Birding and The Big 7 - Southern & Central Kruger National Park Berg-en Dal, Crocodile Bridge, Satara, Olifants - Escape to the Wild
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Birding and The Big 7
Southern & Central Kruger National Park
Berg-en Dal, Crocodile Bridge, Satara, Olifants
January – December 2019
7 Days
1ITINERARY SOUTHERN CENTRAL KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
Days Destination Summary
Day 01 Johannesburg Guests will be collected from their Hotel and or Homes in
to Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Kruger National Park Travel to Kruger National Park – Malelane Gate.
Overnight Berg-en-Dal area
Day 02 Berg-en-Dal, Pretoriuskop, Early morning depart Birding and viewing Wildlife in
Skukuza Pretoriuskop area.
Afternoon Bird and view Wildlife on route to Skukuza.
Overnight at Berg-en-Dal
Day 03 Berg-en-Dal, Birding and Wildlife viewing Berg-en-Dal towards
Crocodile Bridge Crocodile Bridge.
Overnight at Crocodile Bridge
Day 4 Crocodile Bridge via Early morning Birding and Wildlife viewing via Lower
Lower Sabie Sabie where we will stop for Breakfast. We will then
to proceed to Satara via Tshokwane where we will stop for
Satara lunch.
Overnight at Satara
Day 5 Satara Early morning Birding and Wildlife viewing on route to
To Olifants.
Olifants Overnight at Olifants
Day 6 Olifants Early morning make our way to Balule where we will be
led on a bush walk with official San Parks Ranger along
the Olifants River in search of the Pel's Fishing Owl.
Afternoon at Leisure.
Overnight at Olifants
Day 7 Olifants Birding and Wildlife viewing via Letaba and Phalborwa on
to Phalaborwa via Letaba our long journey home.
then home
2Day 1: Johannesburg to Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park was initially established as the Sabie Game Reserve and later proclaimed
as the Kruger National Park in 1926. The park is situated in the north eastern Lowveld within the
Savanna biome of South Africa, straddling the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, about 400
Kilometers from Pretoria.
Kruger covers almost 2 million hectares which makes the park one of the worlds premier
conservation areas. The park is the central core of a Global Important Bird & Biodiversity area and
is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area linking with the conserved
environments in Mozambique and Zimbabwe to form one extensive conservation landscape.
More then 500 bird species have been recorded in Kruger. The regularly seen resident and
migratory species in the park make up 417 species of which 6 species are endemic to Southern
Africa.
Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp
Travel to Berg-en-Dal Kruger National Park
Guests will be collected at a central meeting place in Johannesburg or Pretoria . We will travel in an air-
conditioned minibus with our guide and host for the early morning journey to Malelane Gate, Kruger National
Park. On route we will stop at “The Rose” for tea or coffee break. We will continue to our next stop Milly’s Farm
Stall for a short break.
After arrival at our camp we will take a break and then leave for an afternoon drive in the area.
Southern Kruger offers a wealth of birds in the Berg-en-Dal area. We will look out for Burchell’s and
Violet-backed Starlings, Green-backed Camaroptera, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Southern
Carmine Bee-eater, Southern Ground Hornbill, Marabou Stork, Stierling’s Wren Warbler, Eastern
Nicator, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Collard and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Lilac-breasted and Purple
Rollers. Raptors to look out for are Dark Chanting and Gabar Goshawks, Wahlberg's, Tawny and
Martial Eagles, White-backed and Hooded Vultures.
Martial Eagle Burchell's Starling Hooded Vulture Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Photos courtesy Bradwin Adendorff
Eastern Nicator Bearded Scrub-Robin Green-backed Camaroptera Pale Chanting Goshawk
Photos courtesy Maans Booysen
3
Overnight Berg-en-Dal Rest CampDay 2: Birding Pretoriuskop and Skukuza Area
Early morning departure to begin the days Birding and Game viewing. We will spend the entire day out
as we travel to the unique Broad Leafed Woodlands of Pretoriuskop and the Acacia and Bushwillow
thickets around Skukuza rest Camp.
Afsaal Picnic spot Pretoriuskop
From Berg-en-Dal we will slowly make our way via the H3 stopping at the Afsaal picnic spot for coffee
or tea. We will then continue on to Pretoriuskop via the H2-2 known as the historical Voortrekker
Road. We will target some of the specialized woodland species, with chances of Purple-crested Turaco,
Retz’s Helmet-shrike, Bennet’s Woodpecker, Brown-headed Parrot, Black Cuckooshrike, Croaking and
Lazy Cisticolas, Mocking Cliff Chat and Shikra.
Brown-headed Parrot Shikra Purple-crested Turaco African Barred Owlet
Retz’s Helmet-shrike
Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
Bradwin Adendorff
African Fish Eagle Trumpeter Hornbill Malachite Kingfisher Genet Spotted Hyena
Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysens Bradwin Adendorff Bradwin Adendorff Meryl-Lynne Harwood
From Pretoriouskop we will make our way to Skukuza rest camp for lunch. On our way to Skukuza we
will make a stop at the world famous Lake Panic bird hide to add some waterbirds to our list with
chances of Malachite Kingfisher, African Jacana, Knob-billed Duck, African Fish Eagle, African Darter,
Goliath Heron, Black Crake, African Swamphen, Wire-tailed and Grey-rumped Swallows, Lesser
Swamp and African Reed Warblers.
After Lunch we will make our way back to Berg-en-Dal rest camp via H1 and H3 roads enjoying the
sights with game viewing on route. We will look out for Double-banded Sandgrouse, Common
Buttonquail, Green-spotted Wood Dove, Namaqua Dove, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Wattled
Starling, Trumpeter Hornbill, Red-billed Oxpecker, African Harrier Hawk (Gymnogene) and Brown
Snake Eagle, Green-winged Pytilia, Lanner Falcon, Red-crested Korhaan, Yellow-throated Petronia,
Little Bee-eater and Red-breasted Swallow.
We will have dinner at the camp restaurant.
After dinner our guides will lead guests on a
walk through the camp in search of the resident
African Barred Owlets, Small-spotted and Large-
spotted Genet’s and any other wildlife that
might be out and within the camps borders .
4
Overnight Berg-en Dal Lake Panic Bird HideDay 3: Berg-en Dal to Crocodile Bridge
Early morning departure making our way east toward Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp where we will be
spending the evening.
Crocodile Bridge Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp
We will follow the Crocodile River towards Crocodile Bridge enjoying scenic views and excellent bird
and game viewing. We will look out for Red-winged Pratincole, Bateleur, Hamerkop, Common
Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Giant Kingfisher, Grey and Goliath Herons, Southern White-crowned
Shrike, African Hawk Eagle, African Openbill, African Fish Eagle, Pied Wagtail, Marabou Stork,
Saddle-billed and Black Storks.
African Openbill Southern White-crowned Shrike Giant Kingfisher Pied Wagtail
Bradwin Adendorff Bradwin Adendorff Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen
Crocodile Bridge’s near proximity to Mozambique allows some spectacular birds to be found which are
not seen elsewhere in the Kruger National Park and a chance to see something unusual!
We will check in at Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp and then proceed to further explore the area’s birdlife.
With chances of Purple-banded and Collared Sunbirds, Brown-throated and Spectacled Weavers,
Re-faced Cisticola, Brown-headed Parrot, Water Thick Knee, Jameson’s Firefinch, African Green
Pigeon, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Grey-headed and Striped Kingfishers, Lappet-faced and Hooded
Vultures and Tawny Eagle.
Brown-throated Weaver African Green Pigeon Collared Sunbird Tawny Eagle
Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
We will enjoy supper at the camp and prepare for moving further north the following morning.
Overnight in Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp
5Day 4: Crocodile Bridge to Satara via Lower Sabie
On the morning of Day 4 we will make our way north stopping at Lower Sabie for Breakfast. The
road to Lower Sabie has many seasonal pans. When conditions are right these pans can produce
excellent birds with the possibility of Malachite Kingfisher, Squacco and Purple Herons, Black
Coucal, Warblers, Common Moorhen, Black and African Crakes, Yellow-billed and Little Egrets
and Dwarf Bittern.
After Breakfast we will head to Satara. On route we will see an interesting change in habitat from
thicker Bushveld to open grassland around Satara and thus a change in the birdlife. We should
begin seeing more arid and grassland species, including Kori Bustard, Southern Ground Hornbill,
Martial, Lesser Spotted, Tawny and Wahlberg's Eagles, Common Buzzard, Black-chested Snake
Eagle, Secretarybird, Sabota Lark, Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark and Dusky Lark.
Purple Heron Dwarf Bittern African Crake Greater Painted-Snipe
Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
Kori Bustard Secretarybird Southern Ground Hornbill Martial Eagle
Bradwin Adendorff Bradwin Adendorff Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen
Lower Sabie Rest Camp
Satara’s Restaurant Satara Huts
We will enjoy dinner and overnight in Satara
6Day 5: Satara
Day five will be spent extensively exploring Satara’s unique Grassland Biome which holds an abundance of
interesting species of birds and a large population of Lion and Cheetah.
African Lion (Bradwin Adendorff)
We will be on the lookout for Cape Sparrow, Sabota Lark, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Icterine Warbler, Brown-headed
Parrot, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark, African Cuckoo Hawk, Temmink’s Courser, Senegal Lapwing, Yellow-
throated Longclaw, Secretarybird, Wooly-necked Stork, Greater Blue-eared starling, Mourning Dove, Collard
Sunbird, Banded Martin, Brubru, Jameson Firefinch, African Hawk Eagle, Lesser Masked Weaver, Green-winged
Pytilia and Montagu’s Harrier.
Yellow-billed Oxpecker Greater Blue-eared Starling Green-winged Pytilia Yellow-throated Longclaw
Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
In the late afternoon we will join a SanParks Ranger for a Sunset Drive in search of some nocturnal species with the
main targets being Square-tailed and European Nightjars! We will also be on the look out for Barn, Giant Eagle and
Marsh Owls. We will hopefully also come across some interesting nocturnal mammals such as African Wild Cat,
Small Spotted Genet, Honey Badger and Porcupine.
Square-tailed Nightjar European Nightjar Barn Owl Fiery Necked Nightjar
Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
SanParks Game Truck African Wild Cat Small Spotted Gennet
We will return for dinner and overnight in Satara 7Day 6: Satara to Olifants
Traveling to Olifants
We will wake up fairly early to make our way to our last stop for the trip at Olifants Rest Camp over
looking the magnificent Olifants River this camp offers unique birds with its mountainous habitat
and its location within both the Mopani and Acacia woodlands.
View From Olifants Olifants Restaurant
We will arrive in the late morning to check in, with a chance to explore the camp or relax. Birds
that can be found in camp include Red-winged Starling, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Yellow-billed and
Red-billed Hornbills, Cardinal Woodpecker, White-bellied and Amethyst Sunbirds, Black-backed
Puff Back, and Wahlberg's Eagle can be seen flying overhead.
Wahlberg’s Eagle Grey-headed Bush Shrike White-bellied Sunbird Yellow-billed Hornbill
Maans Booysen Bradwin Adendorff Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen
Later in the afternoon we will make our way into the park once again for a short drive around the
area with chances to add some more river species to the list with chances of Western Osprey,
Collared Pratincole, Common Greenshank, White-crowned Lapwing, Goliath and Grey Herons,
Black, Saddle-billed and Marabou Storks, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Red-faced Cisticola,
Dusky Lark, Red-crested Korhaan, Brubru, Namaqua Dove, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Black-
crowned and Brown-crowned Tchagra, Eurasian Golden and Black-headed Orioles, African Black
and Alpine Swifts.
Collared Pratincole Burnt-necked Eremomela Alpine Swift White-crowned Lapwing
Maans Booysen Bradwin Adendorff Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
Dinner and overnight Olifants
8Day 7 : Olifants to Johannesburg
Pel’s Fishing Owl Walk
Day 7 is our last full day in the Kruger National Park. We will wake up early to Join a SanParks
Ranger. We will make our way to Balule where we will be led on foot along the river in search of
the Famous pair of Pel’s Fishing Owls which breed in this area. After the walk we will make our
way back to camp where guests can relax and prepare for the long road back home
Pel’s Fishing Owl Bush Walk with SanParks Pel’s Fishing Owl
Maans Booysen Maans Booysen
We start our long journey home as we travel to Phalaborwa Gate via Letaba.
On the way we might still enjoy some final views of wildlife and birds before we exit the park and
hit the road home.
We venture back today to Johannesburg having spent 7 days viewing Birds and Wildlife.
We sincerely hope that you have had some fun whilst increasing your Life Lists.
We thank our local community Tour Guide for sharing his knowledge with us.
We sincerely hope we have enriched your trip with a unique
Escape to the Wild….
“I love places that make you realize how tiny you and
your problems are”. Unknown
9Important Info
This price includes
Accommodation
All meals
2 litres water per day
All Guiding fees
Park Entrance fees
Tour price quoted is per person sharing
Single supplement can be arranged at an additional cost (+- 25% additional)
This price excludes
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
Internet, laundry, phone calls, room service etc.
Personal travel / medical insurance (we highly recommend you take Travel insurance in case of
any emergency).
Gratuities (tips)
Important Information
Please keep all your valuables safe, secure and insured.
Due to unforeseen circumstances we may be forced to alter our itinerary at short or no notice
however we will try our best to stick to the original tour programme.
Travel Tips
Ensure you have packed a torch and extra batteries
It can be cooler in the early mornings and evenings therefore ensure you have a warm jacket,
scarf, etc.
Ensure you travel with all your medication including a Prescription’s from your Doctor.
Binoculars, Camera’s etc.
Comfortable walking / hiking shoes that cover your entire foot.
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