Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

The Eastern Cape is the main meeting point of South Africa?s biomes. The birding here is a mixture of western endemics and tropical eastern species and is most famous for its excellent coastal birding. The Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure includes two Important Bird Areas: -

• Greater Addo National Park.

• Swartkops Estuary.

Greater Addo National Park includes six different biomes and in the main elephant park the vegetation is principally Addo Bush, a dense vegetation type characterized by Spekboom ? Portulacaria afra. This area offers a variety of western endemics and eastern species.

Swartkops Estuary provides some of the best estuarine birding in Southern Africa. The estuary is Tidal for 16km, with extensive inter-tidal banks and salt marshes, which make it an excellent locality waders and terns. Summer [Oct-Apr] is the best time as the highest number of migrant waders are here.

• IBA	2
  Endemic's	49
  Near Endemic's	22
  Breeding Endemic's	1

Bird Lists: -

Specials: -

Birds: -

Cape Vulture, Southern Tchagra, Blue Crane, Knysna Woodpecker, Martial Eagle, Crowned Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Grey Crowned Crane, Goliath Heron, Barred Owlet, Cape Parrot, Red-capped Robin-chat, Trumpeter Hornbill, African Finfoot, Black-necked Grebe, Little Tern, Thick-billed Weaver, Southern Red Bishop.

Mammals: -

Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo, White & Black Rhinoceros, [The ?Big 5?] Cheetah, Giraffe, Eland, Zebra, Kudu and Springbok.

Trees: -

Cape Ash ? Ekebergia capensis, Broad-leaved Yellowwood ? Podocarpus latifoluis, Small-leaved Yellowwood ? Podocarpus falcatus, Sweet-thorn Acacia ? Acacia karroo, White Milkwood ? Sideroxylon inerme, Coast Silver-oak ? Brachylaena discolor, Spekboom ? Portulacaria afra, Wild Plum ? Harpephyllum caffrum.

Accommodation: -

• East London - Tidewaters / The Birdhouse Guest House ****	2 Nights
  Hogsbacks ? Hogsback Inn ***	1 Night
  Kenton on sea ? Riverside Lodge, Kariega Game Reserve *****	1 Night
  Addo ? Nguni River Lodge, Addo National Park *****	2 Nights

Tour Price Range: -

From as little as $955  per person sharing to $3,465 per person sharing for the Aves Eastern Cape seven day Birding Tour. 

Day 1

06:30

Met at O.R.Tambo International Airport Johannesburg, South Africa by Aves Birding Tours / Safaris Leader and transfer to Domestic Departure Hall to book in for flight to East London.

08:30

Board flight to East London.

11:00

Arrive East London Airport and transfer to Tidewaters / The Birdhouse

12:30

Lunch

14:00

Depart for Gonube Bird Sanctuary

Specials: -

African Black Duck, Black Crake, African Purple Swamphen, African Rail, Baillons Crake, Red-chested Flufftail, Grey Crowned Crane, Malachite Kingfisher and Little Bittern.

15:30

Depart for Umtiza Nature Reserve.

Specials: -

Knysna Woodpecker, Knysna Turaco, Narina Trogon, Brown Scrub-Robin, Red-capped Robin-chat,Olive Bush-shrike and African Finfoot.

18:00

Return to Accommodation.

Day 2

06:30

Breakfast

08:00

Depart for Morgans Bay, Double Mouth and Kei River Mouth.

Specials: -

African Fish Eagle, Long-Crested Eagle, Crowned Eagle, White-starred Robin, Olive Woodpecker, Green Woodhoopoe, Trumpeter Hornbill, Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-winged Lapwing and Grey Crowned Crane.

13:00

Lunch at Kei Mouth.

18: 00

Return to Tidewaters.

20:00

Traditional South African Barbeque.

Day 3

06:30

Breakfast and book out of Tidewaters

07:30

Depart for Amalinda Nature Reserve

Specials: -

Giant Kingfisher, Thick-billed and Yellow Weavers, Orange-breasted Bush-shrike, Chinspot Batis and White-browed Scrub-robin.

10:30

Depart for Hogsback Via King Williamstown and Alice.

12:30

Book into the Hogsback Inn

13:00

Lunch at the Inn

14:30

Bird in Hogsback Village and surrounding areas which include Indigenous Forest, Exotic Plantation, Montane Grassland and Protea Stands.

Specials: -

African Crowned, Long-crested and Martial Eagle, Cape Parrot, Bush Blackcap, Knysna Woodpecker, Grey-winged Francolin, Buff-streaked Chat, Cape Eagle Owl, African Wood Owl, Orange Ground Thrush.

18:00

Return to the Hogsback Inn

20:00

Dinner

Day 4

06:00

Bird the Village surrounds.

08:30

Breakfast and Book out of the Hogsback Inn.

10:00

Depart for via Alice, Fort Beaufort and Grahamstown.

12:30

Lunch in Grahamstown.

14:00

Depart for Riverside Lodge.

15:00

Book into Riverside Lodge.

16:30

Depart on Birding Cruise on the Bushmans River

Specials: -

Brown Scrub-Robin, Southern Tchargra, Crowned and Trumpter Hornbills, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Knysna Turaco, Black CrakeBooted Eagles, Jackal Buzzard, Green-spotted Wood-Dove.

18:45

Return to the Lodge

20:00

Dinner

Day 4

06:00

Depart on Bird and Game Drive

08:00

Breakfast

08:45

Bird around the Lodge

10:30

Book out and depart for Addo National Park via Sidbury and Paterson

12:45

Book into Nguni River Lodge in the Addo National Park.IBA

13:30

Lunch

14:30

Bird around the Lodge

16:00

Depart on a Bird and Game Drive

Specials: -

Birds: -

Martial and Booted Eagles, Secretarybird, Crowned Hornbill, Jackal Buzzard,Blue Crane, Southern Balack Korhaan, Southern Tchagra, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk, African Red-eyed Bulbul, Green-spotted Wood-dove, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Red-fronted Tinkerbird.

Mammals: -

Elephant, Black Rhino, Lion, Buffalo, Leopard, [The Big 5] Eland, Red Hartebeest, Kudu and Common Duiker.

18:30

Return to Lodge

20:00

Dinner

Day 6

06:00

Depart on Bird and Game Drive

09:00

Breakfast

10:00

Drive the Nzipondo Loop and Gorah Loop looking out for Denham?s Bustard and Red-billed Oxpecker

12:30

Return to Lodge for lunch

14:30

Bird around the Lodge

15:30

Game Drive

18:00

Sundowners in the Bush

19:15

Dinner

20:30

Night drive looking for Owls and Nightjars.

21:00

Return to Lodge.

Day 7

06:30

Depart on Bird and Game Drive.

08:00

Breakfast and Book out.

09:30

Drive through park to Addo and on to Port Elizabeth.

11:45

Bird Swartkops Estuary. IBA

Specials: -

Caspian and Little Tern, Black-necked Grebe, Greater Sand Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit. Common Whimbrel, Greater Flamingo, Goliath Heron, Cape Teal, Southern Tchagra.

13:15

Lunch in Port Elizabeth

14:15

Depart for Cape Recife Nature Reserve.

Specials: -

African Black Oystercatcher, Damara Tern, Southern Tchagra, Cape Gannet, Roseata and Antarctic Terns, African Purple Swamphen, African Rail and Black Crake.

16: 00

Depart for Port Elizabeth Airport.

17:30

Fly to Johannesburg

19:00

Book in for International Flight.