South Africa's Western Cape - Land of the Caracal

Africa is well known for its big cats, but it also possesses a fascinating array of smaller felines. Perhaps the most beautiful of these is the Caracal, a sand-coloured, lynx-like creature found throughout the drier parts of the continent. Notoriously scarce and elusive across most of its wide range, it is more numerous and less secretive in South Africa’s Western Cape, which is mostly free of larger carnivores. Here, the Caracal is the apex predator, and there is nowhere better in the world to search for them.

This new tour visits three of the best reserves in the Western Cape, all of which contain thriving populations of Caracal. We begin with a flight to Cape Town – where Caracals inhabit the suburbs – spending one night in Simon's Town, before driving a couple of hours north to the West Coast National Park. Basing ourselves in the nearby town of Langebaan for three nights, we will make daily excursions into the park. Dawn and dusk are best for cat-spotting, but there is a wealth of other wildlife here too, including Greater Kudu, Red Hartebeest and Eland. At sea, pods of Dusky and Heaviside’s Dolphins occasionally pass by, along with Cape Fur Seals. Black Harrier, Bokmakierie and Southern Black Korhaan are some of the many spectacular birds to look for.

Next we will move on to the Karoo National Park, home to Black Rhinoceros, Gemsbok, and zebra bred to resemble the extinct Quagga. We will join night drives here in search of rare nocturnal species, possibly including Caracal, Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, Small-spotted Genet, African Wildcat and (if we are very lucky) Aardvark. During the day we will undertake game drives through this spectacular desert landscape, seeing a range of antelope and perhaps some of the recently reintroduced Lions. Special birds could include Ludwig's Bustard, Karoo Long-billed Lark and the extraordinary Secretarybird.

Heading south, we will stop for a night in the pleasant town of Swellendam, before moving on to the De Hoop Nature Reserve. During the journey we will pass fields which often contain large flocks of Blue Crane, South Africa's elegant national bird. We will stay for two nights at De Hoop, which is the largest protected area of lowland fynbos in the Western Cape. While searching for Caracal, we should also see Cape Mountain Zebra and the handsome Bontebok. In winter, Southern Right Whales gather offshore, and sheltered bays may contain a family of Cape Clawless Otters. We cannot guarantee that you will see a Caracal – they remain shy and unpredictable – but by joining this tour you will be giving yourself the best possible chance.

For those wishing to see South Africa’s other medium-sized feline, the Serval, we have been offered access to the population that is thriving in an industrial park near Johannesburg (as seen on the BBC series 'Big Cats'). For more details on this extension, please do get in touch.