Birding St Lucia Zululand Tour North East Zululand KwaZuluTour North East Zululand KwaZuluTour North East Zululand KwaZuluTour North East Zululand KwaZulu----Natal ProvinceNatal ProvinceNatal ProvinceNatal Province

January – December 2019

5 Days

iGwalagwala Forest, St Lucia Estuary,

Dukuduku Western Shores, Futululu Park, Mission Rocks,

Mfabeni Swamp, Catalina Bay, Lake Bhangazi , Cape Vidal,

False Bay, Nibela Peninsula and Mpempe Pans.

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5 Days

ITINERARY ST LUCIA & ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK

Days Destination Summary

Day 01Arrive St Lucia

Transfer from the airport if necessary.

Arrive at St Lucia Village early morning. Meet at Hotel.

Birding walk around St Lucia Village.

Continue a short distance to iGwalagwala Forest.

Travel to St Lucia Estuary and the bridge, St Lucia Sewerage works.

Browse the pans outside St Lucia and into local Khula Village.

Overnight Hotel

Day 02 St Lucia,

Dukuduku Western

Shores , Futululu Park

Early morning boat cruise on the St Lucia Estuary (2 hours)

Breakfast at Hotel

Drive to Dukuduku Western Shores and Futululu Park

Overnight Hotel

Day 03 Mfabeni Mission

Rocks, Catalina Bay,

Lake Bhangazi

and Cape Vidal.

Explore Mfabeni Mission Rocks, on to Catalina Bay, Lake Bhangazi and

Cape Vidal.

Overnight Hotel

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Day 04 False Bay ,

Nibela Peninsula

Mpempe Pans

Explore False Bay , Nibela Peninsula and Mpempe Pans.

Overnight Hotel

Day 05 Departure Tour concludes – After Breakfast Departure - Transfer to the airport if

necessary.

TOUR CONCLUDES

Day 1: Arrival in St Lucia

St Lucia Estuary is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa’s First Unesco World

Heritage Site.

The Park comprises a number of conservation areas, the oldest of which is the St Lucia Game Reserve,

established in 1895. The Park is recognized for its superlative natural beauty and biodiversity covering

332 000 ha and includes a coastline of 230 km.

Livingston’s Turaco Rudd’s Apalis Woodward’s Batis Swamp Nightjar

Caspian Terns Southern Banded Snake Eagle Rosy-throated Longclaw Green Twinspot

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The park’s habitats are extremely varied from the Estuary and its Floodplains with Pans to Dune

and Sand Forests, Coastal thickets, Mangroves and Grassland (with flooded areas in the summer).

Caspian Terns Southern Banded Snake Eagle Rosy-throated Longclaw Green Twinspot

IGwalagwala Forest St Lucia Village Khula Zulu Village

Bird List

Special birds include Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, White-eared Barbet, Yellow-rumped

Tinkerbird, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Trumpeter Hornbill, Scaly throated Honeyguide (listen out

for it calling at the first T-junction of the trail as it has a calling perch nearby) Yellow-breasted

Apalis, Rudd's Apalis, Livingstone’s Turaco, Dark-backed and Yellow Weavers, Narina Trogon, Grey,

Olive and Collared Sunbirds, Green Malkoa, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Emerald Cuckoo,

Woodward's Batis and Southern Boubou. Red-capped Robin-Chat, Brown Scrub Robin, Buff-

spotted Flufftail, Red-backed Mannikin, Grey Waxbill, Green Twinspot and Terrestrial Brownbul can

be spotted on or near the ground.

Overnight at Hotel

Day 2: Dukuduku Western Shores and Futululu Park.

Early Morning Boat cruise St Lucia (2 hours)

Bird list on the Estuary

Caspian Tern, Swift Tern, Lesser Crested

and Whiskered Terns, Purple Swamphen,

Malachite, Pied and Giant Kingfishers,

Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans,

Woolly-necked and Yellow-billed Storks,

African Spoonbill, Grey-headed Gull, Cape

Shoveler, Yellow-billed Duck, White-faced

Whistling Duck, African Jacana, Yellow

Weaver, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Lesser

Flamingo, Common Ringed Plover, Curlew

Sandpiper, Little Stint, African Fish Eagle,

Osprey, African Marsh Harrier.

Futululu Park is situated in coastal forest near Monzi, between Mtubatuba and St Lucia. It is

situated within the 1 800ha Futululu Section of the Dukuduku Forest and within the Greater St

Lucia World Heritage Site.

Birds

Osprey, White-backed Duck, African Jacana and Pygmy Goose can be seen. Look out for

Grey Waxbill, Ashy Flycatcher, Dark-backed Weaver, African Green Pigeon, White-eared Barbet,

Narina Trogon, Green Malkoa, Tambourine Dove, Green Twinspot, Black-bellied Starling and

Red-fronted Tinkerbird. Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Whiskered Tern, Goliath Heron,

and Woolly-necked Stork, Livingstone’s Turaco, Black-bellied Starling and Grey Sunbird. Red-

capped Robin-Chats vie with Brown Scrub Robins for the loudest dawn chorus, and the shy

Green Twinspots and Grey Waxbills feed on seeding grasses on the edge of the path. Olive and

Collared Sunbirds, Purple-crested Turaco, Ashy Flycatcher, African Pied Wagtail, Yellow-bellied

Greenbul and even Narina Trogon are all regularly seen in the grounds. Red-backed Mannikin

and Crested Guineafowl search for seeds and small insects on the camp ground verges. There

are occasional sightings of a pair of Crowned Eagles, whilst a sedate 10-minute walk brings you

to a pan where African Jacanas, White-backed Duck and African Fish Eagles make their home.

Overnight at Hotel

Osprey, African Marsh Harrier.

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Day 3: Mfabeni Mission Rocks, Catalina Bay, Lake Bhangazi Cape Vidal.

Mfabeni Mission Rocks is part of the spectacular iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site

in KwaZulu-Natal, less than 300 kilometres from the tourism hotspot of Durban.

Mission Rocks is a spectacular retreat where the breath-taking views transport visitors to an

other-worldly place of sheer beauty and tranquillity in the heart of Zululand coast.

At certain times of the year, whales can be spotted making their way past the shore.

Mission Rocks is a great picnic spot, and there are picnic tables available for groups of friends or

families that want to enjoy the warm South African sunshine and fresh air together.

Mfabeni Mission Rocks Catalina Bay Cape Vidal Forest

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Lake Bhangazi

Lake Bhangazi with its fresh-water

pans, swamp forest and grasslands

hosts many sought after avian species

such as Pink-throated Twinspot,

Rufous-bellied Heron, Livingstone’s

Turaco, Dwarf Bittern, Rudd’s Apalis

and Southern Banded Snake Eagle.

Overnight at Hotel

Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher African Emerald Cuckoo Green Malkoa Black-throated Wattle-eye

Pink-throated Twinspot African Pygmy Goose Buff-spotted Flufftail Neergaard’s Sunbird

Narina Trogon

Birds

Some of the more difficult birds we hope to find are Sooty Tern,

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Lesser Jacana,

Terek Sandpiper, Little Stint, Cheastnut-banded Plover, Grey-rumped

Swallow, Lemon-breasted Canary, Grey Waxbill, Southern Brown-throated

Weaver and Eastern Nicator.

Day 4 : False Bay, Nibela Peninsula & Mpempe Pans

False Bay Park.

The False Bay Park is on the western shore of the lake

and habitats include dry woodland, sand forest and the

grassy margins of the lake. Self-guided trails allow

access to the woodland and lake shore.

Birds

Look and listen for Green Malkoa, Narina Trogon, Scaly-throated Honeyguide and Eastern Nicator.

African Broadbill is also best located by its frog-like call before sunrise. White-throated Robin-

Chat, Bearded Scrub-Robin, Rudd's Apalis and Neergaard's Sunbird are relatively common in the

campsite and Pale Flycatcher near the gate. Check thickets along the entrance road for Pink-

throated Twinspot. The lake edge is not highly productive but African Fish Eagle, Yellow-billed

Stork and various terns and shorebirds may be seen. The more extensive marshy grassland below

Dugandlovu Rustic Camp hosts Swamp Nightjar and Rosy-throated Longclaw.

Nibela Peninsula

Habitats are Coastal sand forest, coastal grasslands, acacia and palm savanna.

Specials

Neergaard's Sunbird (endemic), Pink-throated Twinspot (endemic), Lemon-breasted Canary (near-

endemic), Rudd's Apalis (near-endemic), African Broadbill, Swamp Nightjar, Southern Banded

Snake Eagle, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Pel's Fishing Owl, African Finfoot, African Cuckoo Hawk,

Green Malkoa, Crested Guineafowl, Bearded Scrub Robin, Gorgeous Bush-shrike, Yellow-breasted

Apalis, Senegal Lapwing, Black-bellied Bustard, African Grass-Owl, Black Coucal, Grey-rumped

Swallow, Rufous-winged Cisticola, Black Saw-wing, Cape Longclaw, Southern Black Tit, White-

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Overnight at Hotel

Next morning Departure via road to Durban – Tour Concludes.

Swallow, Rufous-winged Cisticola, Black Saw-wing, Cape Longclaw, Southern Black Tit, White-

throated Robin-Chat, Fiscal Flycatcher, Cape Batis, Southern Boubou, Southern Tchagra, Olive

Bush-shrike, Cape Glossy Starling and Cape White-eye.

Grasslands occur on the eastern and western boundaries of the reserve and are seasonally

inundated and grow on heavy black clay . This area yields Rufous-naped Lark, Desert, Zitting,

Croaking and Rattling Cisticolas, African and Long-billed Pipits, Yellow-throated Longclaw and

Common Fiscal.

Mpempe Pans

To the north of the main Mkhuze swamp are the Muzi, Mpempe and Mdlanzi pans, which are

long, narrow cut-off lakes with mostly bare shorelines and reed beds. The soil is sandier and

grassland dominates. This area contains a diverse mosaic of wetland vegetation and is largely

undisturbed.

Birds - Short-tailed Pipit, Black-rumped Buttonquail , Swamp Nightjar , Black Coucal, Rosy-

throated Longclaw and African Marsh Harrier may be found hunting over flooded grassland or

marshy or swampy habitat. Marginal vegetation around the swamps supports Southern Brown-

throated Weaver.

Themba Mtembu offers you, our guests the finest in birding and

wildlife viewing that South Africa has got to offer.

We sincerely hope we have enriched your trip with a unique

Escape to the Wild….

Important Info

This price includes

Accommodation

All meals

2 litres water per day

All Guiding fees

Park Entrance fees

Tour price quoted is per person sharing

Single supplement can be arranged at an additional cost (+- 25% additional)

This price excludes

Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks

Internet, laundry, phone calls, room service etc.

Personal travel / medical insurance (we highly recommend you take Travel insurance in case of

any emergency).

Gratuities (tips)

Important Information

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Please keep all your valuables safe, secure and insured.

Due to unforeseen circumstances we may be forced to alter our itinerary at short or no notice

however we will try our best to stick to the original tour programme.

Travel Tips

Ensure you have packed a torch and extra batteries

It can be cooler in the early mornings and evenings therefore ensure you have a warm jacket,

scarf, etc.

Ensure you travel with all your medication including a Prescription’s from your Doctor.

Binoculars, Camera’s etc.

Comfortable walking / hiking shoes that cover your entire foot.