Arrive in Cape Town and immediately set off for Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens nestled below Table Mountain with incredible views back over the city. This will prove a great introduction to Cape birding and one could see the likes of Cape Spurfowl, Lemon Dove, Olive Thrush, Southern Boubou, Swee Waxbill, Spotted Eagle-Owl, and Forest Canary. The stands of flowers are normally magnets for Malachite Sunbird, Cape Sugarbird, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, and Orange-breasted Sunbird. Spend the next two nights on the Cape Peninsula.
On the next day, explore the Cape Peninsula at leisure. We will visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve with several photographic stops along the flanks of the Cape Peninsula Mountain chain on the south-western extremity of the country. Cape Point is a breath-taking reserve of spectacular sea views and rugged mountain ranges. Birds on offer include Jackal Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Ostrich, Grey-backed Cisticola, Cape Bulbul, Fiscal Flycatcher, and Cape Siskin. Mammals we could see include Afro Australian Fur Seal, Chacma Baboon, Rock Hyrax (Dassie), Common Eland, Southern Right Whale, and Long-beaked Common Dolphin. After lunch, we will head out across the Cape Flats to the Strandfontein wetland complex within the heart of which is the False Bay Environmental Park – an acclaimed waterbird destination home to a great variety of birds such as Maccoa Duck, Cape Teal, Cape Shoveler, South African Shelduck, African Oystercatcher, Greater Flamingo, Swift Tern and a variety of shorebirds in summer.

Travel along the edge of False Bay and through the stunning Cape Overberg region taking in key birding localities such as Rooi Els, Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and Stony Point. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve has incredible floral diversity and the drive today is one of the most scenic in the Cape. Birds targeted with Cape Rockjumper, Ground Woodpecker, Cape Weaver, African Penguin, Victorin’s Warbler if we are lucky, Bank and Crowned Cormorant, Hartlaub’s Gull, Cape Rock-Thrush, Cape Grassbird, and African Black Swift amongst others. Today we overnight in Hermanus – famous for its whale watching in season and poised on spectacular cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Travel through productive farmland interspersed with indigenous vegetation and wetlands in the Overberg Region with many focussed birding stops onto the Tanqua Karoo. Today we might see our first Denham’s Bustard, Blue Crane, Bokmakierie, Large-billed, Red-capped Lark, and Jackal Buzzard. We then continue northwards into the Karoo and overnight at a quirky game lodge in the heart of this vast and fascinating expanse of semi-arid scrubland and an ideal base from which to bird area. Full day exploring the Tankwa Karoo and searching for the host of localized specialist endemic species on offer in this area such as Verreaux’s Eagle, Karoo Chat, Black-headed Canary, Karoo Eremomela, Karoo Korhaan, Tractrac Chat, Layard’s Tit-Babbler, Namaqua Warbler, Fairy Flycatcher, Pale-winged Starling, Acacia Pied Barbet, Layard’s Tit-babbler and Cinnamon-breasted Warbler.

Today we head across to the West Coast National Park via the Gydo Pass where we will try for Protea Canary and the Berg River Estuary and associated salt works for the likes of Lesser Flamingo and Chestnut-banded Plover. Will spend the night in a comfortable guesthouse in Langebaan town. Full day spent exploring the West Coast National Park and surrounds. The West Coast National Park is dominated by pristine coastal strandveld and the world-acclaimed Langebaan Lagoon – a tidal environment of global ornithological importance particularly for migrating shorebirds. The strandveld birding here is excellent for the likes of Southern Black Korhaan, Greywinged Francolin, Black Harrier, Karoo Lark, Cape Long-billed Lark, Grey Tit, Cape Penduline-Tit, White-backed Mousebird, Cape Robin-Chat, and Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler. Interesting mammals today could include Small Grey Mongoose, Bontebok, (Cape) Mountain Zebra, (Red) Hartebeest, and Cape Grysbok.

Return to Cape Town with a flight to South Africa's flagship Kruger National Park. Spend the rest of the day birding in the species-rich Kruger. Birding and game viewing in the morning around Skukuza, then transfer to Sabi Sands. During our time in Kruger and Sabi Sands, we hope to see the likes of Southern Ground Hornbill, Bateleur, Martial and African Hawk-Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Lizard Buzzard, Saddle-billed Stork, Lappet-faced, White-backed, Hooded and White-headed Vultures, African Finfoot, White-crowned Lapwing, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Coqui Francolin, Bronze-winged Courser, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, African Scops Owl, African Barred Owlet, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Brown-headed Parrot, Bennett’s Woodpecker, Mosque Swallow, Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Burchell’s Starling, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Red-headed Weaver, White-browed Robin-Chat, Bearded Scrub-Robin, Burnt- necked Eremomela and Crowned Hornbill amongst others. Spend the day, birding and mammal viewing in the acclaimed 160 000 acres Sabi Sands Game Reserve adjacent to and contiguous with the Kruger National Park. Here, mammal diversity is incredible. Along with birding, see Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, White Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, African Wild Dog, Side-striped Jackal, Greater Kudu, Southern Giraffe, Spotted Hyena, Nyala, African Wild Cat, African Civet, Dwarf Mongoose, White-tailed Mongoose, Klipspringer, Plains Zebra, and Common Warthog.

Travel to Mount Sheba via the northern Drakensberg Mountains and the Blyde River Canyon (time permitting can stop at one of the viewpoints). Mount Sheba protects a decent patch of temperate forest that is good for species such as Narina Trogon, Knysna Turaco, White-starred Robin, Chorister Robin-Chat, Cape Baits, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, Olive Woodpecker, Orange Ground-Thrush, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Southern Tchagra, Red-necked Spurfowl on the forest edge and many others. An interesting mammal here is Samango (Blue) Monkey. Spend the morning, birding the montane forest around Mount Sheba before heading onto the Dullstroom area set in picturesque and pristine montane grassland with a very different bird community. The open grasslands and rocky slopes around Dullstroom harbor Cape Longclaw, Southern Bald Ibis, Cape Vulture, Ant-eating Chat, Mountain Wheatear, Pied Starling, Buff-streaked Chat, Gurney’s Sugarbird, Cape Crow, Cape Eagle- Owl, Southern Fiscal, Bokmakierie, Wing-snapping Cisticola, Long-billed and Yellow-breasted Pipit. The Veloren Valei (Lost Valley) Nature Reserve high up in the Steenkampsberg Range is also home to some wild-ranging mammals such as Black Wildebeest, Blesbok, Grey Rhebok, Mountain Reedbuck, Oribi, Serval, Yellow Mongoose, and possibly even Meerkat (Suricate).

Spend the morning, birding around Dullstroom for species still needed before heading back to Johannesburg where the tour ends.