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THE ULTIMATE SOUTHERN AFRICAN BIRDING SAFARI

This 13-day safari starts in Windhoek, and explores all key southern African birding areas on or south of the Zambezi. We travel by private charter flights to minimize delays and maximize bird-watching time. Highlights include the Namib Desert and Walvis Bay, Etosha National Park, the Okavango Delta, the Upper and Lower Zambezi, and South Africa's Ndumo Game Reserve. The safari is led by Geoff Lockwood. Guests can extend onto Cape Town for some "fynbos" habitat and Cape birding.

January 12 to 14, 2002: Swakopmund and Walvis Bay

Guests arrive at Windhoek International Airport under their own arrangements. Upon arrival, guests are met and transferred by light aircraft to Swakopmund, where accommodation has been reserved at the Hansa Hotel for two nights.

The Hansa Hotel is a charming three star hotel in the heart of the fascinating town of Swakopmund. The hotel has a distinctly German flavor, with all the warmth and hospitality of Namibia. Each of the bedrooms is en suite, with under-floor heating in the bathrooms. Rooms also have television, phones, and all the amenities to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable.

Our main targets here are the desert specials such as Gray's and Dune Larks, Burchell's Courser, Ruppell's Korhaan and the pale desert form of the Tractrac Chat. The lagoon at Walvis Bay together with the Swakopmund and Walvis Bay Saltworks provide some of the best wader (or shorebird) viewing in Southern Africa with local rarities such as the European Oystercatcher, Rednecked Phalarope, and Broadbilled Sandpiper all a possibility. Cape and Crowned Cormorants, together with Damara and Black Terns, and Franklin's Gulls are other species we will hope to see.

In: 12 January 2002

Out: 14 January 2002 Basis:

Inclusive of breakfast daily

January 14 to 16: Ongava Lodge

After breakfast we depart the Hansa Hotel and transfer by road to Swakopmund Airport to connect with a light aircraft transfer to Ongava Lodge, where accommodation has been reserved for two nights.

Ongava Game Lodge is situated along the southern boundary of Etosha National Park, in a 68,000 Acre privately owned Game Reserve. The Lodge is set into a hill with commanding views over the bush below. Accommodation is in 10 air-conditioned rock and thatch chalets, each with en-suite facilities. Activities include game drives in open Landrovers into the Okaukuejo area of Etosha where Lion, Elephant, Cheetah, Gemsbok, Springbok, and Hartebeest can be seen. In addition, night drives, hides and walks with armed guides are enjoyed on the private reserve. Ongava boasts resident White and Black Rhino, affording guests wonderful opportunities to see both species at close quarters, and perhaps track them on foot.

The area has strong affinities with the Kalahari and many of the birds we will be looking for are typical of that region - Crimsonbreasted Shrikes (Boubous), Pied Babblers, Burntnecked Eremomelas and both Doublebanded and Namaqua Sandgrouse occur together with an impressive variety of raptors. With luck we should be able to tick off all the "brown eagles" along with many smaller species such as Pale Chanting and Gabar Goshawks, Lanner and Rednecked Falcons as well as the tiny Pygmy Falcon.

In: 14 January 2002

Out: 16 January 2002

Basis: Inclusive of all meals, game activities, drinks on game drives and housewine at dinner

January 16 to 18: Xigera Camp

After breakfast and the morning game activity we depart Ongava Lodge and transfer by road to the airstrip to connect with a light aircraft transfer to Xigera Camp in the heart of the Okavango Delta (flying via Windhoek and Maun Airport to clear customs). Accommodation at Xigera has been reserved for two nights.

Xigera Camp is located on Paradise Island, in a shady forest surrounded by permanent water. The camp consists of eight attractively furnished tented rooms, with ceiling fans, en suite facilities and an additional outdoor shower. Activities focus mainly on mekoro rides through the Delta's filigree of networked channels, providing for the most intimate way of experiencing this great natural wonder. Another highlight is guided nature walks. Game drives are also offered if water levels are low enough, while game-viewing is done from boat trips on the river when water levels are high.

Birding in the area is excellent, with Pels Fishing Owl, Slaty Egret and Wattled Crane amongst the many species of birds regularly sighted. Xigera's strength as a birding destination lies in the variety of Delta "specials" that can be recorded. African Skimmer, Redwinged Pratincole, Pinkthroated Longclaw, Yellow Wagtail and Great Snipe are all possible around the lagoons while the skuling Greater Swamp Warblers are common on the papyrus islands. Other species we will be after are Slaty and Black Egrets together with a range of birds typical of the drier savannah areas.

In: 16 January 2002

Out: 18 January 2002

Basis: Inclusive of all meals, game activities, laundry and drinks (except imported premium brands)

January 18 to 20: Victoria Falls and the Upper Zambezi

After the morning game activity and brunch we depart Xigera Camp and transfer by light aircraft to Livingstone Airport (flying via Kasane to clear customs) to connect with a 20-minute road transfer to The River Club where accommodation has been reserved for two nights.

The River Club is situated on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River, 18 kilometers upstream from Victoria Falls. Here, guests enjoy the sights and sounds of Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River in a peaceful and tranquil setting. Accommodation is in ten luxurious, open-fronted thatched chalets, overlooking the Zambezi River. Each room has private en-suite facilities, complete with a Victorian bathtub and candles. Daily trips to the Victoria Falls are a highlight, as are visits to the nearby Lozi village. Boating to the Zambezi River's islands provide relaxed afternoon activities, and fishing and sundowner boat cruises are offered.

The Zambezi above the falls offers a range of new possible species. African Finfoot, Rock Pratincole, Whitecrowned Plover and African Skimmer are regularly sighted on the river while Schalow's Lourie (Tauraco) is a possibility in the riverine forest patches. Trumpeter Hornbills are common, particularly where wild figs are fruiting and their strange calls are a feature of the "rain forest" at the Victoria Falls view site. Away from the river in the drier bush, birds such as Broadtailed Paradise Whydah, Natal Francolin and a variety of attractive seedeaters will be on our want-list. Where palms are growing along the banks we will search for the enigmatic Collared Palm Thrush. The gorges below the falls are home to a variety of raptors, swifts, storks and other species and with luck we might add the striking Augur Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon and even the rare Taita Falcon to our lists.

In: 18 January 2002

Out: 20 January 2002

Basis: Inclusive of all meals, game activities, laundry and drinks (except imported premium brands)

January 20 to 22: Mana Pools National Park

After breakfast and a morning activity we depart The River Club and transfer by road to the Victoria Falls Airport to connect with a light aircraft transfer to Chikwenya Camp where accommodation has been reserved for three nights.

The focal point at Chikwenya Camp is the magical Zambezi River, its backwaters, and the surrounding flood plains and forests. The area is a photographer's paradise, as tall albida trees dot the open flood plains, with the mountains of the Rift Valley providing the backdrop. Accommodation is in nine stylish tented rooms with en-suite facilities, indoor and outdoor showers. Mana Pools is renowned for its large herds of Elephant and Buffalo that concentrate along the river when the inland waterholes dry up. Wildlife viewing is enjoyed in open Landrovers, on motorised pontoons, on foot, in hides, and in canoes.

Birding in Mana Pools is varied with the Mopane woodland patches along the foot of the escarpment offering sightings of spectacular flocks of Lillian's Lovebirds and possibly Raquet-tailed Roller. Crowned Hornbills and (Meve's) Longtailed Starlings are common in the riverine woodland while the African Skimmer, Whitecrowned and Longtoed Plover and Redwinged Pratincoles frequent the sandbanks in the river. Livingstone's Flycatcher, one of the smallest members of the family, will be a high priority in the riverine fringe. This is one of the best places to see large numbers of both Bohm's and Mottled Spinetails and is one of the few places in Southern Africa where the attractive Shelley's Sunbird has been recorded.

In: 20 January 2002

Out: 22 January 2002

Basis: Inclusive of all meals, game activities, laundry and drinks (except imported premium brands)

January 22 to 24: Ndumo Game Reserve

After the morning game activity and brunch we depart Chikwenya Camp and transfer by road to the airstrip to board a private charter flight to Ndumo Wilderness Camp in South Africa's Kwazulu-Natal Province (flying via Kariba and Lanseria Airports to clear customs). Accommodation at Ndumo has been reserved for two nights.

Ndumo Wilderness Camp, situated in the Maputaland region of Kwazulu-Natal, is one of South Africa's most beautiful safari camps. The camp offers eight superbly appointed luxury tented rooms with en-suite bathrooms and private balconies. The entire camp is raised on teak decks, inter-linked by walkways under the canopy of giant fig trees. Ndumo Game Reserve is one of Africa's oldest and most scenic parks; the reserve is home to good numbers of Black Rhino, White Rhino, Hippo, Crocodile, Giraffe, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Nyala, Red Duiker and Suni. Leopard are occasionally sighted. A real highlight is the opportunity to track rhinos on foot!

Ndumo boasts a bird list of over 400 species, making this small reserve one of South Africa's top birding spots. Some of the birds we will be looking for here will include Narina Trogon, Green Coucal (Yellowbill), African Broadbill, Gorgeous Bush Shrike, Lesser Blackwinged Plover and the east-coast littoral endemics - Rudd's Apalis, Pinkthroated Twinspot and Neergaard's Sunbird. The reserve is also home to a number of rare or localised raptors and we will hope to see the Sooty Falcon, Cuckoo Hawk (Crested Baza) and Southern Banded Snake Eagle. We will also have another chance to pick up Pel's Fishing Owl, a wonderful way to wrap up a tour of the best of Southern African birding spots.

In: 22 January 2002

Out: 24 January 2002

Basis: Inclusive of all meals, game activities and laundry.

Thursday 24 June, 2002: Safari Ends

After the morning game activity and brunch we depart Ndumo Wilderness Camp by private charter flight to Johannesburg International Airport where the safari ends.

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To find out more about the Ultimate Southern African Birding Safari, or to make a reservation, call on

27-11-463-7889 or email us.

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