Birds, Mammals & Flowers

This trip combines all that is best in western South Africa: sightseeing in the Mother City of Africa, Cape Town, fabulous wining and dining while bird, whale and mammal watching.

Cape Town, with Table Mountain standing majestically behind it, is one of the most recognizable and beautiful cities in the world.  Natural wonders and beautiful vistas abound here.  Birdwatching, therefore, is particularly attractive in these stunning surroundings and very rewarding because the area hosts the highest concentration of endemics in South Africa.  Of 86 southern African endemics, 60 occur here.   The unique value to the area is reinforced by the presence of Cape fynbos.  Classified as one of the six biomes of the world, this tiniest of the floral biomes is confined almost entirely to this region.  Fynbos hosts an astronomical 8 700 plants species, of which 5 800 are endemic.  Proteas, ericas and grass-like restios are the most characteristic of fynbos and distribution of some birds is closely associated to the distribution of these plants.

The spring here adds an extra dimension to the visit, because Southern Right Whales travel from sub-Antarctic waters to the coast of the Cape Peninsula and bask in its waters at this time of the year.  The area is one of a few places in the world where whales can be viewed from the shore, but we will take a boat trip to enhance encounters with these magnificent creatures. 

This tour is designed to coincide with the display of spring flowers, a phenomenon that takes place every year only in this part of South Africa.  To see this spectacle that lasts only a few weeks, we will travel north to Namaqualand.  During the famous flower season, the hills and heath-lands of Namaqualand burst into flower, with vibrant oranges, purples and yellows carpeting the ground.

To top up our wildlife experience, we will venture to one of the best areas in Africa for big cat viewing and one of the most inhospitable habitats on earth, the Kalahari Desert.   With the background of the giant orange-ball sunsets and clear skies filled with millions of twinkling stars, the Kalahari offers a wildlife adventure like no other.

This is one of the few holidays where a combination of charm and natural beauty of the place, outstanding food and fabulous wine, exceptional bird and mammal watching, and interesting plant viewing is well balanced, producing one of the most unforgettable holidays there are!