19 Jan 2025 - 23 Jan 2025 (5 days)
ZAR37,950 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Mark Beevers
Tour price (Per person): ZAR37,950 * USD2,093 * EUR2,011 * GBP1,672 * CAD2,926
Single Supplement: ZAR4,250 * USD234 * EUR225 * GBP187 * CAD328
Flight costs: ZAR4,840 * USD267 * EUR257 * GBP213 * CAD373
Our Kruger Extension to our South Africa Mega Birding tour takes us to one of Africa’s most famous and fabulous reserves – The Kruger National Park! On this birding and wildlife safari we will explore the area’s superb road system in our quest to locate some of the most iconic birds and big game in Africa, including the legendary “Big 5” – Lion, African Elephant, Leopard, African Buffalo and both Black & White Rhinoceros. Kruger provides an excellent opportunity to photograph these spectacular beasts in their natural habitat, and some of them we will encounter in staggering numbers and at very close quarters. The park’s rich bushveld will also provide us with amongst the most exciting and rewarding birding to be had anywhere in Africa. Of special note here are species requiring vast areas of wilderness, including Common Ostrich, Kori Bustard, the incomparable Southern Ground Hornbill, Martial Eagle, Bateleur, up to five species of vulture, and an incredible diversity of other raptors and spectacular African birds. This is a brief yet thoroughly rewarding addition to our SA Mega Birding Tour, and comes highly recommended!
Please note: these prices are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations.
Common Ostrich, Kori Bustard, Red-crested Korhaan, Southern Ground Hornbill, Bateleur, Martial, Crowned, African Hawk- and Tawny Eagles, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Lizard Buzzard, Lappet-faced, Cape, White-backed, Hooded & White-headed Vultures, chances for the elusive African Finfoot, White-crowned Lapwing, Swainson’s & Natal Spurfowls, Coqui Francolin, Bronze-winged Courser, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Southern White-faced Owl, Pearl-spotted & African Barred Owlets, Southern Red-billed & Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills, Brown-headed Parrot, Bennett’s Woodpecker, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Burchell’s & Cape Starlings, Magpie & Southern White-crowned Shrikes, Red-headed Weaver, White-throated Robin-Chat, Acacia Pied Barbet, Burchell’s Coucal, Chestnut-vented Warbler, Stierling’s Wren-Warbler, Violet-eared Waxbill, Burnt-necked Eremomela, African Pygmy & Giant Kingfishers, Black, Woolly-necked, Saddle-billed & Yellow-billed Storks, African Openbill.
The ‘Big 5’, Cheetah, African Wild Dog, Side-striped Jackal, Greater Kudu, Giraffe, Spotted Hyena, Nyala, Common and Central African Large-spotted Genets, Wild Cat, African Civet, Serval, Cape Porcupine, White-tailed Mongoose, Klipspringer, Thick-tailed Greater Galago, Honey Badger, Caracal.
acacia savanna, bushveld, terminalia woodland, riverine forest, grasslands, rivers, wetlands
subtropical with occasional rain, warm to very hot
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local leader
relaxed
comfortable
easy
180+
vast, pristine wilderness
excellent
I would like to especially thank Julian Parsons for his outstanding guiding. Julian has just the right touch of skill and personality to make a tour like this fire on all cylinders. His ability is unique, a top-notch combination of outgoing and enthusiastic personality traits, deft handling of logistical details, fundamental knowledge of the landscapes and biota, and keeping the fire going for finding more birds. I do not give such praise lightly. I have myself have been an ecotour leader, so I well know how difficult it can be to keep satisfied the very demanding expectations of diverse participants. Julian possesses a novel blend of open-mindedness, too, which can be a scarce trait in birding guides. If Julian were the guide on an itinerary that I wished to sign up for, his presence could be a deciding criteria for my participation with a RockJumper tour. In addition to the guide, the itinerary, food, and accommodations all exceeded my personal expectations. Lodging at Hout Bay and Calvinia stand out, but frankly all of it was excellent.
Great tour with amazing birds to see. Greg and Ward did a terrific job of finding the birds and making sure we saw everything. Kruger National Park was spectacular and we had unbelievable views of the animals. Loved the safari vehicle through the park and would recommend using it on future tours. The van was good as we all had window seats. Unfortunately there were issues with opening a couple of the windows along with electrical issues with the refrigerator and charging units at each seat but the guides adjusted to the situation as needed to make the experience a good one. The trip had a lot of time inside the van and sighting/seeing birds from the van. I would have liked more walking maybe on the roads when possible but I understand we were trying to see as many birds as possible. Overall a remarkable trip lead by professional, experienced guides and a great group of birders made this trip memorable.
Julian did an outstanding job leading the tour. I understand he is a new guide w/ Rockjumper, but it seemed like he had years of experience. His birding skills were superb, as expected. His knowledge of all the obscure larks and LBJs was very impressive. Importantly, he handled logistics very well, managed client expectations and personalities superbly, and was always cheerful and kept things positive. I've got to give a nod to the driver as well, he was a joy to be around. Always cheerful (regardless of tire problems in the Karoo) and willing to jimmy the vehicle around so everyone gets a good look. A definite asset to the tour. I understand these trips run smoothly because of all the support back at the office. Thanks to everyone involved. All of my communications pre-tour were handled promptly and professionally. The whole Rockjumper team were a real pleasure to work with. Can't wait to do it again!
Greg de Klerk worked hard to get us the sightings, to ensure everyone got a "good look" and to keep us as safe and as comfortable as possible. I especially appreciated his additional information about field marks, behaviour, the habitat/area, history and culture.
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.
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