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Day 1:
Johannesburg
- Haenertsburg (D)
Departing Johannesburg or
Pretoria at 7.00 - 7.30am, you travel
North to the small town of
Haenertsburg, situated in the mountain forests and grasslands of
the Northern Drakensberg Mountains.
You
will enjoy an afternoon bird watching in the wood bush forest
where you will search for amongst others:
Black-fronted
Bush Shrike, White-starred Robin, Green Twinspot and if we
are lucky Buff-spotted Flufftail during the summer
months. The surrounding grasslands are home to breeding
Blue
Swallows, a highly endangered species.
You enjoy dinner at one of
the local restaurants with the plans for the next day being
discussed with your Safari Ranger.
Day 2:
Haenertsburg - Kruger Park -
Punda Maria Camp (B
D)
Departing
Haenertsburg the tour
continues driving North for a few more hours to the Northern
section of the Kruger National Park. Before entering the park at
Punda Maria Gate you will have
the opportunity to do
some shopping, to stock up the cooler
box with some drinks, film, snacks, insect repellent.
You
will spend the next four
days exploring the Northern limits of the Kruger Park with the
view of seeing as many of the bird 'specials' only found in this part of the
park.
On a good day around the
Punda Maria region you could record several of the
following ‘specials': White-breasted
Cuckoo Shrike, Crowned Hornbill,
Chestnut-bellied
(Greyhooded)
Kingfisher, Crested Guineafowl, Gorgeous Bush Shrike,
Gray-headed Parrot, African and
European Golden Oriole (both
summer), Eastern
Nicator, Stierling's Wren Warbler
and
Dickinson's Kestrel.
Arriving at
Punda Maria camp,
you check in, visit the camps shop to
stock up with drinks, move into your chalet
and freshen up ready for dinner.
A traditional
South African meal is prepared giving you a
taste of our countries delicious, barbeque cuisine.
Day 3,
4, 5:
Kruger Park -
Punda Maria Camp (B
D)
Each morning you
will
depart from camp, making your way to Crooks Corner & Pafuri
using different routes, for each days spotting.
Your Safari Ranger will
drive along the banks of the Levuvhu River, taking you
through some of the most potentially productive birding
territory in South Africa.
Each days journey to Crook's
Corner should produce
White-fronted Bee-eater
and
Broad-billed Roller (summer)
while
Lemon-breasted Canary is frequently recorded in the
Hyphaene palms not far from
the lookout point.
Scaly-throated Honeyguide
has also been recorded near this spot.
Most mornings you
will stop for breakfast at Pafuri picnic site. One can
simply spend several hours at this picnic site, with
Trumpeter
Hornbill, Purple-crested Turaco (Lourie), Black-throated
Wattle-eye (Wattle-eyed Flycatcher), Tropical Boubou, Meve’s
(Long-tailed Starling), Narina Trogon, Thick-billed Cuckoo
(summer only),
Gorgeous, Grey-headed and
Orange-breasted Bush-shrike and several different
species of Robin, Sunbird and Firefinch.
Other rarities recorded at the picnic site include
Lemon
(Cinnamon) Dove, Brown Scrub Robin and
African Wood Owl.
Another rewarding place to
park up and spend time spotting is at bridge over the Levuvhu
River.
Horus Swift is regularly seen here alongside the
commoner
Little and
White-rumped Swifts.
White-crowned Lapwing (Plover)
and Finfoot
are also regularly recorded from the bridge's vantage-point. The
reeds and undergrowth may hold
Red-faced and
Black-backed Cisticola.
It is also a good place to watch for Birds of Prey including the
magnificent
Crowned Eagle. For
the lucky ones the chance of locating a roosting
Pel's
Fishing Owl makes scanning all large riverine trees
worthwhile.
Above the baobabs along
Nyala Drive is an excellent place to search for both
Böhm's
and
MottledSpinetails, while the drive is also good for
recording
Crested Guineafowl and
Meve’s(Long-tailed) Starling.
Each evening you
enjoy dinner out in the open listening to the African night
sounds whilst we
discuss the next day's exciting events,
relaxed and enjoying a little beverage.
Day 6: Kruger Park -
Letaba Camp (B D)
Making your way South through Kruger Park you have a rest stop
at Shingwedzi camp where you will spot several more birds to add to
our list: Bennett’s Woodpecker,
Red-capped Robin-Chat, Grey Penduline Tit,
Dusky and
Village Indigobirds, Green-capped Eremomela,
Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Saddle-billed Stork and if you
are lucky you may get a glimpse of the resident Collared Palm
Thrush.
Continuing South you head through Mopane woodland and open
savannah. When given the time these areas may yield:
Pallid
Harrier, Lesser Moorhen, Secretary Bird as well as
Double-banded Sand grouse.
Arriving at
'Letaba' camp late afternoon
you check in, visit the camps shop to
stock up with drinks, then move into your chalet
to
freshen up ready
for an open vehicle night game drive. A SANParks ranger in an open sided truck conducts the drive, which lasts for approx three hours.
On your return from your night drive your dinner would have been prepared, cooked and ready to be served outside under the stars, with talk of the days events.
Letaba is
particularly good for viewing
and hearing Owls: Pearl-spotted,
Barred,
Scops
and
Giant Eagle Owl.
Day 7: Kruger Park - Johannesburg (B)
Leaving the Kruger National Park early in the morning, you make
your way back to Johannesburg via the J.G.
Strydom Tunnel, where you will hope to see one of only a few
breeding pairs of Taita Flacons
within Southern Africa. Scanning the skies you may also be lucky
enough to see both Cape Vultures
and Verreaux’s Eagles soaring
above.
From here your next stop will be the
spectacular Blyde River Canyon – 3rd largest in the
world. Keep your eyes open for Jackal
Buzzard, Cape Bunting and Mocking
Cliff-Chat.
Returning to the main road our next
diversion will be through the Verloren Vlei Valley. This is a
protected area and being at an altitude of 2000m is home to a
few very select species. Here we will hope to find
Cape Rock Thrush, Yellow-breasted Pipit,
Southern Bald Ibis, Gurney’s Sugarbird
and if you are lucky some Wattled
Cranes.
Your lunch stop will be in the town of Dullstroom. It's a good 2
hour drive back to Jo'burg or Pretoria from Dullstroom, with
making one last stop at a roadside pan, where you will hope to find
Cape Shoveler, Lesser and
Greater Flamingo’s and provided it
is the summer a host of other waders too.
On
arriving in Jo'burg, you will be dropped off at your hotel or at
Oliver Tambo Int Airport, at approx 6.00pm.
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Note
Interested in
our 7 Day Birding Crooks Corner, send us an email right now - we'll check availability and reply within 48 hours.
(B L D) refers to the meals included - Breakfast,
Lunch and Dinner.
Our Birding Crooks Corner
tour generally runs at a slower pace than our other safaris. Time
is also spent at the camps, as there are birds in abundance.
Where possible you will also spend time at lookout's, as they make
for excellent birding.
Using air-conditioned tour vehicles means
you can go spotting all day, no matter how hot the day gets, your comfort is ensured.
Punda Maria and Letaba camps are used for explanation
purposes in this itinerary and may not be the camps you are booked
into as all accommodation is subject to availability at the time
we receive your booking form.
Itinerary may vary slightly due to
accommodation availability, gate opening times, weather
etc....
Bird Watching South Africa |
Crooks Corner Bird Watching
Bird 7 Day
Birding Tour | 7 Day Birding Crooks Corner | Bird watching 7 Day Tour
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