Mammal and Birding Tour South Africa: Aardvark and Other Unusual Denizens of the Kalahari

Mammal and Birding Tour South Africa: Aardvark and Other Unusual Denizens of the Kalahari
September 2026

The vast Kalahari area is semi-desert, where some very tough African mammals can be found relatively easily. Moreover, it has a lot of mammals (notably smaller ones) that are only very rarely seen anywhere else and most certainly are not found on your typical Serengeti or Kruger safari. We invite you on a spectacular African experience that you will not forget in a hurry.

Itinerary (8 days/7 nights)

Days 1 – 4. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Today we transfer from Upington to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (3 hours), which encompasses three countries; South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. Over the next few days, we will spend time in one of South Africa’s most popular parks, where bird and particularly mammal sightings are normally exceptional. Gemsbok, Springbok, Common Eland, and Red Hartebeest can be seen in the open areas while African Elephant roams the dry riverbeds, searching for their next water source. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is particularly well known for its big cat sightings, and here we can hope to find black-maned Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah, as well as some of the smaller, lesser-known felines such as African Wild Cat and Caracal. Other predators to keep an eye out for include Common (Small-spotted) Genet, Cape and Bat-eared Foxes, Black-backed Jackal, Brown Hyaena, and Honey Badger. Smaller mammals are also in abundance in the park and include small groups of Meerkats and South African Ground Squirrels as well as Yellow Mongoose, Cape Hare, and Chacma Baboon.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is one of the best places to find Brown Hyena.

Birding in the park is also top-notch, with raptors being particularly abundant and obvious. On our drives through the park we should encounter Lappet-faced Vulture, Pale Chanting and Gabar Goshawks, Greater Kestrel, Red-necked Falcon, Bateleur, Tawny and Martial Eagles, Brown and Black-chested Snake Eagles, Lanner Falcon, and the diminutive Pygmy Falcon, which nests exclusively in massive Sociable Weaver nests. In the more open plains, we should find Kori Bustard, Northern Black Korhaan, Burchell’s and Namaqua Sandgrouse, Pink-billed and Eastern Clapper Larks, Ant-eating Chat, and Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark. The dry river beds are a magnet for birdlife, and we will search these areas for Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Kalahari Scrub Robin, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Marico Flycatcher, and Ashy Tit. The nocturnal life in the camps can also be impressive, with Western Barn Owl, Spotted Eagle-Owl, Southern White-faced Owl, and African Scops Owl all present as well as the tiny Pearl-spotted Owlet, which is also active during the day. We will also join a night drive and three game drives in open-top safari vehicles during our time in the park, which should increase our chances of finding some of the rarer mammal species.

Overnight: Kgalagadi Lodge (just outside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)

Raptors such as this Greater Kestrel are common throughout the Kalahari.

Day 5. Transfer to Kimberley

After an early breakfast we will take the long (6.5 hours) drive to Kimberley, more specifically Marrick Safari, a large game farm, which will be our base for the next few days. We will join two night drives during our three-night stay here. On these night drives we will look for Aardvark, which has burrows quite close to the lodge and as a result has become fairly tame toward humans, relatively speaking. Black-footed Cat is also a major target here. These small cats are extremely rare; however, Marrick must rank as one of the best places to see them. We might also encounter Bat-eared Fox, Aardwolf, Southern African Hedgehog, Cape Porcupine, and Spring Hare.

Overnight: Marrick Safaris

Day 6. Kimberley

After breakfast we head out to look for some more of our target species. Black Wildebeest, rated by some as the most stupid of all antelopes (due to their inquisitive nature), will be found with relative ease, along with Giraffe, Common Eland and Gemsbok, while Caracal will require some luck! Once again, we will spend some time on foot during the day, looking for small mammals, reptiles, and the likes. Birding can also be particularly rewarding, with Blue Crane often breeding on the farm and Double-banded Courser sometimes common. Other birds to see around the property include Secretarybird, Bradfield’s Swift, Pink-billed, Red-capped, Fawn-colored, and Spike-heeled Larks, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Cape Penduline Tit, Quailfinch, Black-faced Waxbill, and many Lark-like Buntings. After dinner we may go for our other night drive.

Overnight: Marrick Safaris

Marrick Safaris offers us the chance of finding South African Hedgehog.

Day 7. Kimberley

This will be our last full day in the Kimberley area, which we’ll spend for the most part in nearby Mokala National Park. This is a recently proclaimed South African national park, a truly splendid one, which holds, among many others, not only a large herd of Roan Antelope but also Sable Antelope, Kudu, Black Wildebeest, Giraffe, Tsessebe, Steenbok, and Meerkat (Suricate). Birds to look for around the park include Short-toed Rock Thrush, Red-crested Korhaan, Yellow Canary, Red-headed Finch, Buffy and Nicholson’s Pipits, Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Mountain Wheatear, Striped Kingfisher, and Shaft-tailed Whydah. We might also briefly visit the Kimberley “Big Hole” for those that might want to catch a quick glimpse of the deepest human-made hole in the world.

Overnight: Marrick Safaris

Cute Meerkats will be one of our targets at Marrick Safaris.

Day 8. Departure

After some final mammal- and bird-viewing we make a short (half-an-hour) drive to Kimberley airport, where the tour concludes.

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors.

MAMMAL AND BIRDING TOUR SOUTH AFRICA: AARDVARK AND OTHER UNUSUAL DENIZENS OF THE KALAHARI

TOUR-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA CAN BE READ HERE

TOUR OUTLINE

The purpose of this short tour is to highlight the wildlife of the South African Kalahari, with emphasis on seeing some of its secretive mammals. We will also enjoy the array of Kalahari birdlife and large-game-viewing opportunities on offer throughout this tour. Starting in Upington, we will journey to the iconic Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, one of South Africa’s largest and best-known game parks where we will be based for four nights. Next, we will head to Marrick Safari Game Farm, a private game farm in the center of South Africa, near the city of Kimberley. Here we will enjoy night drives for such elusive Kalahari mammals as Aardvark, Aardwolf, Black-footed Cat and Southern African Hedgehog, and explore the plains and acacia savanna by day for a variety of bird species. After our three-night stay at Marrick, we will head to nearby Kimberley where the tour will end and from where we will fly out.

PACE OF TOUR

This is a relatively short tour, being just over a week long, and only includes two bases of operation: Kgalagadi and Marrick. As a result, the pace of this tour is moderate-to-easy, and not particularly strenuous, with a few long drives (only one major travel day) and no long hikes/walks throughout the tour. We will, however, have relatively early mornings most days (sunrise is at 6:30 at this time of year) to make the most of dawn birding time before the Kalahari heat sets in, and regular evening night drives.

Breakfast and lunch packs will be taken out most mornings for a picnic in the field, to make the most of the prime early morning birding time. These are simple but perfectly adequate. There may also be the odd opportunity for us to have the occasional sit-down breakfast and/or lunch. Dinners will be sit-down meals at our accommodation.

Night drives are a crucial aspect of this tour, as the secretive mammals we target on this tour are mostly nocturnal. We will do one night drive in Kgalagadi and two in Marrick. These night drives are quite long and can feel laborious, especially during the (often lengthy) periods without any mammal/bird sightings. However, it is imperative that we spend these long hours in the field to have a fair chance at finding some of the rarer mammal targets on this tour. Participants should therefore be prepared for this nocturnal endeavor. It can also get very cold on these night drives, so it is important to dress warmly for them.

WALKING AND STYLE OF BIRDING

Most of our mammal watching and birding on this tour is done by vehicle. In the Kgalagadi, we are restricted to our vehicle, except for designated areas (like rest camps and picnic sites). We will go on morning game drives in an open-top safari vehicle with game rangers from the park (pending availability). In the afternoon your guide may take you into the park with the tour van. In Marrick, we will go on two night drives, with the rest of the time either spent driving around in our tour van (including a day trip to Mokala National Park) or a mix of driving and walking around the property. Although there are no long hikes on this tour, we may include the odd afternoon walk around the rest camp/farmhouse where we’ll be staying. The walking is considered easy, with only short walks of one mile (1.6 kilometers) envisaged.

LENGTH OF DRIVES

We will have one travel day when we drive from Kgalagadi to Marrick, which is about a six-and-a-half-hour drive (without factoring in stops). The drive from Upington to Kgalagadi on our first day is about two and a half hours, but these are the only long drives done on this tour.

SAFETY

Throughout this tour we spend most of our time in game parks and nature reserves, away from large cities. These areas are popular tourist destinations and are deemed safe. However, please do not leaving valuables in the unattended vehicle, particularly when stopping in towns. If you are unsure about the safety of an area, please ask your guide to clarify.

During our time in Kgalagadi, we will not be allowed to alight from our vehicle, except at rest camps, hides and picnic sites, as the park contains potentially dangerous wildlife. It is of utmost importance to adhere to the instruction of the game rangers who will be driving us around. Even while we are in Marrick, where we may walk around in the reserve, it is important to be mindful of the large herbivores roaming the property, and not to get too close to them, as they can be potentially dangerous as well.

HEALTH, PESTS AND DANGEROUS ANIMALS

There is no risk of malaria in western South Africa.

This region is very dry which means there are few pests to worry about. However, in case we walk through areas with long grass or dense bush, we advise wearing long pants and using tick repellant on your legs, socks and shoes as there could be ticks around. Ticks in South Africa fortunately do not carry Lyme disease, but a bite may lead to tick-bite fever. This is, however, a far less threatening disease with generally no long-lasting consequences.

We also advise not touching or petting any stray dogs in rural areas on the off chance that they are carrying rabies; though this is rare in South Africa.

There are also multiple snake and scorpion species that we may encounter on this tour, some of which are dangerous. Although this is by no means a deterrent for visiting and walking about, we advise that you be aware of them. Nonetheless, we will still be lucky to observe (from a safe distance) any snakes or scorpions on this tour.

*Note that dangerous animals (like Lions) and venomous snakes and scorpions etc., are all possible, and these are all discussed in greater detail under the “South Africa General Information” document.

TRANSPORTATION

We will use a 14-seater minibus as the main tour vehicle, while for the game drives and night drives we will use an open-top safari vehicle, driven by a game ranger. We will follow a seat-rotation policy every day to ensure fair seating to everyone throughout the tour (your guide will explain further at the start of the tour). Our small group size ensures that everyone gets a window.

We will provide airport transfers to participants on the first and final days of the tour, which are included in the tour cost. Should you arrive in South Africa earlier than that or prolong your stay in South Africa after the tour, those transfers would be at your own expense. We will, however, help arrange transfers wherever they may be needed.

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

There are no domestic flights included on this birding tour, though you will likely need to take domestic flights within South Africa to arrive at Upington at the start, and depart from Kimberley at the end. These are both small airports with limited flights and no international flights. Kindly speak to the Birding Ecotours office about the logistics of this.

ACCOMMODATION

In the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park we stay in a comfortable, 4-star lodge just outside the park entrance. At Marrick we stay in rustic, farm-style chalets on a game farm, that are a little more basic, but still very comfortable. Staying inside or near the park allows us to be in the field at optimal birding times, first thing in the morning and late afternoon.

It is important to note that South African buildings are not heated as effectively as they are in Europe or North America (often not heated at all), so we advise you to bring adequate warm clothing, particularly for sleeping.

ELECTRICITY

Lighting in rooms tends to be low wattage, so you might like to bring a good quality torch/flashlight if you like reading in bed!

It is good practice to bring international adapters, as many establishments are changing their plug outlets to better align with international clients, and this is an aspect we do not have direct control over.

WEATHER

Because this tour never leaves the Kalahari region, the climate across the whole tour should remain relatively constant with minimal fluctuations in temperature. Being a semi-desert habitat, it gets very hot and dry during the day (up to 88°F (31°C)) whilst at night the temperature can plummet to 41°F (5°C). For this reason, we recommend packing for hot and cold conditions, and emphasize packing warm clothes for sleeping. The chalets at Marrick are old and not well-insulated. It will also be of utmost importance to dress warmly for the night drives, as these are lengthy and we will be spending significant time out in the cold, atop open safari vehicles – which are not covered and you are exposed to the cold air directly. Rain is highly unlikely on this tour.

It is also worth remembering to bring a buff or scarf, as winds that blow across the plains can kick up a lot of dust.

WHAT TO BRING: CLOTHING AND OTHER ITEMS

Please see our blog on ‘What to bring on a birding tour’ which will help you pack for this Kalahari mammal and birding tour.

Download Kalahari – Birds and Mammals Tour Specific Information

Download South African General Information