August 16th – 31st 2012

SOUTH AFRICA: Kalahari Desert, Namaqualand and Cape Province. A natural history and photographic tour

Price: £3995 inc. flights

Leaders: Bob Gibbons, Geoff Crane and Mike Raymakers

An exciting two-week tour that takes us from the remote game-rich parts of the Kalahari on the Botswanaland border, through the intensely-flowery Namaqua desert and the breathtaking displays around Nieuwoudtville, down to the wonderful flowers, birds and whales of the Cape area.

Oryx or Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) amongst spring flowers in the Goegap Reserve, near Springbok, Namaqua Desert, South Africa.

We leave Heathrow in the evening* for the flight to Johannesburg, then transfer immediately onwards, by air, to the remote little town of Upington, where we’ll meet our local leaders and set off for the astonishing Kgalagadi Transfontier Park (or Kalahari Gemsbok National Park), deep in the Kalahari Desert. This is a huge area, covering parts of three countries, without any borders, noted for its wonderful range of mammals and birds. There should also be some interesting flowers on the dunes and along the water-courses. We spend about 4 days here, visiting water-holes, watching birds from the camp, going on night drives, and walking wherever there looks to be anything interesting.

Stunning mass of bulbous flowers - Romulea sabulosa and Hesperantha pauciflora - on Renosterveld (a shrubby vegetation type rich in bulbs), near Nieuwoudtville, Cape, South Africa

On day 5, we move south-westwards to the Augrabies Falls National Park, stopping en route for anything of interest. We’ll spend a whole day in and around the park, enjoying the striking landscape, the abundant birds that come around the lodge area, and anything that’s flowering or moving.
On day 7, we continue southwards into the true Namaqualand desert area, where the winter rainfall is a little higher. This is probably the most flowery desert in the world, with at least 3000 species, many of them endemic, and the peak flowering period is in August. If there has been winter rain (and the area seems to have entered a rainier cycle at present), the flowering of the desert is an extraordinary spectacle, dominated by annuals such as the Namaqua Daisy, or by succulents, flowering over vast areas.

Wonderful mass of spring flowers, especially Bulbinella latifolia on Renosterveld (a shrubby vegetation type rich in bulbs), near Nieuwoudtville, Cape, South Africa

We will spend one night at Springbok, within easy reach of the best areas, then three nights at Calvinia near Nieuwoudtville (the “bulb capital of the world”) which has a quite astonishing flora on the deeper richer soils of the plateau, from orchids and sand crocuses to the beautiful orange spires of Bulbinella. In a good year, the flowers cover every available inch of ground, as far as the eye can see. Our exact itinerary will involve following local advice on where is flowering at its best. There are many interesting mammals in this wild area, too, such as gemsbok (oryx) and bat-eared foxes, as well as an abundance of endemic and special birds. On day 11, we begin to head southwards, taking some time in the wild and spectacular Cederberg Mountains, spending the night at Clanwilliam. Finally we head back towards Cape Town, visiting the fascinating flower reserves around Darling on the way, to spend the last few days sampling the delights of the Cape area. .

Immature Cape Sugarbird (Promerops Cafer) on Pincushion Leucospermum cordifolium (Proteaceae), near Hermanus, Cape, South Africa.

The Cape Province flora is so rich and unusual that it is designated as one of the world’s six Floral Kingdoms, comprising some 9000 species of which many are endemic. We’ll visit a number of sites in the area to see the best of this flora, as well as seeing some of the extraordinary local fauna such as sunbirds and sugarbirds, and watching Southern Right Whales just offshore in the beautiful Hermanus Bay. One full day will be spent on the Cape Peninsula, heading down to the Cape of Good Hope, for wonderful fynbos flowers, and a remarkable array of birds and mammals. Finally, we fly directly home from Cape Town on Aug 31st *

This trip is particularly suitable for those interested in flowers and/or photography, as well as mammals and birds. The diversity and quantity of flowers is quite spectacular, but the scenery, and the surprisingly-approachable mammals and birds provide many other good viewing and photographic opportunities too. There will be advance photographic guidance notes, and help on hand throughout the trip.

The tour price includes return flights from Heathrow to Cape Town, all transport during the trip, accommodation in good hotels or lodges on a full-board basis, except for dinners for 5 nights in the Kgalagadi area; services of leaders throughout, including pre-tour information and post-tour lists, and libraries of books and maps in the vehicles. A more detailed itinerary is available on request.  indicates places limited, particularly single rooms.

Tour code: NHT/12/08

Price: £3995

Single room supplement: £280

Deposit: £400 plus insurance

Bookings to Sunvil

To extend the tour, or ask for an ex-flight cost, please contact Sunvil at the time of booking.

* Flight schedules have not been confirmed at the time of writing. We’ll know full details soon.