Tailormade Holidays in South Africa

Cape Town is a modern, cosmopolitan city and the legislative capital of South Africa. Set against the stunningly iconic backdrop of Table Mountain, it is an excellent base from which to begin wildlife exploration. A wealth of ecological reserves lie within easy reach of the city, including the Rondevlei Wetlands, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Silvermine Nature Reserve. The latter two reserves protect swathes of fynbos, a collective term used to describe the shrubby, heath-like plants that dominate the Cape Floral Kingdom. Over 8,500 different plant species can be found here, many of which are endemic to the Cape and have adapted over the millennia to tolerate regular bushfires and sandy infertile soils. Not surprisingly, the fynbos supports many endemic bird species found nowhere else in the world, including Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted and Malachite Sunbirds, and Cape Siskin. Other species to look out for include Karoo Prinia, Ground Woodpecker and Bokmakierie, a beautiful yellow, grey, and black shrike. A visit to the infamous Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for so many years, is another popular, if rather sobering, excursion. To the north-east, the Cape Winelands also boast some of the finest wines in the world.

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is a private reserve of some 65,000 hectares that seamlessly adjoin the western boundary of the Kruger; together they form part of the Greater Kruger National Park. However, Sabi Sand’s small private lodges offer a more exclusive and intimate bush experience than the more ‘public’ Kruger, and the opportunities they offer for viewing Africa’s largest predators – notably Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Wild Dog – are special. Game drives (including night drives) are the norm here, although it is also possible to join guided bush walks at some of the lodges. However, whilst the reserve is a great option for families and wildlife photographers, keen birders are not as well catered for since it is not possible to spend the entire day exploring (whereas this is possible in the Kruger); reserve excursions mainly being limited to morning and evening game drives focusing chiefly on the larger mammals.

The Kruger National Park is one of the world’s great wildlife destinations. Even in Africa, a continent blessed with our planet’s most spectacular creatures and wild places, this vast and beautiful reserve stands out from the crowd. Its nearly 20,000 square kilometres of wilderness are home to almost 150 species of mammal and over 600 species of bird, along with innumerable other animals and plants. Many of these are large, colourful, and easily viewed in a variety of open and stunning habitats, making the Kruger an intensely rewarding place for naturalists. Few other reserves can offer such diversity, which includes essentially all of Africa’s most iconic savannah mammals and birds.

The park’s early history began in 1898 with the proclamation of the Sabi Game Reserve. Today’s national park stretches nearly 400km north to south, from the fever-tree-lined banks of the Limpopo down to the winding Crocodile River. Wildlife is abundant throughout this vast area, with the large mammals especially popular amongst visitors. Many safari-goers, particularly those visiting Africa for the first time, come in search of the ‘Big Five’ – Lion, Leopard, African Buffalo, African Elephant, and both Black and White Rhinoceroses – and few leave the park disappointed.

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The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park protects over 3.3 million hectares of the vast Kalahari Desert and supports a remarkably diverse range of wildlife. This is a harsh but beautiful environment of sweeping vistas and distant horizons, and of majestic brick-red sand dunes and some of the most beautiful sunsets in all of Africa. Here the black-maned Lions of the Kalahari, as well as Cheetah, Springbok, Gemsbok and Southern Giraffe may be seen, together with a number of more elusive mammals such as Meerkat (Suricate), Bat-eared Fox, Springhare, Aardwolf and the secretive Brown Hyena. Raptors are common and include Bataleur, Tawny Eagle, Black-breasted Snake Eagle, White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures, Pale Chanting Goshawk and Pygmy Falcon. The huge Kori Bustard is frequently seen pacing through the grasslands, whilst some of the more unobtrusive species include the beautiful Violet-eared and Blackfaced Waxbills, Rufous-eared Warbler, Redheaded Finch and Swallow-tailed Bee-eater. The Kalahari works particularly well in combination with the Western Cape, but to get the best of both regions one must travel in the Austral spring between late August and October. 

Situated on the northern ‘arm’ of the Drakensberg Escarpment, the Blyde River has carved out the third largest canyon in the world and is set in a breathtaking region of deep gorges, rocky escarpments and montane grassland dotted with patches of woodland and indigenous scrub. On account of its dramatic altitudinal variation, this area is home to a wide range of bird species including Red-capped Robin-chat, Mocking Cliff-chat, Cape Rock Thrush, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Bar-throated Apalis, Narina Trogon and many others. Spectacular viewpoints also offer outstanding raptor-watching and Jackal Buzzard, Cape Vulture, Verreaux’s Eagle, African Crowned Eagle and African Goshawk may all be seen. The rare Taita Falcon is also possible, although you will need a slice of luck so see this elusive little falcon. A night or two at Blyde River, staying at one of the area’s comfortable lodges, will suit keen birders as well as anyone interested in outstanding natural beauty.

Situated in the highlands of eastern Mpumalanga Province, the small town of Dullstroom is an integral stop on any birding journey in the northeastern region of the country. Altitudes here reach well over 2,000 metres and the high altitude grassland of the Veloren Valei (‘Lost Valley’) Nature Reserve is a prime birding location, holding species such as Blue Crane, Long-tailed Widowbird, Denham’s Bustard, Eastern Long-billed Lark, Buff-streaked Chat, Sentinel Rock Thrush, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Gurney’s Sugarbird, Southern Bald Ibis and many others. Dullstroom’s location (roughly three hours’ drive east of Johannesburg) makes it a great first stop on the typical ‘Escarpment and Kruger route’, adding to the incredible diversity to be found in this part of the country.

West Coast National Park is a spectacular 270-square-kilometre reserve located approximately 100 kilometres north of Cape Town, just south of the coastal town of Langebaan. The reserve protects a large tidal lagoon, shoreline and the rocky Postberg peninsula. Life here is dominated by the cold, nutrient-rich Benguela current, which accounts not only for the huge kelp beds and abundance of sea-life, but also for the arid climate and cool sea breezes. Birding highlights include Ostrich, Black-shouldered Kite, Southern Black Korhaan, Common Fiscal, Chestnut-vented Titbabbler, Karoo Scrub Robin, Bokmakierie, Cape Sparrow, White-throated Canary, Cape Bunting, a variety of larks and the rare and beautiful Black Harrier. The Postberg section of the park is only open from August through September, when the flower carpets of southern Namaqualand are at their best. The meadows and rocky hills are painted in the yellows, reds and purples of a wide variety of daisies and other flowers, making for a spectacular sight. Through this kaleidoscope of colour stride a variety of mammals including Bontebok, Eland, Cape Mountain Zebra and Springbok. The Langebaan Lagoon, a wetland of international importance, harbours thousands of migratory waders including Little Stint, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper, alongside resident species such as Black-winged Stilt, Three-banded Plover, White-fronted Plover and Kittlitz’s Plover.

Augrabies Falls National Park, located in the Northern Cape, spans an impressive 820 square kilometres of dramatic landscape. The park’s centrepiece is the awe-inspiring Augrabies Falls, where the Orange River plunges down a series of rugged granite cliffs in a spectacular cascading display. Reaching a height of around 56 metres, these falls are well worth a visit year-round, although they are particularly impressive during the wet season. In addition to the endemic Augrabies Flat Lizard, famously featured in Sir David Attenborough’s 'Life in Cold Blood' BBC series, the park offers an abundance of mammals and birds. Grazers may include Giraffe, Steenbok, Springbok, Gemsbok, Kudu and Eland, while Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, Bat-eared Fox and African Wildcat make up the possible predators. Notable birds include Karoo Bustard, Kalahari Scrub-robin, Pale Chanting Goshawk and the near-endemic Cinnamon-breasted and Namaqua Warblers.

Kimberley and the nearby Mokala National Park are excellent places in which to search out some of Africa’s more elusive mammal species, many of which are nocturnal. So, if you’re eager to see Aardvark, Bat-eared Fox, Springhare, Aardwolf and Black-footed Cat, then a visit to the Kimberley region is recommended. Diurnal mammals such as Roan Antelope, Tsessebe and Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest may also be seen, while birders will appreciate such denizens of the desert as Northern Black Korhaan, Fawn-coloured Lark, Rufous-eared Warbler, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Black-chested Prinia, Chat Flycatcher and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. Kimberley works brilliantly in combination with Karoo Gariep and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – each region offering a rewarding safari experience well off the beaten track!

Not far south of Cape Town lies Simon’s Town – a charming coastal settlement on the eastern Cape Peninsula. This is a wonderfully convenient base to explore two of the Cape’s most famous wildlife hotspots: Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope Reserve. Boulders Beach is home to one of only two mainland colonies of the African Penguin. Despite the encroaching development, the penguins are thriving with nearly 1,000 pairs; a remarkable achievement considering that the first pioneering pair only arrived in 1985. Out to sea, Southern Right Whales are also regularly seen between June and October. At the Cape of Good Hope Reserve, Cape Mountain Zebra, Eland and Cape Grysbok stride through the fynbos, as do Bontebok, perhaps one of Africa's rarest and most beautiful antelopes. Among a range of birds, such species as Cape Francolin, African Black Oystercatcher, Cape Grassbird, Bokmakierie, Southern Boubou, Southern Double-collared Sunbird and Yellow Bishop are all possibilities. Cape Point itself is home to numerous Rock Hyrax, Red-winged Starlings and Cape Cormorants, backed by the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean.

The rich coastal waters surrounding the coastal town of Hermanus are worthy of attention. Here, Southern Right Whales congregate between June and October, and Great White Shark cage diving (and viewing from the boat for the less adventurous) offers face-to-face encounters with this mighty marine predator. Pelagic birding cruises can also be arranged, with the waters off South Africa providing some of the most exciting seabird watching the world has to offer. The nutrient-rich Benguela current attracts Black-browed, Yellow-nosed and Shy Albatrosses, which glide effortlessly over the waves, whilst a variety of their smaller cousins – petrels, prions and shearwaters – will test even the most knowledgeable seabirders’ skills to the limit. If fortunate, an encounter with the magnificent Wandering Albatross is not out of the question!

The Garden Route, a breathtaking stretch of South African coastline, extends from Cape Town in the country's southernmost tip to Port Elizabeth, some 450 kilometres to the east. For a country blessed with such an abundance of wonderful scenery and varied wildlife, this region of South Africa is especially beautiful; characterised by its numerous hiking trails, quaint towns, beaches, fine wine and, of course, abundant flora. Within this narrow corridor, sandwiched between rugged mountains and the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, flourishes a wonderful diversity of plant-life. From the coastal flora of the fynbos to the montane flora and desert plants of the Little Karoo, the Garden Route encapsulates a botanical wonderland. Indeed, the mountain passes around Calitzdorp hold more species of succulent than anywhere else on Earth. The Garden Route National Park itself, established in 2009, epitomises the region’s natural beauty. Spanning a vast 1,200 square kilometres, it amalgamates the Wilderness and Tsitsikamma National Parks, the Knysna Lakes region, as well as newly protected land. More than 370 species of birds and 85 species of mammals can be found in the region, while out to sea, cetaceans such as Long-beaked Common and Humpback Dolphins are regularly sighted.