to a tree, and a Spotted Hyena was feeding her young pup in the late afternoon. It was really a super day for mammal sightings. Birding was equally awesome, with an amazing view of Martial Eagle, Hammerkop, and Lesser Spotted Eagle. Our lunch stop at Lower Sabie was not only stunning overlooking the river, but very productive with Collared Pratincole, Senegal Lapwing, Lesser Honeyguide and a co-operative Red-faced Cisticola. Arguably the sighting of the day was a Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl perched on a dead tree just before we reached Satara camp. Satara, surrounded by open grass fields, was home to a very different selection of birds. Our morning walk produced African Mourning Dove and a tree full of colourful Marico Sunbirds. Our time in Kruger was short but very entertaining and definitely a highlight for most of the participants.
The final two nights of the tour where spent exploring the scenic Afromontane forests around Magoebaskloof and open acacia bushveld of the Polokwane Game Reserve. A morning walk through the forest revealed some forest specials such as Black-fronted and Olive Bushshrikes, Knysna Turaco, White-starred Robin and Yellow-streaked Greenbul, but the main target bird for the area made us work really hard, finally getting views of Orange Ground-Thrush perched in a tree. Satisfied with the forest birds, we made our way to Polokwane Game Reserve where Crimson-breasted Gonoloek, Golden-breasted Bunting, Violet-eared and Black-faced waxbills stole the show.
Overall, It was a fantastic trip covering the highlights of South Africa, scenery, birds and mammals. Jesse and I would both like to thank everyone involved in making the tour such a success and we are looking forward to seeing you on the trail soon.
MAMMALS ON THE TOUR
Wahlberg's Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi)
Thick-tailed Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus)
Grivet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops)
Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus)
Scrub Hare (Lepus saxatalis)
Cape Hare (Lepus capensis)
Cape Porcupine (Hystirx africaeaustralis)
Red Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus)
Smith's Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi)
Xeric Four-striped Grass Rat (Rhabdomys pumilio
Sloggett's Vlei Rat (Otomys sloggetti)
Black-backed Jackal (Lupulella mesomelas)
African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)
African Clawless Otter (Lutra capensis)
Common Genet (Genetta genetta)
Rusty-spotted Genet (Genetta fieldiana)
Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon)
Cape Gray Mongoose (Herpestes pulverulentus)
Common Slender Mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus)
Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo)
Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula)
Yellow Mongoose (Cynictis penicillata)
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Lion (Panthera leo)
Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus)
African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)
Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
Desert Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)
Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Southern Giraffe (Giraffa giraffa)
Nyala (Tragelaphus angasi)
Northern Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)
Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
Natal Red Duiker (Cephalophus natalensis)
Bush Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)
Blue Duiker (Philantomba monticola)
Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)
Southern Reedbuck (Redunca arundinum)
Rhebok (Pelea capreolus)
Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus)
Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)
Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus)
Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris)
Impala (Aepyceros malampus)
Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/421468
You can see my iNaturalist report of non-avian taxa at this link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/south-africa-2025-06d062ef-d01b-4c1b-9959-0b0b3c74a8e0
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/saf25TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Tarry Butcher