31 Jan 2025 - 05 Feb 2025 (6 days)
ZAR35,450 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: James Wade Lee
Tour price (Per person): ZAR35,450 * USD1,992 * GBP1,543 * EUR1,848 * AUD3,004
Single Supplement: ZAR2,750 * USD155 * GBP120 * EUR143 * AUD233
Flight costs: ZAR3,025 * USD170 * GBP132 * EUR158 * AUD256
Our western South Africa Cape extensions, combined with our eastern South Africa tours, can produce up to an incredible 500 bird and 50 mammal species, including many South African endemics and near-endemics. Commencing in Cape Town, widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities, we set out to explore the breathtaking Cape Peninsula, the succulent Tanqua Karoo, West Coast National Park and teeming pelagic waters. Cape targets include the comical African Penguin, Black Harrier, Ludwig’s Bustard, elusive Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, attractive Victorin’s Warbler, Karoo Lark, stunning Orange-breasted and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, Cape Sugarbird, Protea, Cape and Forest Canaries, Cape Siskin, Cape Bulbul and Cape Rockjumper, the last belonging to a family that is endemic to southern Africa. Regional endemics could include Rufous-eared Warbler, Southern Boubou, Cape Batis, Cape Grassbird, Karoo Prinia, Karoo Eremomela, Cape Weaver, Fiscal Flycatcher, Namaqua Warbler, Cape Spurfowl and Olive Thrush. An unforgettable experience is definitely a pelagic trip out to sea from Cape Town, whereby finding a fishing vessel could produce literally thousands of birds in its wake. Indian and Atlantic Yellow-nosed, Black-browed and Shy Albatrosses, Cape and White-chinned Petrels, Southern and Northern Giant Petrels and Cape Gannet are regularly encountered.
Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.
Cape Rockjumper, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Bulbul, Cape Siskin, Protea, Forest, Cape & Black-headed Canaries, Orange-breasted, Malachite & Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, African Penguin, African Oystercatcher, Crowned, Bank & Cape Cormorants, Hartlaub’s Gull, Black Harrier, Southern Black & Karoo Korhaans, Ludwig’s Bustard, Cape Spurfowl, Bokmakierie, Victorin’s, Namaqua, Rufous-eared, Cinnamon-breasted, and Layard’s Warblers, Karoo Eremomela, Cape Penduline Tit, White-backed Mousebird, Karoo and Tractrac Chats, Karoo Scrub Robin, Southern Boubou, Fiscal and Fairy Flycatchers, Cape Batis, Cape Grassbird, Karoo Lark, Grey Tit, Grey-winged Francolin, Olive Thrush, South African Shelduck, Cape Shoveler.
Afro-Australian Fur Seal, Southern Right Whale, Common Eland, Blesbok (Bontebok), (Cape) Mountain Zebra, (Red) Hartebeest, Cape Grey Mongoose, Klipspringer, Springbok, Steenbok, Cape Grysbok, Grey Rhebok, Chacma Baboon, Rock Hyrax, Meerkat
mountains, semi-desert, fynbos, coastal waters, wetlands
subtropical with occasional rain
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate pace with undemanding walks, some long drives
comfortable guesthouses
Easy
200+
Tanqua-Karoo, Table Mountain, Cape Peninsula, great food & wine
Excellent
Greg is very knowledgable about everything South Africa and was very good at getting everyone on the birds. He manages the people dynamics very well and kept the mood light and enjoyable.
My wife and I were part of a six person tour of South Africa that was led by David Hoddinott. Our trip was excellent and seamless. David was the perfect guide for our group and, as I’m sure you’re aware, is an extraordinary birder and bird finder.... Thank you to Rockjumper, and David especially, for taking the time to create such a wonderful trip for our group. As always, I’m sure that it’s a challenge to accommodate numerous personalities within a group and David was great at it. We all liked him from day one and he was always positive and up for anything. He was an absolute joy to be with. We’d previously been to Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Botswana and South Africa was a totally different experience. We really enjoyed the people that we got to meet and the sheer beauty of the country is breathtaking. David’s enthusiasm and pride of his homeland was inspiring and infectious. We can’t thank him enough for making it come alive for us. And thanks to all who had a part in setting it all up. We’d happily recommend Rockjumper to anyone thinking about a trip led by you.
Our group of six was very lucky to have Julian Parsons and Musa as our tour guide and driver! Excellent knowledge of birds, biomes, and local culture and politics. Also both had a great sense of humor and they were adaptable to our group's moods: the perfect match for our group! We would recommend both of them for any future tours! Bottom line, a very memorable trip with lots of great memories. Thanks to all.
This was our first tailor-made tour. It won't be our last. We had a great time. Dan was an excellent guide, working all the angles to get us our target birds while still covering the area specialties, affording us great looks at birds for which we had only fleeting views on our previous South Africa tour with Rockjumper (which was also great!). Dan was very persistent, which paid off in seeing a good number of very difficult specialty birds that many avid South African birders have not seen. We even had two lifer flufftails in a single day, thanks in part to Doug McCulloch, who took the morning off from his new job to help out with the Red-breasted Flufftail. Thanks, Doug! We could have used one more day in the Joburg area, as there were a few birds that were not accessible within the time frame of the tour. This always happens, though, and I am glad we went from a 6-day to a 10-day tour. This is the reason for the overall rating of 9 rather than 10. Overall, the three of us had a great time on the tour. Thanks for putting it together for us!
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.
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South Africa - West 2024 - September 2024
South Africa - Allen (Cisticola Ref) 2024 - August 2024
South Africa (Cape & Kruger) - Kidwell - June 2024
South Africa - Kovich 2024 - June 2024
South Africa - Cape & Kruger I 2024 - June 2024
South Africa - Bletsch 2024 - March 2024
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South Africa - Williamson Wild Dog ext (RWT) 2024 - February 2024
South Africa - Frederick 2024 - February 2024
South Africa - Cape Extension I 2024 - January 2024
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South Africa - Kruger Extension I 2023 - November 2023
South Africa - Mega Birding Tour I 2023 - November 2023
South Africa - Ball Karoo 2023 - October 2023
South Africa - Eastern VI 2023 - October 2023
South Africa - Cape Extension V 2023 - October 2023
South Africa - Eastern V 2023 - September 2023
South Africa - Budget Eastern (Small Group) 2023 - September 2023