The journey to the Overberg begins southeast of Cape Town at the town of Somerset- West, in Dutch the name Overberg means over the mountain. Here the Hottentots- Holland mountains, in days gone by, formed an impenetrable barrier towards the interior for the Dutch. These days the Cape Fold mountains are easily skirted with modern and picturesque roads. The Overberg region boasts rugged mountain ranges, highland and coastal fynbos, rolling wheat and canola fields, restio filled wetlands, afro-montane forests and stunning coastal vistas with white sandy beaches stretching towards Cape Agulhas, the most southern point of Africa. With such a vast range of habitats at your finger tips, birders can explore a   variety of different areas within a days drive from Cape Town. This day tour is an absolute must for any birder visiting Cape Town and it will deliver some special birds and memories. This is also one of the great Cape Town day tours for photographers.

 

Best time : August- March

( Click on grey boxes above for more information )

Paardevlei Pan

Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Maccoa Duck, White-backed Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, ,Cape Shoveler, Southern Pochard, Yellow-billed Duck, Cape Teal, Red-billed Teal, Blue billed Teal, Egyptian Goose, Grey Heron, Black-headed Heron, Yellow-billed Egret, Little Egret, African Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, African Sacred , Red-knobbed Coot, Cape Weaver, Cape Robin-Chat, Swallows, Swifts, and Martins , African Pied Wagtail, Common House Martin

 

Rooi- Els village :

Cape Rockjumper, Cape Siskin, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Malachite Sunbird, Cape Rock Thrush, Neddicky, Cape Grassbird, Verreaux’s Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Jackal Buzzard, and Rock Kestrel, Yellow Bishop, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Bulbul, Grey-backed Cisticola, and Karoo Prinia.

Stoney Point

African black footed penguins, Bank cormorants, Cape cormorants, Crowned, and White-breasted Cormorant, African Oystercatcher, Kelp gull, Hatrluabs gulls, White fronted plovers.

Harold Porter Botanical Garden

Victorin’s Warbler, along with Cape and Brimstone Canaries, Cape Spurfowl, Cape Batis, Cape Bulbul, Cape Robin-Chat, Fiscal Flycatcher, Southern Boubou, Black Saw-wing, African Paradise Flycatcher , Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Swee Waxbill, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher and Olive Woodpecker are rare but you never know your luck in the field.

Wheatbelt loop – Karwyderskraal road

Blue crane,  Southern red bishop, helmeted Guinea fowl, African Harrier-Hawk, Black headed heron, Grey heron, Cape weaver, Cape crow, African pied crow

  • Paardevlei Pan
  • Kogelberg Biosphere reserve
  • Rooi Els village
  • Stoney point African Penguin colony
  • Harold Porter Botanical gardens
  • Karwyderskraal area

Pickup : 7:30 am

Drop off : 5 pm

*Winter ( June-Aug) times different

The Overberg birding tour starts with an early departure from Cape Town , we make our way to the town of Somerset West for our first stop at the very productive Paardevlei pan, a recent addition to the nature reserves of greater Cape Town. Next up is one of the most beautiful coastal drives anywhere in the world, Clarence drive. Here the high Cape Fold mountains come right down to the sea and in season between June and November we could be blessed with glorious views of Southern Right Whales. We will make a stop on Clarence drive before we continue on to the quaint little village of Rooi- Els, famous for hosting the rarely seen Cape Rockjumper, we alight from our vehicle here and start searching the boulder strewn rocky slopes for mountain fynbos bird species. Next we continue driving for about 20 minutes, to the beautiful coastal village of Betty’s Bay. Here at Stoney point, we can observe, one of only three mainland African Penguin colonies and some other rocky shore birds. We have time to grab a coffee before our next stop at another famous botanical garden, Harold Porter National Botanical Garden. Depending on time, we will have lunch at the gardens, either a picnic or at the eatery. Harold Porter has some special fynbos endemics in forest, garden and fynbos settings and its a lovely place for some  birding. Our return route will take us via the high Cape Fold range, the Hottentots Holland mountains, but first we will continue on into a famous little road called the Karwyderskraal road and do the wheatbelt loop to look for South Africa’s national bird , the blue crane and some other species localized on agricultural lands,. Truly a perfect day out of Cape Town, includes mountain, fynbos, forest, wetland and coastal habitats.

  • Pick up and drop off from clients’ accommodation in Cape Town
  • Guiding fees
  • Picnic lunch – sandwiches, fruit, nuts
  • Vehicle rental and fuel
  • Bottled water
  • Entrance fees: Stoney Point, Harold Porter Botanical gardens, Rooi sand nature reserve
  • Gratuities
  • Coffee/tea/soft drinks

(Prices valid March 2026 – February 2027)

 

1 client tour: price per person – 3,400.00 ZAR

2 client tour : price per person – 2,600.00   ZAR

3 client tour : price per person – 2,025.00 ZAR

 

Balance payment methods on tour day:

  • Cash payments : Can be made in  ( ZAR  )
  • Credit card payment : Credit card payments can be made in person with my mobile Point- Of-Sale device
Overberg birding area