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Inala’s Western South Africa Birds, Mammals and Wildflowers Tour 7-24 September 2022 (18 days) Cape Rockjumper by A. Riley Spring Wildflowers near Darling by T. Cochran We are pleased to offer this tour again in 2022 as one of our regular and favourite destinations. On this tour, we journey from South Africa’s mother city, Cape Town, through the planet’s smallest and richest floral kingdom to the sands of the Kalahari Desert. In our quest for endemic birds and wildflower displays we will encounter some of the continent’s most exciting mammals from the endearing meerkat to the mighty African Lion. We also have a good chance to see some of the more unusual and seldom-seen species such as Aardvark, Aardwolf, Cape Porcupine, the rare Black-footed Cat and Cape Hedgehog. This time we have also added an extension to the famous Kruger National Park which provides the opportunity to see the ‘Big 5” and several other specialties. Inala Nature Tours E: [email protected] W: www.inalanaturetours.com.au T: +61 3 62931217 ITINERARY OUTLINE: Day 1. Wed 7 Sept 22. Arrive Cape Town & transfer to hotel Day 2. Thu 8 Sept 22. Cape Town to Boulders Beach and Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve Day 3, Fri 9 Sept 22. Rooi-Els, Betty’s Bay and Harold Porter Botanical Gardens Day 4. Sat 10 Sept 22. Cape Town environs, including Kirstenbosch, to Langebaan Day 5. Sun 11 Sept 22. West Coast National Park Day 6. Mon 12 Sept 22. Langebaan to Nieuwoudtville Day 7. Tue 13 Sept 22. Nieuwoudtville area Day 8. Wed 14 Sept 22. Nieuwoudtville to Springbok Day 9. Thu 15 Sept 22. Springbok to Augrabies Falls National Park Day 10. Fri 16 Sept 22. Augrabies Falls NP Day 11. Sat 17 Sept 22. Augrabies Falls NP to Van Zylsrus Day 12. Sun 18 Sept 22. Morning with the Meerkats and on to Twee Rivieren Days 13 & 14. Mon 19 & Tue 20 Sept 22. Kgalagadi NP Day 15. Wed 21 Sept 22. Twee Rivieren to Marrick Day 16. Thu 22 Sept 22. Explore Marrick Day 17. Fri 23 Sept 22. Mokala NP Day 18. Sat 24 Sept 22. Kimberley to Johannesburg & depart DETAILED ITINERARY: Day 1. Wednesday 7 September 2022. Arrive Cape Town & transfer to hotel. We request that all participants arrive today which allows us to maximise our touring on the first day of our itinerary. We will organise a private transfer for each group as they arrive at the airport and the group will meet for a welcome dinner at 18:30. Accommodation: Hotel in a seaside village at the foot of mountains near Cape Town (en suite rooms). Meals included: D. Day 2. Thursday 8 September 2022: Cape Town to Boulders Beach and Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. We will start our tour with a visit to the famous African Penguin colony at nearby Boulders Beach. Here, as many as five hundred penguins grace the beach and we will enjoy superb viewing and photographic opportunities. Here we will also look out for the endemic African Oystercatcher along the adjacent rocky shorelines and scan an offshore Orange-breasted Sunbird by G. de Klerk islet for breeding populations of endemic Crowned, Bank and Cape Cormorants. In the afternoon, we continue south along the scenic Atlantic coastline to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The scenery, at the south-westerly tip of the African continent, is wild, rugged and spectacular. Here we will get our first insight into the uniqueness and beauty of the Cape Floral Kingdom. The thick stands of Protea support the magnificent Orange-breasted Sunbird and Cape Sugarbird. Several interesting mammals occur here and we have a good chance of seeing Rock Hyrax, Bontebok, Chacma Baboon and if we are lucky the rare Cape Mountain Zebra. We conclude the day with a breath-taking coastal drive through the quaint villages of Scarborough and Kommetjie. Accommodation: Hotel near Cape Town (en suite rooms) as for last night. Meals included: B, L, D. Inala Nature Tours E: [email protected] W: www.inalanaturetours.com.au T: +61 3 62931217 Day 3. Friday 9 September 2022. Rooi-Els, Betty’s Bay and Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. A diverse array of birding habitats are present around Cape Town and today we will visit a variety of sites, ranging from wetlands to fynbos and marine shoreline. We will make our way early to the rugged Hottentots-Holland Mountains in search of one of South Africa’s finest endemics: the handsome Cape Rockjumper. Though strikingly plumaged and conspicuous Cape Sugarbird by Greg de Klerk by their vocalisations, these charismatic birds possess an incredible ability to disappear amongst the boulders and we will need a dash of luck to get good sightings of these elusive creatures. Rocky outcrops here also support the odd Ground Woodpecker as well as Chacma Baboon and the agile Klipspringer, a unique and highly specialised antelope. The sandy and highly acidic substrate here supports rich mountain flora littered with an interesting variety of bulbs and annuals. A staggering 1600 plant species have been recorded in the area, with over 150 of these endemic to the region. After lunch we will explore the nearby Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, famous among bird and plant enthusiasts. We will amble through the cultivated and wild areas on the lookout for Gladioli, Watsonia and Erica species in flower as well as rare Gondwanan species such as the Mountain Cypress Widdringtonia nodiflora and Real Yellowwood African Penguin by G. de Klerk Podocarpus latifolius. Bird highlights may include Black Saw-wing, Bar-throated Apalis and Swee Waxbill. For those with diverse interests this Botanical Garden is also a local hotspot for dragonflies. In the late afternoon we will make our way back to Cape Town with a stop at the Harmony Flats Nature Reserve if time permits; this tiny reserve is the only protected area which conserves Lourensford Alluvial Fynbos – often considered the most threatened vegetation type in South Africa! Accommodation: Hotel near Cape Town (en suite rooms) as for last night. Meals included: B, L, D. Inala Nature Tours E: [email protected] W: www.inalanaturetours.com.au T: +61 3 62931217 Day 4. Saturday 10 September 2022. Cape Town environs (Kirstenbosch) to Langebaan. We begin the day with a visit to the immaculately landscaped Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens nestled on the slopes of Table Mountain. Here we will spend a few hours strolling around the many fascinating displays of this world- famous botanical garden. The gardens are also home to a plethora of endemic birds restricted to the Macchia-like vegetation of the southern tip of Africa and we should find the endemic Cape Grassbird and attractive Southern Double-collared Kirstenbosch Gardens floral scene by Glen Valentine Sunbird as well as the spectacular Malachite Sunbird. The natural vegetation surrounding the gardens is one of the few places where species such as the Silver Tree (Leucadendron argenteum) grows in the wild. In the mid-morning we will make our way up the West coast, stopping at Tienie Versveld Wildflower Reserve. The granitic soils of the reserve can hold some very impressive spring flower displays and we hope for a variety of Babiana, Ixia, Lachenalia and Drosera species in flower. Two birds of note include the distinctive, localised sub-species of both Cape Clapper Lark and Cloud Cisticola. Accommodation: B&B in Langebaan. Meals included: B, L, D. Day 5. Sunday 11 September 2022. West Coast National Park (WCNP). We have the whole day to explore the avian, mammal and floral wonders of the West Coast National Park, including the globally important wetland site of Langebaan Lagoon. Here large numbers of waders spend the northern winter here and we will scan for shorebirds including Kittlitz’s Plover, the localised Chestnut-banded Plover and Terek Sandpiper. In addition, these areas also support large numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingo, South African Shelduck, Cape Shoveler and other waterfowl. This also happens to be one of the best places on earth to search for the very striking Black Harrier, a regional endemic and a highly sought-after species! If all is well and we have had a good wet year, we can also expect one of the world’s Black Harrier by Wayne Jones most remarkable wildflower displays. Here, in the Postberg section of the reserve (which is only open to the public in August-September during the wildflower season), the typically green and rather drab hills transform into an extravagance of colour and beauty that is sure to take your breath away. Unique mammals that we will keep a lookout for include Cape Grysbok, Cape Mountain Zebra and if we are very fortunate, Caracal, a spectacular medium sized wild cat resembling a lynx. Accommodation: B&B in Langebaan as for last night. Meals included: B, L, D. Inala Nature Tours E: [email protected] W: www.inalanaturetours.com.au T: +61 3 62931217 Day 6. Monday 12 September 2022. Langebaan to Nieuwoudtville. After breakfast we will make our way to the nearby Berg River estuary where the rich, slow-flowing waters support a great selection of shorebirds. This site is especially good for Chestnut-banded Plover and often houses South African rarities like Red-necked Phalarope. Continuing north we will make a stop at Paleisheuwel, just south of Clanwilliam, arguably the best and most accessible site in the world for Protea Canary. In the late afternoon, we will make our way up the dramatic Van Rhyns Pass to the small town of Nieuwoudtville, gateway to the spring flower displays of Namaqualand.
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