This guided rare mammal 8-day safari tour package with Sustain Safaris will lead you to select destinations within South Africa that harbour numerous rare and endemic mammals. The tour visits 4 unique reserves renowned for great mammal sightings of certain hard to see target species.

On this specialized safari you can expect to see a large number of the shy and cryptic species that some people only dream of. The tour has strategically selected certain key destinations that provide some of the very best chances for discovering these treasures in the time available. In addition, probabilities are very good for seeing a few of the Big 5 and a multitude of other diverse wildlife and birdlife.

The route caters to a large mammal list in excess of 40 species, with a tremendous hit rate on many of the rare species. If birding is also your interest, the bird list totals over 300 species in the region and we should spot over 150 of these, including raptors, owls, cranes, bustards, larks, and endemics.

Valid dates:

All year round. Price to change annually.

Towns: Cape Town – Langebaan – Sutherland – Kimberley – Hanover – Beaufort West – Swellendam – Cape Town

This guided rare mammal safari tour package with Sustain Safaris will lead you to some extraordinary destinations within South Africa, including 10 unique reserves renowned for endemic, rare, cryptic, enigmatic, and shy mammal sightings. The tour will focus on optimizing your chances of encounters with these highly sought-after animals, as well as many other species of game, rare and endemic birds and all other manner of biodiversity. In total we can expect to encounter in excess of 40 mammal species, and over 270 bird species.

The strongest richness areas for mammal endemism in South Africa are the Karoo interior, Cape Fold Belt / Cape Floristic Region, Namaqualand / Succulent Karoo, and parts of the Highveld–Drakensberg / eastern escarpment. Hence, we have designed this tour specifically with endemic mammal species richness in mind. This high richness is driven mainly by small mammals: golden moles, sengis, mole-rats, vlei rats, bats, shrews, and arid-zone rodents.

There are 81 remaining mammal taxa of regional endemics in South Africa, with a total of 58 taxa occurring in the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces. On this expertly curated tour we explore the primary hotspot areas for these species, in the hopes of discovering and enjoying as many as possible.

Mammal Species Targets:

Primary Endemic Mammal Species Targets:

Cape Rock Sengi (Elephant Shrew), Eastern Rock Sengi (Elephant Shrew), Brants’s Whistling Rat, Karoo Vlei/Bush Rat, Riverine Rabbit, Black-footed Cat, Brown Hyena, Meerkat (Suricate), Yellow Mongoose, Cape Grey Mongoose, Cape (South African Large-spotted) Genet, Springbok, Black Wildebeest, Bontebok, Cape Grysbok, Mountain Zebra (Cape subspecies), Heaviside’s Dolphin, Bat species

Other Rare Mammal Species Targets:

Cape Caracal, Cape Clawless Otter, Aardvark, Southern Aardwolf, Honey Badger, African Striped Weasel, Striped Polecat (Zorilla), Southern African Hedgehog, Cape Fox, Bat-eared Fox, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Cape Porcupine, African Wild Cat, Large Grey Mongoose, Water Mongoose, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Large-eared Mouse.

Other more common mammals we should discover:

Afro-Australian (Cape/Brown) Fur Seal, Black-backed Jackal, Burchell’s (Plains) Zebra, Red Hartebeest, Greater Kudu, Common Tsessebe, Springbok, Common Bushbuck, Steenbok, Common Duiker, Impala, Chacma Baboon, Common Warthog, Springhare, Vervet Monkey, South African Ground Squirrel, Rock Hyrax, and various bat, mice, gerbil and rat species.

Furthermore, a bird list exceeding 270 species (including many raptors, owls and endemics) can be expected for the trip, as well as many tremendous butterfly, reptile, and amphibian and insect species. Our tour will showcase the very best mammals, a diverse array of bird species and other biodiversity, and will also provide great photographic opportunities.

Valid dates: 01 January to 31 December every year. Price to change annually.

Start and end destinations: This safari both commences and ends at Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.

Join us on a unforgettable 15-day journey to extraordinary destinations in this magnificent country, including 8 South African reserves renowned for sightings of rare and elusive mammals. Our strategically selected route and key destinations provide you with the best chance of encountering specific mammal targets in the time available, as well as the prospect of experiencing many other diverse wildlife and bird species, including the “Big 5”.

The route offers a mammal list exceeding 65 species, with a high success rate of spotting many rare species. The bird list is also impressive, totalling over 600 species in the region, and we may spot over 320 of them, including raptors, owls, and endemics.

Valid dates: between 1 April and 30 September every year. Price to change annually.

This guided rare mammal 11-day safari tour package with Sustain Safaris will lead you to some extraordinary destinations within the magnificent country of South Africa, including 7 unique reserves renowned for amazing rare, elusive and shy mammal sightings, and many other diverse wildlife and bird species too.

On this specialized safari you can expect to see a large number of the shy and cryptic species that some people only dream of. The tour has strategically selected certain key destinations within South Africa that provide some of the very best chances for discovering these treasures in the time available. In addition, probabilities are very good for discovering the Big 5 and a multitude of other diverse wildlife and birdlife.

The route caters to a large mammal list in excess of 50 species, with a tremendous hit rate on many of the rare species. If birding is also your interest, the bird list totals over 600 species in the region and we should spot over 270 of these, including raptors, owls, cranes, bustards, and endemics.

Valid dates:

Between 1 April and 30 September every year. Price to change annually.

Join us on a journey to extraordinary destinations in this magnificent country, including 8 reserves renowned for sightings of rare and elusive mammals. Our strategically selected route and key destinations provide you with the best chance of encountering these mammals in the time available, and potentially many other diverse wildlife and bird species. 
 
The route offers a mammal list exceeding 75 species, with a high success rate of spotting many rare species. The bird list is also impressive, totalling over 650 species in the region, and we may spot over 320 of them, including raptors, owls, and endemics. 

Join us on our flagship tour to extraordinary destinations in this magnificent country, including 10 reserves renowned for sightings of rare and elusive mammals. Our strategically selected route and key destinations provide the best chance of encountering these mammals in the time available and potentially many other diverse wildlife and bird species. 
 
The route offers a mammal list exceeding 75 species, with a high success rate for spotting many rare species. The bird list is also impressive, totalling over 670 species in the region, and we may spot over 350 of them, including raptors, owls, and endemics.