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The region’s wildlife highlights include far more than just the Big 5, offering a plethora of species big and small. On tour we typically book comfortable national park accommodation and semi-luxury private lodges, but more luxury private lodges are plentiful and also available in select world-class reserves.
Mammal species include:
Caracal, Bontebok, African Striped Weasel, Aardvark, Aardwolf, Leopard (Cape subspecies), Cape Grysbok, Black Rhino, Cape Mountain Zebra, Plains Zebra, Brown Hyena, Cheetah, Honey Badger, Temminck’s Ground Pangolin, African Wild Cat, Cape Fox, Bat-eared Fox, Black-backed Jackal, Suricate (Meerkat), Southern African Hedgehog, Striped Polecat (Zorilla), Cape Clawless Otter, Common Hippopotamus, Giraffe (Southern), Common Eland, Gemsbok (Southern Oryx), Klipspringer, Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Tsessebe, Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope, Springbok, Mountain Reedbuck, Grey Rhebok, Steenbok, Common Duiker, Riverine Rabbit, Smith’s Red Rock Rabbit, Cape Hare, Scrub Hare, Southern African Springhare, Cape Porcupine, Common Warthog, Water Mongoose, Large Grey Mongoose, Cape Grey Mongoose, Yellow Mongoose, Cape Rock Sengi (Elephant Shrew), Karoo Rock Sengi, Western Rock Sengi, Karoo Round-eared Sengi, Cape Genet, Chacma Baboon, Rock Hyrax, Cape Dune Mole, Cape Golden Mole, Southern African Ground Squirrel, Cape Fur Seal, Southern Right Whale, Humpback Whale, Bryde’s Whale, Minke Whale, Orca (Killer Whale) Heaviside Dolphin, Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin, Dusky Dolphin, Long-beaked Common Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, numerous mice, dormice, bat, shrew, mole, mole-rat, and rat species.
Other species of interest include:
Cape Cobra, Black Spitting Cobra, Rinkhals, Boomslang, Puff Adder, Horned Adder, Many Horned Adder, Bibron’s Stiletto Snake, Mole Snake, Leopard Tortoise, Rough Moss Frog, Micro Frog, Moonlight Mountain Toadlet, Table Mountain Ghost Frog, Table Mountain Beauty.
Cape Town and its surrounds offers remarkable geographically and botanical diversity with the chance of finding many endemic species while birding in areas of great scenic beauty.
This is due to its unique mix of habitats, dominated by fynbos and renosterveld, but also including patches of afromontane forest, suburban gardens, and karroid scrubland, while inland one can easily access the semi-desert plains of the Karoo. The region has mostly a Mediterranean climate, with wet winters and hot dry summers.
Species to seek here include: Caracal, Bontebok, African Striped Weasel, Leopard (Cape subspecies), Cape Grysbok, Cape Mountain Zebra, Honey Badger, Striped Polecat (Zorilla), Cape Fox, Bat-eared Fox, Black-backed Jackal, Southern African Hedgehog, Cape Clawless Otter, Common Hippopotamus, Common Eland, Klipspringer, Red Hartebeest, Springbok, Mountain Reedbuck, Grey Rhebok, Cape Hare, Cape Porcupine, Water Mongoose, Large Grey Mongoose, Cape Grey Mongoose, Cape Rock Sengi (Elephant Shrew), Cape Genet, Chacma Baboon, Rock Hyrax, Cape Dune Mole, Cape Golden Mole.
Any reference to mammal watching in and around Cape Town would be incomplete without including its remarkable marine boat tours, which include: Cape Fur Seal, Southern Right Whale, Humpback Whale, Bryde’s Whale, Minke Whale, Orca (Killer Whale) Heaviside Dolphin, Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin, Dusky Dolphin, Long-beaked Common Dolphin.
The southwestern Cape’s western seaboard, stretching along Cape Town’s Atlantic shores northwards to the Olifants River, is renowned for its superb beaches, bountiful sea life, internationally recognized coastal wetlands, and spectacular spring wildflower displays.
When seeking wildlife in this region, the main area of interest is West Coast National Park, with its fynbos, lagoon and coastal shoreline habitats, as well as other strandveld and scrubland habitats in the area.
Species to seek here include: Caracal, African Striped Weasel, Cape Grysbok, Honey Badger, Striped Polecat (Zorilla), Cape Fox, Bat-eared Fox, Black-backed Jackal, Southern African Hedgehog, Cape Clawless Otter, Springbok, Grey Rhebok, Cape Hare, Cape Porcupine, Water Mongoose, Large Grey Mongoose, Cape Grey Mongoose, Cape Rock Sengi (Elephant Shrew), Cape Genet, Chacma Baboon, Rock Hyrax, Cape Dune Mole, Cape Golden Mole.
Other reptiles to keep watch for includes: Cape Cobra, Puff Adder, Leopard Tortoise, and Angulate Tortoise.
As one travels eastwards from Cape Town, the coast becomes progressively more wooded and subtropical, the ocean warms, the rain falls year-round, and the forests host an ever increasing bird diversity.
The region from Mossel Bay to the Tsitsikamma area is a rather paradisiacal stretch of coastal belt that, with its pleasing climate, secluded beaches, and still extensive tracts of canopy Afromontane forest, has become a favoured recreational destination aptly known as the Garden Route. Further inland, a dramatic, fynbos-clad barrier of mountains gives way to the arid expanse of the Karoo, transecting a remarkable diversity of habitats that offer rewarding birding.
The scope of environmental variation offers visitors to the region the option of forest, wetland, fynbos, estuary, riverine, montane and coastal experiences without having to travel vast distances.
The target species along this coastline and inner valleys are: Knysna Turaco, Forest Buzzard, Crowned Eagle, African Grass Owl, White Starred Robin, Knysna Woodpecker, Knysna Warbler, Olive Bush Shrike, Narina Trogon, Black-winged Lapwing, Half-collared Kingfisher, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Grey Cuckooshrike and Red-necked Spurfowl.
Across the sandy, low-lying flats that lie east of Cape Town, a barrier of mountains interrupts the landscape, and it meets the shoreline in parts with fertile coastal plain, rocky shores and beautiful ocean bays.
The mountainous barrier is the Hottentots Holland, so named by early Dutch settlers who considered them the ‘homeland’ of the indigenous Khoikhoi (‘men of men’) peoples, then known as Hottentots. On the far side of these mountains, between the Langeberg range and the ocean, is the fertile Overberg, a gently undulating coastal plain that today lies predominantly under wheat and canola. These plains lead to rocky and sandy shores broken intermittently by a host of abundant estuaries and wetlands.
This region provides a large diversity of much-coveted species, from Cape Rockjumper to Damara Tern, and Fynbos Buttonquail to Blue Crane. Other desirable species include Cape Eagle Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Cape Sugarbird, Knysna Woodpecker, Victorin’s Warbler, Cape Vulture, Stanley’s Bustard, Cape Clapper Lark, Southern Tchagra, Cape Long-billed Lark, and Narina Trogon.
The arid-country bird specialties of the Karoo semidesert region are impressive. The majority are easily accessible within a day trip from Cape Town, and are set in some marvellous Karoo landscapes.
The Karoo region can be defined as being south of the Orange River, east of Kamies and Cederberg Mountains, north of Outeniqua Mountains and west of Jansenville and Somerset East.
The Tankwa segment offers one of the driest and least-welcoming landscapes in the country, yet it is home to a surprising number of bird species, several of which are endemic to the subregion. The parched brown expanses, aloe-lined escarpments and lonely isolated hills of the Tankwa Karoo provide an apt setting for such fine and sought-after dry western endemics as Karoo Eremomela, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Tractrac Chat, Karoo Lark, and Layard’s Warbler, among many others.
The Small Karoo offers a diversity of habitats where a wide variety of succulent plants and acacia trees bloom after good rains, attracting Dusky Sunbird, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Grey Tit, Karoo Korhaan, Namaqua Warbler, Pririt Batis, and more. While Verreaux’s Eagles, Booted Eagles, and Cape Eagle Owls breed on the cliffs.
In the scrub vegetation on the slopes Karoo Prinia, Pale-winged Starling, and Cape Bunting may be found, and on the upper fynbos, the elusive Fynbos Buttonquail can be flushed.
The Kalahari region comprises primarily arid thornveld and semi-desert, and is a vast and very sparsely unpopulated area, stretching from the north-western region of Northern Cape Province into central Botswana.
The southern Kalahari’s classic dune landscapes and broad riverbeds, lined with gnarled acacia trees, will appeal to anyone seeking romantic landscapes.
Forming part of this region is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, whose inhabitants include big game such as Lion, Cheetah and Gemsbok, a substantial diversity of raptors, a multitude of open grassy plain species, and a colourful selection of dry woodland birds.
Species to seek in these parts include:
Red-necked Falcon, Pygmy Falcon, Kori Bustard, Double-banded Courser, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Bradfield’s Swift, Monotonous Lark, Eastern Clapper Lark, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Southern Pied Babbler, Short-clawed Lark, Pink-billed Lark, Buffy Pipit.
Bushmanland’s stony plains are scattered with low bushes, punctuated by broken country and the occasional dunefield. It is a vast and sparsely populated semi-desert of stark beauty.
The freedom of these open spaces is exceptional, and the dedicated birder will equally appreciate its wealth of highly desirable southern African endemics.
It is most famous in birding circles for hosting one of the world’s highest diversity of larks, with an amazing 14 species occurring regularly. Furthermore, Red Lark is a true endemic to Bushmanland, and Sclater’s Lark and Black-eared Sparrowlark are most easily seen in this region.
Other desirable species are:
Ludwig’s Bustard, Karoo Korhaan, Burchell’s Courser, Stark’s Lark, Pygmy Falcon, Karoo Eremomela, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Black-headed Canary, and Rosy-faced Lovebird.
Namaqualand is best known for the spectacular spring floral displays that provide such a colourful yet ephemeral façade to a fascinating region. This winter rainfall desert is home to a unique arid-land flora that is unparalleled globally in terms of its diverse mixture of both species and growth forms.
The region forms the largest portion of the Succulent Karoo Biome, recognized as the only desert biodiversity hotspot on earth and hosting the world’s greatest variety of succulent plants. Yet, despite this floral uniqueness, Namaqualand shares most of its birds with the wider Karoo regions of Bushmanland and the Tankwa Karoo.
Nonetheless, an excellent selection of endemics is available, and the region provides plenty of rewarding birding against a backdrop of floral richness and striking scenery. It is also the most accessible place in the world to see the endemic Barlow’s Lark, and offers the best sites in the region for Ludwig’s Bustard and Cape Eagle Owl.
Other top bird species for the area include: Damara Tern, Cape Long-billed Lark, Karoo Lark, Southern Grey Tit, Layard’s Warbler, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Fairy Flycatcher, Dusky Sunbird, Black-headed Canary.