Because of the length of the report it has been broken up into eight different web pages.

• Introduction and Itinerary (this page) 
• Detailed account (Part 1) of birding on the trip: Witbank & Wakkerstroom area
• Detailed account (Part 2) of birding on the trip: Kruger National Park
• Detailed account (Part 3) of birding on the trip: Ben Lavin, Magoebaskloof and Nylsvlei
• Annotated List of all Bird species seen (Part 1)
• Annotated List of all Bird species seen (Part 2)
• List of Mammals seen
• Information - accomodation, costs and references used.

INTRODUCTION

The following is a report of a trip that I made with a Bill and Sandra Watson to South Africa from 1-15 March, 1997. This was the first time that any of us had visited Africa, so most of the birds were new to us. We commenced our trip with a visit to Wakkerstroom, an area of grassland renowned for its endemics. Next, we headed north and travelled through the game-rich lowlands of Kruger National Park. We then journeyed south-west to a wet forest in an outlier of the Drakensberg Mountains, and finally visited a seasonally flooded wetland at Nylsvlei. The weather was fine and hot for most of the trip. The only rain that we encountered was during one afternoon at Wakkerstroom and in the mountains near Louis Trichardt and Tzaneen.

BASIC ITINERARY

Day 1 (1 March '97) - Flight to Johannesburg from Sydney. Picked up campervan and then drove to Witbank. Stayed in a campground below a dam and adjacent to a nature reserve.

Day 2 Birded Witbank nature reserve, drove through to Wakkerstroom (Upland grassland, wetland and montane habitats). Stayed at Weaver's Nest Guesthouse.

Day 3 & 4 Birded Wakkerstroom area.

Day 5 Birded Wakkerstroom in early morning, then long drive to Lower Sabie Camp, Kruger National Park.

Day 6 - 11 Birded in Kruger National Park (Lowland Savannah). Stayed at Lower Sabie Camp, Skukuza, Letaba, Shingwedzi and Punda Maria (3 nights) 

Day 12 Left Kruger National Park and headed West and then South to Louis Trichardt - stayed at Ben Lavin Nature Reserve

Day 13 Birded Ben Lavin (early morning). Drive to Magoebaskloof area and stayed in Tzaneen.

Day 14 Birded Magoebaskloof (Escarpment evergreen forest) area till mid-morning. Drove south to Nylsvlei Nature Reserve.

Day 15 (15 March ) Birded Nylsvlei (savannah and seasonal wetland) (morning). Drove back to Johannesburg and caught flight back to Sydney.

ON TO  Detailed Account (PART 1): Witbank & Wakkerstroom Area