Cape Town Private Birding Tour
Description
There is so much beauty on the Cape Peninsula, including excellent birdlife, and any visit to Cape Town should include a day exploring the best birdwatching sites such as the Strandfontein Sewage Works! We are Cape Town locals with a love for the natural environment and we'll leave you satisfied beyond expectations after a day in the field! - A former nature conservationist turned guide will lead the excursion - We are locals who have grown up on the Cape Peninsula - We are flexible on the day and can adjust the tour to your interests - You will get to a couple quieter corners, albeit still experiencing the top Cape Peninsula birdwatching sites - Our knowledge of the natural environment adds huge value to your experience
Tour Options
Itinerary
A visit to the iconic Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain offers exellent birding potential. From fynbos endemics like Orange-breasted Sunbirds and Cape Sugarbirds to forest birds such as Sombre Greenbuls and African Paradise Flycatchers. Olive Thrush, Cape Batis and Lemon Dove along with the resident Spotted eagle-owls are all regularly seen.
We visit Rondevlei, part of the False Bay Nature Reserve on the Cape Flats which affords excellent Wetland and Strandveld birding.
The Sewage Works at Strandfontein offers some of the best birding around Cape Town and we'll drive around the site to tick off a number of interesting bird species including Greater Flamingos, Great White Pelicans, Back-winged Stilts and Cape Teal.
THIS IS OPTIONAL We can include a visit to the main Boulders Beach Penguin Colony viewing decks within the Table Mountain National Park which a thousand African Penguins call home. Boulders need not be included, as one can spend more time at the other locations. Or go to another location in closer proximity to Kirstenbosch / Strandfontein / Rondevlei. Let us know if Boulders is not important or if you have been before. National Park gate fee: R245 per adult, R120 per child (under 12)
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please inform us of your hotel or guesthouse in the Cape Town city centre or nearby surrounding suburbs for pick up.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(25)
Mark was our guide on our birding tour of Cape Town. He was absolutely fantastic. He was incredibly knowledgeable about both flora and fauna and was flexibile about where we went and for how long. I am a very amateur birder and he was able to tailor the tour to cover both the "routine" birds of the area and some lifers. He was a terrific experience. Thank you, Mark. On our next trip, we hope to see you again.
My son and I had an excellent tour with Justin - his enthusiasm is contagious and depth of knowledge impressive. Avid naturalists and birders ourselves, we learned so much from Justin, had fun, and thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. We wish we could have had more days with him - hopefully next time we will! Mark also put together another thoughtful and comprehensive day birding tour for us covering a lot of ground and hitting some key species. I especially appreciated his quick responsiveness to inquiries, flexibility and logistical planning. We definitely hope to tour with the Hawthorne’s when we’re back in Cape Town.
A superb day with Mark he was the most knowledgeable guide on birdwatching and in fact all aspects of flora and fauna. He really tried to ensure we had the opportunity to spot as many indigenous species as possible.
Mark is an excellent bird guide. Moreover, he also knows about the history, geology, ecology, botany, etc of South Africa. He is a well- trained professional with 40 years in the National Park Service and 10 (or so) years in private guiding. I only wish I had met him earlier.
Mark is super knowledgeable. He knows the habitats and species and their exact locations and even some of the nest locations in various sites - Kirstenbosch for example.
Mark was an extremely experienced and knowledgeable guide who showed me around Kirstenbosch, Rondevlei and Strandfontein, identifying all the flora and fauna. He knew exactly where in the gardens and reserves we could find the most elusive birds and delighted in finding them all. Heartily recommended!
Mark was an amazingly good birding guide. I cannot say enough about how knowledgeable and patient he was. From pick up to drop off he shared his knowledge of Cape Town, the fauna and flora, and changes in the local climate over the years. I saw an incredible number of birds! I could not be happier about this excursion.
I booked a morning birding tour at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden with Marc Hawthorne as my guide. It was a wonderful day. Marc started with an interesting explanation about the history of the garden and the different types of vegetation. Then he took me through the park to enjoy its natural beauty. Marc guided me to some of the most beautiful birds in the garden, always accompanied by clear and engaging explanations. We saw, among others, the Orange-breasted Sunbird, the Spotted Eagle-Owl, the African Paradise Flycatcher, and many more. A fantastic experience for anyone who loves birds and nature!
We had a wonderful day birding with Mark. He is a highly knowledgeable local guide, definitely recommend him.
Mark was wonderful, extremely knowledgeable guide; birds, plants, flowers, wine ! highly recommended. He has lived and worked in the Western Cape his whole life, so you really get true local knowledge.
