Join me in South Africa 26 Aug –12 Sept 2027
I am planning a trip to South Africa for August/September next year. Having previously visited for a wedding and loved the country, I now plan to return for some serious mammalwatching.
The itinerary currently focuses on five main locations: Kruger National Park, Pilanesberg National Park, Marrick Private Game Reserve, Khoisan Karoo Conservancy, and Cape Town.
- Kruger National Park: My main targets will be African Wild Dog, Honey Badger, and Sable Antelope. We will also search for all potential cat species, sign up for night drives at the various camps, and look for nocturnal wildlife around camp at night—hoping to spot African Wildcat, African Civet, both potential genet species, both bushbaby species, and Side-striped Jackal, among others.
- Pilanesberg National Park: Two full days primarily targeting Brown Hyena and Caracal. Pilanesberg is also excellent for big cats.
- Marrick Private Game Reserve & Khoisan Karoo Conservancy: visit to both reserves to finally lay eyes on Aardvark, Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, Zorilla, and any other elusive mammals that cross our path. If the Black-footed Cat is still being tracked at Khoisan Karoo, we will sign up for a tracking session in the hope of a successful sighting. During the day, we will search for Eastern Rock Sengi, Meerkat, and other diurnal species.
- Cape Town: Three full days primarily focused on finding Caracal. However, if we get good views earlier in the trip at any of the other locations, these days can be reallocated to look for Cape Clawless Otter, Marsh Mongoose, and Cape Gray Mongoose, as well as visiting Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden to check for Golden Moles.
The itinerary remains flexible at the moment if anyone is interested in joining and has ideas to share, but I aim to finalize it in the coming few weeks. I have considered adding stops like Dullstroom or the Blyde River Canyon before Kruger—where several excellent mammal sightings have been highlighted in recent trip reports—or the Sasol Synfuel facility in Secunda (near Johannesburg) for Serval (which I recently saw well in Uganda, but would love to see again). These or any other options can be discussed to be incorporated. In addition, the allocation of days spent between Marrick and Khoisan Karoo can also be adjusted if there is any strong preference of one over the other.
If you are interested in joining or would like further details, please contact me at ejruizrubio@gmail.com
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