November 2025 / 2026: Eastern South Africa Endemics

Areas Covered on This Birding Safari in South Africa:

Our Eastern South Africa Birding Safari starts in Umhlanga, near the port city of Durban. The route includes:

• Sani Pass and the Southern Drakensberg
• Eshowe and Dlinza Forest
• St Lucia and iSimangaliso Wetland Park
• Tembe Elephant Park (open-sided safari drives)
• Wakkerstroom (home to Rudd’s Larks)
• Kruger National Park (open safari vehicle birding)
• Magoebaskloof (misty montane forests)
• Polokwane, ending in Johannesburg

Each stop offers unique bird habitats and maximised opportunities to spot South African birds and regional endemics.

Accommodation:

The accommodation is of a medium-plus standard. It includes several guest houses, a tented safari lodge, national park chalets and a small hotel. All accommodations offer en-suite facilities and are selected for comfort, cleanliness, and proximity to birding hotspots.

Birding Highlights – Endemic & Near-Endemic Birds of South Africa:

Endemic birds are the name of the game! Our South Africa birding safari covers most of the birding hot-spots of the eastern side of South Africa. These spots have been chosen on the basis of their special birds and geographic location to create a concise route. This route is designed to maximise the chances for the endemics.

These endemics include:

• Drakensberg Rockjumper, Drakensberg Siskin, Gurney’s Sugarbird, Bush Blackcap, Cape Vulture, Southern Bald Ibis, Ground Woodpecker, Cape Parrot, Eastern Long-billed Lark, Rudd’s Lark (very rare now), Blue Korhaan, Chorister Robin-Chat, Knysna Turaco, Buff-streaked Chat, African Rock Pipit, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Drakensberg Prinia and many others.

Exciting near-endemics and other specials include:

• Blue Crane, Jackal Buzzard, Cape Vulture, Lammergeier, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Bokmakierie, Plain-backed Sunbird, African Broadbill, Secretarybird, Livingstone’s Turaco, Southern Ground Hornbill, Orange Ground Thrush, Narina Trogon, Short-clawed Lark and many others. See the species check list on the digital itinerary for the full species list.

Other Wildlife on Safari:

Although this is primarily a birding safari, there are plenty of mammals and other wildlife to see. For example, these include the classic African big game species such as: Elephant, African Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, South African Giraffe and Hippopotamus. In addition, one can expect to see a range of Antelope, plus some smaller species such as various Primates, Honey Badger, Black-backed Jackal, various Mongoose species and others. In addition, there’s a range of reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and other insects to be seen.

In conclusion, this South Africa Birding Safari tour offers the more serious birders a real chance at bagging most of the endemics of eastern South Africa. The pace is quite fast, as there’s a lot of ground to cover, so it’s not really suited to the more casual birder. But for serious birders, combining our two endemics tours offers a real chance to ‘clean up’ on South Africa’s specials.

Have a look at our Western South Africa Endemics safari, for the endemics and near-endemics found in the other side of the country.