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South Africa - Northern Birds & Big Game (Relaxed)

© Baillon's Crake by Rob Williams
South Africa - Northern Birds & Big Game (Relaxed) 2026

31 Mar 2026 - 11 Apr 2026 (12 days)

ZAR87,950 - 4 Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Quinton Paul Josop

Tour price (Per person): ZAR87,950 * USD4,723 * GBP3,543 * EUR4,136 * AUD7,421

Single Supplement: ZAR9,100 * USD489 * GBP367 * EUR428 * AUD768

Can be linked with: South Africa - Southern Endemics (Relaxed) 2026

South Africa - Northern Birds & Big Game (Relaxed) 2027

01 Mar 2027 - 12 Mar 2027 (12 days)

ZAR93,000 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Ryan Tyrer

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

Tour price (Per person): ZAR93,000 * USD4,995 * GBP3,747 * EUR4,373 * AUD7,847

Can be linked with: South Africa - Southern Endemics (Relaxed) 2027

South Africa is quite simply one of the most pleasurable countries in which to travel, offering fantastic birding, exceptional wildlife viewing, and breath-taking photographic opportunities, along with world-class infrastructure. This relaxed tour of northern South Africa takes us birding in the Highveld grasslands around Johannesburg, the open Acacia woodlands of Zaagkuildrift and cool montane forests of Magoebaskloof for a series of endemic and near endemic species.  

We’ll then head to the bird- and game-rich lowlands and the world-renowned Kruger National. Here we will enjoy several days in this spectacular reserve enjoying the classic African savanna and the many superb birds and mammals associated with this massive conservation area.

Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.

 

 

Top Birds

Johannesburg, Rust-de-Winter & Magoebaskloof: Fairy Warbler; Red-throated Wryneck; Black-faced & Violet-eared Waxbills; Chestnut-vented Warbler; Scaly-feathered Weaver; Cut-throat Finch; Green-winged Pytilia; Cape Parrot; Knysna Turaco; Orange Ground Thrush; Chorister Robin; Black-fronted Bushshrike; Kruger NP: Common Ostrich; Kori Bustard; Southern Ground Hornbill; Bateleur; Martial & Crowned; Eagles; Marabou & Saddle-billed Storks; Lappet-faced, White-backed, Hooded & White-headed Vultures; Double-banded Sandgrouse; Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl; Lilac-breasted Roller; Southern Red-billed & Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills; Brown-headed Parrot; Burchell’s Starling; Southern White-crowned Shrike; Red-headed Weaver; White-browed Robin-Chat.

Top Mammals

Johannesburg, Rust-de-Winter & Magoebaskloof: Blesbok; Black Wildebeest; Mountain Reedbuck; Yellow Mongoose; Cape Clawless Otter; Kruger: The ‘Big 5’ (Lion; Leopard; African Elephant; Black & White Rhinoceroses; African Buffalo); Cheetah, African Wild Dog; Side-striped Jackal; Greater Kudu; Southern Giraffe; Spotted Hyena; Nyala; Common & Central African Large-spotted Genets; Wild Cat; African Civet; Cape Porcupine; White-tailed Mongoose; Klipspringer; Plains Zebra; Common Warthog

Habitats Covered

highveld grassland, montane forest, acacia savanna, bushveld, terminalia woodland, riverine forest, grasslands, rivers, wetlands

Expected Climate

subtropical and dry, warm to hot. Can be cold to very cold in the early mornings and evenings

Max Group Size

5 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Undemanding, perfectly suited for all birding / wildlife interest levels and most mobility capabilities. our Relaxed series of tours are designed to focus on having an enjoyable holiday with a bird and wildlife focus. Where possible; we have reduced or removed long drives, single night stays and poor/rustic accommodation. We have also sought to reduce or remove difficult hikes, narrow/muddy trails and otherwise oppressive environmental conditions. Early starts and night birding are mostly optional, and we will not spend much time searching for difficult and/or skulking species. These tours are not suitable for hardcore birders and listers, or dedicated photographers.

Accommodation

Good to comfortable.

Ease of Birding

Undemanding, most species provide good visuals. A small number of scare / tricky species.

Other Attractions

vast, pristine wilderness, huge numbers of African mega-fauna

Photographic Opportunities

Very good to excellent.

What our clients say about us

David Hoddinott
RH, South Africa 2021

This was my first pelagic tour, and I loved every minute of it. The guides were excellent - informative, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and patient. Couldn't have asked for better, thank you.

André Bernon
RT, South Africa 2018

As an experienced world traveller and birder, I must say that the Eastern South Africa and Cape Extension III tours went beyond my already high expectations. All in all, we saw nearly 540 bird species, plus many mammals, including the "Big Five". Our guide, Andre Bernon, really made an effort for us all to see each and every species, and was also very knowledgeable about reptiles, mammals, South African history etc. An excellent guide!

Heinz Ortmann
JM, South Africa 2016 (Private)

We were very happy to have Heinz Ortmann as our guide. He operated the tour very skilfully in every way and with flexibility when needed to try to get all possible targets. We were also very positively surprised that he had such a great knowledge about mammals, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians beside the birds. Since we also are very interested in all these groups, this was a most welcome bonus. A great tour that we will remember for a long time. We would be very happy doing another private trip with Heinz as our guide.

Julian Parsons
DT, South Africa

Our short custom tour with two day trips out of Cape Town was really excellent. Our guide Julian was knowledgeable and engaging and generally a great fit for our small family of three. We found almost all our main target species and Julian was always quick to set up the scope to ensure we all got great views of the more distant birds. As a family with a range of interests including not only birds, but also mammals and plants, we really appreciated that Julian found the right balance between trying hard to find some of the more difficult birds and allowing some extra time for studying plants, especially at Kirstenbosch. Thanks Julian, for a great couple of days! Thanks also to Daniel and Laverne for your help with planning and logistics!

André Bernon
JT, South Africa 2017

We found our guide, Andre Bernon to be extremely competent at finding and identifying birds. He also had an impressive range of knowledge about other biota, plus extensive knowledge of the local history.

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