South Africa's attraction as a superb birding destination has to be one of the world's best-kept secrets. A combination of good infrastructure, excellent accommodations and wide variety of birds make South Africa one of the world’s top birding destinations. Of the approximately 850 bird species recorded in South Africa, 95 of these are considered endemic or near-endemic.
This two-week itinerary includes visits to five different ecosystems and provides an excellent opportunity to view many of the birds during their breeding season. It also includes two days in one of Africa’s premier game reserves, the Sabi Sand, allowing for very close encounters with Africa’s big game as well.
A list of Specials for most locations is included in the itinerary below.


Tour Leader: Mark Abdy
• As a veterinarian, Dr. Mark Abdy, cannot remember a time when he wasn’t passionate about animals.
• While he currently works in Washington, DC and lives in rural Maryland with his wife & pets, he was born in Cape Town and grew up in Namibia & South Africa. Mark has always had a self-described obsession with African wildlife.
• As a child, he spent many holidays in several of southern Africa’s national parks & game reserves, either hiking, camping or touring.
• Upon moving to the United States to attend college in 1980’s, it was 16 years before he got back to his much treasured Africa.
• In 2000 he returned as a tour group leader and since then has led an annual personalized tour comprised of small-sized groups.
• During this time he has visited the Etosha, Namib-Naukluft, Mosi-oa-Tunya, Chobe, Kruger, Greater St. Lucia Wetland, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, Mapungubwe & Table Mountain National Parks, as well as the upscale private Sabi Sand and Timbavati Game Reserves.
• Even after all of these trips, participants on his tours will tell you that he still gets excited when he smells the bushveld air and that he is always happy to pass on his enthusiasm to the rest of the tour group.
While Mark firmly believes in the saying, “Once you get Africa in your blood, it’s infectious and will draw you back time-and-time again”, he also recognizes that for many participants, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Knowing this, he goes out of his way to make sure trips are truly memorable and considers it an honor to be able to show off the treasures of the region to interested people.
Mark is an active member of the Washington County Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society and in April 2007, led a group of Washington County birders on a safari through South Africa. His experiences and interests, along with the expertise of Eyes on Africa, have designed this private tour to highlight some of South Africa’s best birding opportunities, all in great comfort.