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The Reptiles & Amphibians of South Africa's KwaZulu Natal was a fabulous safari in the south-east of the country, north of Durban, focussing on, surprise surprise, reptiles (snakes, lizards, chameleons) and amphibians (frogs and toads). We flew to Durban and then travelled up the coast to the Mozambique border, taking in a number of nature reserves and different landscapes. There were only 3 of us in the group which enabled us to get close-up and personal with some amazing creatures. Our guide, Tyrone, was a reptile expert and knew exactly where to look to find and photograph some wonderful and rare creatures. The highlight of the trip was accompanying him to extract a Mozambique Spitting Cobra from the bathroom of a very unhappy lady in a town called St. Lucia. In spite of getting some snake venom in his mouth, Tyrone succeeded and later released the snake (after we had had ample opportunity to photograph and video it.). Many of the creatures we wanted to see were nocturnal so we also went out after dark most nights armed with head torches to carry on the search. In addition to the reptiles and amphibians, we also saw some amazing birds and large mammals. A wonderful, all-round safari experience with a hands-on and knowledgeable guide! Naturetrek is a specialist company offering wildlife experiences all over the world. From day trips and short breaks in the UK to mega safaris in South America, Africa and Australia, Naturetrek offers it all. We have travelled with them many times - they are not cheap but we know that whenever we travel with them we will have the best possible experience with the best guides. Naturetrek has an excellent website as well as a super brochure for those who prefer to browse. Finally, the customer service is second to none. They are always helpful and professional and always answer the phone straight away - other travel companies should take note! Highly recommended.
L.T. Wiltshire, Nov 24
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The Reptiles & Amphibians of South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal
Tour Code: ZAF19A 14-day holiday to South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal in search of its exciting suite of reptiles and amphibians including chameleons, mambas, cobras and a plethora of other exciting species!
£5,695 (Inc flights)
£4,795
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Join one of South Africa’s leading herpetologists, field guide author Tyrone Ping, on a tour of his ‘home patch’ in KwaZulu-Natal, a region of extremely rich biodiversity, timed for the peak of South Africa’s herping season (which happily also coincides with some of the worst weather in the Northern Hemisphere!). One of South Africa’s nine provinces, KwaZulu-Natal has a tropical temperate climate offering approximately 320 days of sunshine annually, conditions which make it highly favourable for reptile- and amphibian-life. Indeed, an amazing total of over 200 reptile and amphibian species call the region home, and on this holiday we shall make exciting searches in some of South Africa's most unspoilt natural beauty, locations also home to an abundance of other hugely exciting wildlife!
This exciting tour is part of our portfolio of herpetology holidays.
- Search for the exquisite East African Gaboon Adder
- One of the best locations to see and photograph Black and Eastern Green Mambas
- Special dwarf chameleons include KwaZulu, Natal Midlands and Emerald
- Snouted, Mozambique Spitting, and Forest Cobras
- A large diversity of frogs and toads possible
- Superbly impressive Nile and Rock Monitors
- Tortoises include the beautiful Leopard, Southeastern and Speke's Hinged
Grading
On a typical day on our herpetology tours we’ll begin searching in the field after breakfast, when the sun begins warming the substrates and landscapes, often getting into the vehicles at 9am and, after stopping for approximately one hour for lunch (which is often a continental-style picnic eaten in situ), we’ll continue into early-evening when we will stop for a rest and dinner. Most evenings it will be possible to do excursions in search of nocturnal species, which will on average be for three hours after dinner. With an equal percentage of the target reptile and amphibian species likely to be nocturnal, these night searches are an important part of the tour but are optional, with some participants preferring to rest on some of the days. On average, 5-8 miles are walked per day.
We’ll focus our time in the field on building an enviable list of reptile and amphibian species seen. Whilst searching, there is no doubt we’ll come across a huge variety of amazing fauna and flora, which we’ll also take time to enjoy, but reptiles and amphibians will strongly remain our focus. Sensitively checking under stones, logs and other refugia is an effective way of finding many species. Some of the target reptile or amphibian species may require longer field hours to locate and therefore this tour is suitable, and most enjoyable, for naturalists who, aside from wishing to see the region’s rarely-seen reptiles and amphibians, relish being in the field searching for and identifying the vast array of birds, mammals, butterflies, invertebrates, and other wildlife which can be found sharing the wonderful habitats that we’ll explore on the tour.
In summary, Naturetrek herpetology holidays are suitable, and offer tremendous value, for those who spend most of their holiday time in wildlife habitats and for whom seeing some of the world’s superb reptiles and amphibians is the focus of their time away.
On this holiday we will of course often be walking on rocky terrain with some occasional small ascents required.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
Comfortable lodges and guesthouses, all with private facilities.
- Food:
Breakfasts and dinners are included in the tour price, starting with dinner on Day 2 and ending with breakfast on Day 13. Lunches are not included, offering the chance of something lighter for those who wish.
Reviews
Dates & Prices
2025
2026
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With in-house herpetology expertise connecting with passionate, expert, field herpetologists – and drawing on knowledge built up from operating bird, mammal, botany, butterfly and other wildlife tours since 1986 – we have crafted a selection of the world’s finest reptile and amphibian holidays in our herping tour portfolio.
Destinations for our herpetology holidays include: Albania, Borneo, Britain, Colombia, Ecuador, Greece, Japan, Morocco, Namibia, Panama, South Africa, Sri Lanka.
Naturetrek Reptile and Amphibian Tours
- Naturetrek have been crafting expertly-guided group tours to all seven continents for more than 36 years.
- All of our herping tours are led by an expert herpetologist guide.
- Our herpetology tours provide fantastic opportunity to find, study and photograph reptiles and amphibians.
- As with all of our tours, our reptile and amphibian tours use well-located and well-appointed accommodation.
- In addition to arranging group flights, we are delighted to help with arrangements to join our holidays from any location worldwide.
If you are interested in taking a herping holiday to a destination which is not listed in our current portfolio, please do get in touch using the quick enquiry form and we'll be very pleased to discuss options with you.
Our specialist recommends...
“Our ‘Reptiles & Amphibians of Ecuador' 17-day holiday through the spectacularly diverse habitats of Ecuador, which features an exciting exploration of the Naturetrek Reserve! On this tour we'll search for such exquisite jewels as Pinocchio Lizard, Two-striped Forest-pitviper, Mata-mata Turtle, Diablito Poison Frog, Upper Amazon Glass Frog, Linda's Treefrog and many other simply wonderful species.”
Dan Lay – Operations Manager and tour leader[params] => stdClass Object ( [category_layout] => [image_az] => https://i.assetzen.net/i/grQy1nYcgjdh/w:2000/h:937/q:70.jpg [image_alt] => ) [metakey] => Reptiles & Amphibians Herpetology Tours Herping Tours [note] => 12 [parent] => stdClass Object ( [id] => 165 [parent_id] => 1 [level] => 1 [path] => tour-focus [title] => Tour Focus [alias] => tour-focus [description] => [params] => stdClass Object ( [category_layout] => [image_az] => [image_alt] => ) [metakey] => [note] => ) ) )
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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