The  Cape West Coast or ” Best Coast ” as the locals call it, is home to the West Coast National Park, the Berg river estuary and vast tracts of Strandveldt and Sand fynbos habitats, making the area one of the premier birding areas not only in South Africa but the African continent. The West Coast national park is home to one of the largest habitats for migratory wading birds on the continent, as well as a number of rare resident endemics including the endangered Black Harrier.  The extensive areas of pristine Strandtveld vegetation between the farms on the west coast is excellent for spotting semi-arid specials. We also make sufficient time to explore the amazing birding that the Berg river estuary has to offer. A full day of birding adventures awaits those brave enough to venture West!

 

Best time : September – March

( Click on grey boxes above for more information )

Swartland and Darling farmlands :

Karoo scrub robin, African stone chat,Southern Black Korhaan, Grey-backed Cisticola, Cape Grassbird, Grey-winged Francolin, Bokmakierie, Blue Crane, African Hoopoe, Pied Starling, Little Rush Warbler;Yellow Bishop, Cape Longclaw, Capped Wheatear, Large-billed Lark, Wattled starling

Berg river estuary:

Reed Cormorant white breasted cormorant, Swift terns, Common and Sandwich Tern, Kelp and Hartlaub’s Gull, Caspian Terns ,Red-knobbed Coot, , Little Grebe (Dabchick), Yellow-billed Duck, Cape Shoveller, Cape and Red-billed Teal, South African Shelduck, Egyptian and Spur-winged Goose, Glossy, African Sacred and Hadeda Ibis Little, Yellow-billed and Cattle Egret are present African Darter, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Blacksmith Lapwing. Grey, Black-headed and Purple Heron , Goliath Heron ,Both African Spoonbill and Great White Pelican roost on islands in the river and feed in the river and channels.Less common migrants are Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Common and Wood Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew and rare, Black-tailed Godwit, Caspian Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Terek Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Sand Plover.Grey-headed Gulls ,Lesser and Greater Flamingo ,Chestnut-banded Plover, Black-necked Grebe (large numbers in winter) and Caspian Tern,Raptors in the area include African Fish Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, Rock Kestrel, Jackal Buzzard, African Marsh Harrier. Less common are Booted Eagle, Black Harrier, Peregrine and Lanner Falcon. In summer Yellow-billed Kite, Common (Steppe) Buzzard and the rarer Western Osprey are present. Southern Red and Yellow Bishop, Cape and Southern Masked Weaver, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Lesser Swamp and Little Rush Warbler

West Coast National park :

Black Harrier , Grey-winged Francolin, Cape Penduline Tit, Grey Tit, Cape Bulbul, White-backed Mousebird, Southern Black Korhaan,Common Ostrich . Shorebirds include impressive numbers of Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Red Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Grey  Plover, Chestnut-banded Plover, Greater and Lesser Flamingos, and a host of others. Yellow canary, Pied starling, African marsh harrier, many species of doves.

  • West Coast National park
  • Grotto bay private nature reserve
  • Cloof dam – wildflower route
  • Berg river estuary

Pickup : 6 am

Drop off : 6 pm

*Winter ( June-Aug) times different

 

The West Coast birding tour starts with an early pickup at around 6 am . Located around an hours drive north of Cape Town, our day starts near the village of Grotto Bay, on the well known Darling Hills road. We take a walk in the private nature reserve located there, to look for some fynbos and strandveld specials. Our next area to visit is the agricultural lands between Malmesbury and Darling. This area is great for raptors, larks and various other species of LBJs. We now drive an hour northwards toward the Berg river estuary at Velddrift. Here we spend the rest of the morning investigating all the secrets that this birding mecca has to offer.  After lunch we make our way to the West Coast national park where we have the afternoon to bird the lagoons, marshes and fresh water hides of the West Coast national park.

  • 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: West Coast National park
  • Gratuities
  • Coffee/tea/soft drinks

(Prices valid March 2026 – February 2027)

 

1 client tour: price per person – 3,500.00 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
West coast birding area