South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger - September 2025
Dates: September 19 - October 4, 2025
Leader: Geoff Lockwood
E-bird
Total Species: 317 birds
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Overall Summary
From dolphins and great whales to elephants and rhinos; from lions, leopards, and wild dogs to dwarf mongoose; from albatrosses and storks to warblers and penduline tits; and from rollers and bushshrikes to cisticolas, this tour offered something for everyone!
As usual, we kicked off the tour in the spectacular Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, entering via the Rycroft Gate and meandering down between the various plant beds towards the main entrance. Our stroll gave us a wonderful introduction to the incredible diversity of the fynbos, the most diverse floral kingdom on the planet. The proteas, restios, and ericas (or heaths) in the different beds provided a colorful background for a succession of endemic birds—all new for the group. Cape Bulbuls, Southern Boubous, Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, Cape Sugarbirds, Karoo Prinias, and Forest Canaries were quickly added, along with Amethyst and Malachite Sunbirds and a number of other more widespread species—all in the most spectacular setting imaginable! By the time we left, we had recorded thirty-three bird species and added our first mammal, a Four-striped Grass Mouse, to our lists.
On to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where conditions were not ideal. The skies were overcast, a strong northerly wind was blowing, and most wildlife was sheltering out of sight. We did, however, find a solitary Bontebok—a strikingly pied antelope endemic to the Cape—plus a family of Common Ostriches at Olifantsbos. There was also the customary group of Cape Fur Seals on the rocks at the Cape of Good Hope, along with rows of Cape Cormorants and the occasional Cape Gannet whipping past offshore. There were also several more ostriches—incongruously set against the angry seas—feeding next to the road. For many, the day’s birding highlight came at our next stop, Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town, on our way back to the hotel. We were on the footpath above the rocks, enjoying great close views of African Penguins and Cape Rock Hyrax, when a couple of penguins came waddling down the path towards us. They stopped only feet away, seemingly glaring at the different sets of shoes in their way. The status of the African Penguin has recently been reassessed as Critically Endangered, and this encounter ended the day on a bittersweet note.
After a two-year break, we were again able to experience pelagic birding in the Cape’s stormy waters, traveling out over forty miles to the trawling grounds where we joined one of the trawlers as it processed its catch. Thousands of albatrosses, petrels, and gulls were wheeling in a feeding frenzy behind the ship, landing briefly to gobble down scraps before flying off to rejoin the melee. The number of birds was overwhelming, and picking out the odd Wilson’s Storm Petrel or Sabine’s Gull in the chaos proved challenging, but we all had great views of White-capped, Black-browed, and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, as well as Cape (or Pintado), Soft-plumaged, and Northern Giant Petrels, and Sooty Shearwaters.
The spiny renosterveld (rhino bush) of the West Coast National Park was buzzing during our visit, with Bokmakierie, White-throated and Yellow Canaries, Karoo Scrub-Robins, White-backed Mousebirds, and Chestnut-vented Warblers among the new birds recorded during our stay. Highlights included several great views of the spectacular endemic Black Harriers hunting over the scrub, and an ultra-close view of a female Black Bustard walking through the flowers with a young chick—a first on these tours. The park is also famous, or notorious, for its high densities of venomous snakes, and we had a brief view of a large Puff Adder on the edge of the road.
The drive to the Karoo took us through wheat fields, vineyards, and spectacular mountain scenery, and as we drove through the last pass out into the vast semi-arid interior, we had the first of a number of great birds—a Pale Chanting Goshawk perched on a power pole next to the vehicle. Our luck continued on our drives around Inverdoorn, with a steady stream of Karoo “specials” appearing in the low scrub along our route. Rufous-eared Warbler, Fairy Flycatcher, Namaqua Warbler, Karoo Chat, Karoo Lark, Grey Tit, Booted Eagle, and, often the trickiest, a single Karoo Eremomela were all tracked down. Inverdoorn runs a cheetah rehabilitation program, and a visit to the enclosures on our first morning allowed us to appreciate the incredible acceleration and speed of these “spotted sphinxes” as they chased a rapidly retrieved lure in a training exercise.
Our whale-watching boat trip in Walker Bay, Hermanus, was spectacular, with encounters with a group of over four hundred Common Dolphins that suddenly appeared around our boat, leaping effortlessly out of the water and surfing the bow waves of our twin hulls. We could see them just below the surface, almost close enough to touch. What an incredible experience—and a first on these tours. Next came a small pod of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins heading steadily out to sea, followed by three Southern Right Whale cows with their well-grown calves. Continuing around the coast to Cape Town, we stopped at Stony Point in Betty’s Bay for more close views of African Penguins, as well as Bank Cormorant—the last of southern Africa’s endemic cormorant species.
At Rooi Els, our priority target was Cape Rockjumper, perhaps the most iconic of all the fynbos specials, along with Cape Rock-Thrush, Cape Siskin, and Orange-breasted Sunbird. We managed to pick up the sunbird and rock-thrush fairly easily, but the rocky slopes above the track were silent and devoid of movement. After a long wait, we moved further along the track—but still no sign of the birds. I was starting to think we might miss them and had begun heading back when a male called briefly from a pile of rocks and then disappeared. As I tried to get the group focused on the correct area, the female appeared and proceeded to give everyone great scope views as she foraged along the foot slope. Phew… but what an awesome bird to wrap up our time in the Cape.
Our flight to Skukuza in the Greater Kruger Park was somewhat delayed, and for much of our route across the eastern side of the country, the ground was totally obscured by clouds. The rains had finally arrived! When we emerged from the clouds, a new world lay below us. Still-dry grasses and leafless trees contrasted sharply with the vibrant greens of the Cape, and the two rivers visible were reduced to shallow pools, but the bushveld was coming alive after the rain, and birds were everywhere. By the time we reached camp, we had added two new starlings, our first hornbill, and our first Wahlberg’s Eagle, and had also seen a Spotted Hyena, giraffe, and impala. A pre-breakfast walk the next morning brought a succession of brightly colored new birds—turacos, hornbills, hoopoes, robin-chats, flycatchers, and sunbirds were quickly filling the checklists. The fun continued on a short game drive, adding our first storks and a stunning Martial Eagle. Birds were everywhere, and we were struggling to keep pace with all the new species… and we still had Nyati Lodge in the Sabi Sands to look forward to!
Our transfer to the lodge gave us magnificent views of a White (or Square-lipped) Rhinoceros bull, followed by a cow with a very young calf. We were definitely in big game country! After settling in, we headed out on our first game drive, steadily adding new bushveld birds en route. After sunset, our tracker used a red-filtered spotlight to search for nocturnal species, giving us brief views of a Common Genet, and then a delightful Pearl-spotted Owlet just in front of the vehicle. We were heading for a Lion sighting, and when we arrived we found an adult lioness and her two well-grown daughters feeding on the hindquarters of a downed African Buffalo bull. The prey was still alive, and every now and then it lifted its head and bellowed. Africa, red in tooth and claw, is not for the squeamish! We went to sleep to the sound of roaring lions.
The pattern for our stay started with an early wake-up, a light breakfast, and a morning game drive followed by a substantial brunch and downtime in camp. We met again at 3:30 p.m. for tea and then headed out again for a drive, returning after dark for dinner. We were not only racking up new birds, but the mammal sightings were spectacular: a pack of Wild Dogs with the remains of their kill; the cleanup crew of Hooded Vultures feeding on scraps; and then a solitary young Spotted Hyena that walked in and stole what was left.
The area around Nyati has a very healthy Leopard population, and that evening, as we were dining under the stars in the boma, Gabriel, our guide, came rushing in: “Do you want to see a Leopard?” Silly question. We all rushed after him, arriving just in time to see a beautiful female Leopard investigating the door to one of the rooms. WOW! We were not done with leopards, however.
On the next afternoon drive, we headed for the western boundary of the reserve looking for a male Leopard known as Ravenscourt. On the tour two years ago, this magnificent cat had walked out through an arch only 25 yards from where we were gathering for tea. He had glanced at us, then turned and nonchalantly walked up the path past reception—with us following excitedly behind. Then, he had been the dominant male in the area, but since then he had lost two massive fights against younger, fitter males and had been pushed out of his territory. As we watched this superb animal lying only yards from our vehicle, lit by the setting sun, I was thinking… will this be the last time?
The group was somewhat subdued on our transfer back to Skukuza for our flight to Johannesburg and the end of the main tour. Our stay at Nyati had been incredible, and we were all sad to leave. The Sabi Sands Reserve had one more surprise for us. Just before we reached the exit, I noticed a Crowned Lapwing acting strangely. We stopped, backed up, and found the bird frantically trying to rid itself of a snake—a small Common Egg-eater that had somehow wrapped its tail around the terrified bird’s neck. We will never know how they got themselves into this situation, or how it finally ended, but this exceptional and unique sighting wrapped up a truly memorable tour!
Day-by-Day Summary
September 21 – Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden; Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Boulders penguin colony, Simonstown.
September 22 – Pelagic trip to the trawling grounds.
September 23 – Drive to Langebaan via Tinie Versveld Wildflower Reserve and the West Coast National Park.
September 24 – West Coast National Park.
September 25 – Drive to Inverdoorn in the Tankwa Karoo via Ceres and Karoopoort; evening game drive.
September 26 – Game drives and walk on Inverdoorn; birding around the lodge.
September 27 – Early game drive; drive through to Hermanus.
September 28 – Whale-watching boat tour; drive through to Cape Town via Stoney Point and Rooi Els.
September 29 – Flight to Skukuza; afternoon game drive.
September 30 – Morning birding around camp, game drive and transfer to Nyati; evening game drive.
October 1 – Morning and evening game drives; birding in camp.
October 2 – Morning and evening game drives; birding in camp.
October 3 – Early morning game drive; transfer to Skukuza Airport for flights to Johannesburg.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Common Dolphin - Delphinus capensis
Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncatus
Southern Right whale - Baleana gracilis
Chacma Baboon - Papio ursinus
Vervet Monkey - Cercopithecus pygerythrus
Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat - Epomophorus wahlbergi
Scrub Hare - Lepus saxatilis
Smith’s Bush Squirrel - Parexerus cepapi
Gray Squirrel - Sciurus carolinensis
Four-striped Grass Mouse - Rhabdomys pumilio
Karoo Bush Rat - Otomys unisulcatus
Leopard - Panthera pardus
Lion - Panthera leo
Spotted Hyaena - Crocuta crocuta
African Wild Dog - Lycaon pictus
Cape Fur Seal - Arctocephalus pusillus
Yellow Mongoose - Cynictis penicillata
Small Gray Mongoose - Galerella pulverulenta
Dwarf Mongoose - Helogale parvula
Blotched Genet - Genetta tigrina
Cape Rock Hyrax - Procavia capensis
African Elephant - Loxodonta africana
Common Zebra - Equus burchelli
Cape Mountain Zebra - Equus zebra zebra
White (Square-lipped) Rhinoceros - Ceratotherium simum
Hippopotamus - Hippopotamus amphibius
Common Warthog - Phacochoerus africanus
Giraffe - Giraffa camelopardalis
Brindled Gnu (Blue Wildebeest) - Connochaetes taurinus
African (Cape) Buffalo - Syncerus caffer
Bushbuck - Tragelaphus scriptus
Greater Kudu - Tragelaphus strepsiceros
Nyala - Tragelaphus angasii
Eland -Taurotragus oryx
Bush (Common/Gray) Duiker - Sylvicapra grimmia
Springbok - Antidorcas marsupialis
Steenbok - Raphicerus campestris
Klipspringer - Oreotragus oreotragus
Gray Rhebok - Pelea capreolus
Waterbuck - Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Impala - Aepyceros melampus
Southern Oryx (Gemsbok) - Oryx gazella
Bontebok - Damaliscus dorcas dorcas
Kongoni (Red Hartebeest) - Alcelaphus buselaphus
REPTILES:
Puff Adder - Bitis arietans
Spotted Bush Snake - Philothamnus semivariegatus
Common Egg-eater - Dasypeltis scabra
Southern Rock Agama - Agama atra
Southern Tree Agama - Acanthocercus atricollis
Cape Girdled Lizard - Pseudocordylus microlepidotus
Rainbow Skink - Trachylepis magaritifer
Giant Plated Lizard - Gerrhosaurus validus
Moreau’s Tropical House Gecko - Hemidactylus mabouia
Cape Dwarf Day Gecko - Lygodactylus capensis
Nile (Water) Monitor - Varanus niloticus
Nile Crocodile - Crocodylus niloticus
Angulate Tortoise - Chersina angulata
Leopard Tortoise - Geochelone pardalis
Natal Hinged Tortoise - Kinixys natalensis