Kruger National Park Day Birding – Top birding in the world-renowned park!
The world-renowned Kruger National Park is a must-visit destination for bird enthusiasts and wildlife lovers alike. Situated in one of Africa’s most iconic wilderness areas, this 20,000 km² park is home to over 500 bird species. This represents approximately 60% of the bird species found in the entire Southern African sub-region. This incredible diversity is supported by the park’s rich variety of vegetation, habitats, and water sources.
Our dedicated day trips to Kruger National Park are the perfect opportunity to add unique species to their life lists. Beyond birdwatching, you’ll also have the chance to encounter the Big 5, fascinating smaller creatures, and the breathtaking African landscapes.
Kruger National Park is widely regarded as the premier birding destination in Southern Africa. Its network of seasonal rivers, dams, and pans creates ideal habitats for a wide range of bird species. While a trip to Kruger is an unparalleled birding experience, we recommend combining it with birding in nearby habitats for a more comprehensive Southern African bird list.
Whether you’re an avid birder or a nature lover seeking an unforgettable experience, Kruger National Park delivers the ultimate blend of birding, wildlife, and scenery. Let us guide you through this remarkable haven and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Let’s go birding in the Kruger Park!
How it works:
Our guide will pick up guests in the morning, from where they are staying. birding is best before it gets too hot. The Kruger Park gate times vary throughout the year but most pick ups will be around 5am. This is all dependent of where you are staying.
We can arrange pick up from your accommodation venue in Nelspruit, Malelane, Marloth Park, Hazyview, or even from your rest camp inside Kruger. We can also arrange to pick up guests at all the Kruger Park entrance gates in southern Kruger.
Your guide will focus on finding you the best birds of the Kruger National Park.
Top birds:
Pel’s Fishing Owl, White-backed Night Heron, African Finfoot, Black Stork, Lappet-faced, White-headed and Cape Vulture, Pallid Harrier, African Grass Owl, Senegal Lapwing, Thrush Nightingale, Crowned Eagle, Gorgeous Bushshrike, Stierling’s Wren-Warbler and others.
Woolly-necked, Saddle-billed and Marabou Stork, African Openbill, White-backed and Hooded Vulture, Martial and Tawny Eagle, Bateleur, Kori Bustard, Secretarybird, Southern Ground Hornbill, White-crowned Lapwing, Bearded Scrub Robin, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Brown-headed Parrot and Retz’s Helmetshrike.
Learning about the trees, animals, insects and general bush and nature around you is also on the cards. And don’t be surprised if you see a few members of Africa’s famous Big 5!
We will stop at picnic spots and rest camps throughout the day for breakfast, lunch and restroom breaks.
Schedule
Pick up at around 05:00 am from October to March and at 05:30 am from April to September.
Drop off between 16h00-17h00 pm.
These times can be adjusted according to your personal needs and situation.
The Day trip includes:
- Water, basic raincoats and blankets will be included on the vehicle.
- A professional field guide/specialist with expert knowledge of the park and its birds
- All meals and other drinks are for the client’s own account.
What to pack
- Sun cream or sunscreen spray
- Hat (preferably with a chin strap so it doesn’t blow away in the wind)
- Sunglasses
- Comfortable shoes
- Camera and/or a pair of binoculars
- Warm clothing in the winter months
- Rain jacket in the summer months
We also offer trips a little further afield, including:
Nelspruit
The subtropical town of Nelspruit offers accessible and high quality lowveld birding in its lush suburbs and parks, the Botanical Gardens and the local Nature Reserve.
Likely Birds: Olive and Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Purple-crested Turaco, African Green Pigeon, Southern Boubou, African Black Duck, Mountain Wagtail, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Collared Sunbird, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Tambourine Dove, Spectacled, Thick-billed and Golden Weaver, Red-backed Mannikin and Green Twinspot.
Blyde River Canyon
The spectacularly beautiful and geographically important Blyde River Canyon offers stunning photographic opportunities along with some excellent birding.
Likely Birds: Southern Bald Ibis, Taita Falcon, Wing-snapping, Wailing, Croaking and Levaillant’s Cisticola, Broad-tailed Warbler, Drakensberg Prinia, Cape Rock Thrush, Buff-streaked and Familiar Chat, Mocking Cliff Chat, Cape Vulture, Verreaux’s Eagle, Rock Kestrel, Lanner and Peregrine Falcon.
Mariepskop
The dense Afromontane forest area with its crags and valleys on and around the mountain of Mariepskop is an essential area to visit.
Likely Birds: : Crowned Eagle, Barratt’s Warbler, Orange Ground Thrush, Brown Scrub Robin, Cape Canary, Bush Blackcap, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Black-fronted Bushshrike, Southern Tchagra, Red-necked Spurfowl, Swee Waxbill, Red-collared Widowbird and Gurney’s Sugarbird.
Magoebaskloof
Magoebaskloof is a picturesque mountainous area with pristine Afromontane forest patches and small streams that cascade down the hills in ferns and moss-rich gullies.
Likely Birds: Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Bat Hawk, Cape Parrot, Black and African Emerald Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, Green Twinsport, Square-tailed Drongo, Olive Woodpecker, Orange Ground Thrush, Black-fronted Bushshrike, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Tambourine and Lemon Dove and the White-starred Robin.