Above: Birds Georgia Trip to Maine with Mt. Khatahdin in the background.
travel with BIRDS georgia
Birds Georgia was founded to foster the joy of birding and to protect bird-friendly habitat around the state. In the decades since our founding, the organization has evolved into one of Georgia's leading conservation and education organizations. The Birds Georgia Travel Program strengthens current goals to protect the region's birds by instilling a love of nature that will impact conservation, education, and community engagement on a local level.
Birds Georgia's Travel Program offers small-group travel with knowledgeable guides to exciting regional, domestic, and international locations. Special care is taken to develop custom itineraries for each tour that will appeal to all levels of bird and nature enthusiasts.
Current members of Birds Georgia and subscribers to our twice-monthly BirdBuzz e-newsletter receive the latest information related to upcoming trips and registration dates. Join Birds Georgia as a member (or renew your membership) or subscribe to the BirdBuzz e-newsletter to stay up to date.
Birds Georgia's Travel Program offers small-group travel with knowledgeable guides to exciting regional, domestic, and international locations. Special care is taken to develop custom itineraries for each tour that will appeal to all levels of bird and nature enthusiasts.
Current members of Birds Georgia and subscribers to our twice-monthly BirdBuzz e-newsletter receive the latest information related to upcoming trips and registration dates. Join Birds Georgia as a member (or renew your membership) or subscribe to the BirdBuzz e-newsletter to stay up to date.
upcoming trips
NEBRASKA IN SPRING: PLATTE RIVER CRANES & PRAIRIE CHICKENS
March 10 to 15, 2025
This trip is now full. Please join the wait list below. We will contact you if a space opens and will collect your payment at that time.
Sandhill Cranes along the Platte River. Photo by Sarah Stein, Audubon Photography Awards.
Birds Georgia Host: Dottie Head, Senior Director of Operations
Local Guide: Steve Huggins, Red Hill Birding (2nd guide and van will be added for >6 participants)
Group Size: Minimum group size, 6 participants. Maximum group size of 12 participants
Birds Georgia Member Price: $3,598* per person
Non-member Price: $3,648* per person (includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single Supplement: +$500
*Based on double occupancy and 12 participants. Trip can run with a smaller group at an elevated price
Each year between February and April, more than half a million Sandhill Cranes gather on the Platte River in central Nebraska, staging for a journey that ends as far north as eastern Siberia. Along the Platte, having already flown some 600 miles from the American Southwest, they will gorge themselves on the abundant remains of numerous cornfields, gaining 20 percent of their body weight in anticipation of the thousands of miles still before them. But despite their frenzied feeding, these social birds—who mate for life and remain behind if their mate is sick or injured—still find time to do the thing for which cranes are most famous: dance. Join Birds Georgia and our guides from Red Hill Birding for a bucket list trip to central Nebraska in spring of 2025 to bear witness to this amazing spectacle.
Cranes will not be are only targets, though. We will search the surrounding prairies, wetlands and fields for the plethora of migrants and lingering winter residents. Some targets will include large numbers of Cackling, Greater White-fronted, Snow, and Ross’s Geese, 15+ species of waterfowl, Ferruginous Hawk, Harris’s Sparrow and much more.
After several days of watching the remarkable dances of the Sandhill Cranes and exploring the nearby prairies, we will be in for a special treat .... A Prairie Chicken lek. Few performances in the bird world are more memorable than the dawn display of Greater Prairie-Chickens at their booming ground, or lek—the traditional spot where males dance, call, and try to impress females with their vigor. We'll visit a lek on private lands and be treated to views of this amazing phenomenon as the Prairie Chickens begin practicing for mating season later in the spring.
From the dances of the cranes to the display of the prairie chickens, we will be in for a once-in-a-lifetime view of two of the most amazing mating rituals in the natural world. You don't want to miss this trip!
Local Guide: Steve Huggins, Red Hill Birding (2nd guide and van will be added for >6 participants)
Group Size: Minimum group size, 6 participants. Maximum group size of 12 participants
Birds Georgia Member Price: $3,598* per person
Non-member Price: $3,648* per person (includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single Supplement: +$500
*Based on double occupancy and 12 participants. Trip can run with a smaller group at an elevated price
Each year between February and April, more than half a million Sandhill Cranes gather on the Platte River in central Nebraska, staging for a journey that ends as far north as eastern Siberia. Along the Platte, having already flown some 600 miles from the American Southwest, they will gorge themselves on the abundant remains of numerous cornfields, gaining 20 percent of their body weight in anticipation of the thousands of miles still before them. But despite their frenzied feeding, these social birds—who mate for life and remain behind if their mate is sick or injured—still find time to do the thing for which cranes are most famous: dance. Join Birds Georgia and our guides from Red Hill Birding for a bucket list trip to central Nebraska in spring of 2025 to bear witness to this amazing spectacle.
Cranes will not be are only targets, though. We will search the surrounding prairies, wetlands and fields for the plethora of migrants and lingering winter residents. Some targets will include large numbers of Cackling, Greater White-fronted, Snow, and Ross’s Geese, 15+ species of waterfowl, Ferruginous Hawk, Harris’s Sparrow and much more.
After several days of watching the remarkable dances of the Sandhill Cranes and exploring the nearby prairies, we will be in for a special treat .... A Prairie Chicken lek. Few performances in the bird world are more memorable than the dawn display of Greater Prairie-Chickens at their booming ground, or lek—the traditional spot where males dance, call, and try to impress females with their vigor. We'll visit a lek on private lands and be treated to views of this amazing phenomenon as the Prairie Chickens begin practicing for mating season later in the spring.
From the dances of the cranes to the display of the prairie chickens, we will be in for a once-in-a-lifetime view of two of the most amazing mating rituals in the natural world. You don't want to miss this trip!
CUBA: UNBEATABLE HISTORY AND DIVERSITY
April 5 to 16, 2025
This trip is now full. Please join the wait list below. We will contact you if a space opens and will collect your payment at that time.
Cuban Tody. Photo by Alvaro's Adventures.
Birds Georgia Leader: Adam Betuel, Director of Conservation
Local Guides: Alvaro Jaramillo (Alvaro’s Adventures & Life List Podcast) and Arturo Kirkconnell (Bird curator at the National Museum of Natural History of Cuba and co-author of the Birds of Cuba)
Group Size: 12 people (can be run with a smaller group at an elevated price)
Birds Georgia Member Price:: $6,730*
Non-member Price: $6,780* (Includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single supplement for non-shared hotel room: $550/person
*Based on double occupancy. See more details below if traveling solo
Questions? Please email Adam Betuel.
To many Americans, Cuba is a paradox. It is close (famously only 90 miles from the U.S.) yet it often feels distant. Cuba's culture and history are deeply intertwined with our own, while also being framed as something drastically different. It has plenty of issues while also producing world famous food, music, art, cigars, and people. On top of that, it is the most diverse of all the Caribbean Islands, hosting 28 endemic species of birds. There really is no place like it!
While on this trip, we have the chance to find most of Cuba's endemic birds, during our visit to the West, the Zapata Swamp, and the northern Archipelago. While surveying for birds, we will have the chance to see and talk about the country's human history as well as its evolutionary history. As scientists study the Caribbean in detail, they are finding that some of its birds and other wildlife derive from older lineages than those found on the mainland. These islands are natural laboratories, but also natural museums, which have been carrying members of otherwise long extinct avifaunas that at one point flourished on the mainland. Visiting Cuba is like having a window to the past. This is a survey trip that aims to gather information on Cuban birds, to sample its diversity, to interact with Cuban birders, biologists, locals, and to learn about the importance of Cuba in understanding New World birds. It is a truly interesting, diverse, and exceptional nation to visit!
Our bird survey program, led by conservation director Adam Betuel, joins biologist, author, and guide Alvaro Jaramillo with Cuban expert Arturo Kirkconnell in a delightful visit to sample and survey the birds of Cuba, meet the Cuban people, and support ongoing conservation on the island. We will be supporting the work of Cuban ornithologist Arturo Kirkconnell, which includes a published annotated summary of the birds of Cuba, as well as a recently published photographic field guide. You will be escorted through a full itinerary of events during your time in Cuba, adhering to the rules set forth by the Department of Treasury’s General License to visit Cuba.
Local Guides: Alvaro Jaramillo (Alvaro’s Adventures & Life List Podcast) and Arturo Kirkconnell (Bird curator at the National Museum of Natural History of Cuba and co-author of the Birds of Cuba)
Group Size: 12 people (can be run with a smaller group at an elevated price)
Birds Georgia Member Price:: $6,730*
Non-member Price: $6,780* (Includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single supplement for non-shared hotel room: $550/person
*Based on double occupancy. See more details below if traveling solo
Questions? Please email Adam Betuel.
To many Americans, Cuba is a paradox. It is close (famously only 90 miles from the U.S.) yet it often feels distant. Cuba's culture and history are deeply intertwined with our own, while also being framed as something drastically different. It has plenty of issues while also producing world famous food, music, art, cigars, and people. On top of that, it is the most diverse of all the Caribbean Islands, hosting 28 endemic species of birds. There really is no place like it!
While on this trip, we have the chance to find most of Cuba's endemic birds, during our visit to the West, the Zapata Swamp, and the northern Archipelago. While surveying for birds, we will have the chance to see and talk about the country's human history as well as its evolutionary history. As scientists study the Caribbean in detail, they are finding that some of its birds and other wildlife derive from older lineages than those found on the mainland. These islands are natural laboratories, but also natural museums, which have been carrying members of otherwise long extinct avifaunas that at one point flourished on the mainland. Visiting Cuba is like having a window to the past. This is a survey trip that aims to gather information on Cuban birds, to sample its diversity, to interact with Cuban birders, biologists, locals, and to learn about the importance of Cuba in understanding New World birds. It is a truly interesting, diverse, and exceptional nation to visit!
Our bird survey program, led by conservation director Adam Betuel, joins biologist, author, and guide Alvaro Jaramillo with Cuban expert Arturo Kirkconnell in a delightful visit to sample and survey the birds of Cuba, meet the Cuban people, and support ongoing conservation on the island. We will be supporting the work of Cuban ornithologist Arturo Kirkconnell, which includes a published annotated summary of the birds of Cuba, as well as a recently published photographic field guide. You will be escorted through a full itinerary of events during your time in Cuba, adhering to the rules set forth by the Department of Treasury’s General License to visit Cuba.
SOUTHWESTERN SPAIN'S BEST BIRD SANCTUARIES: EXTREMADURA, COTO DONANA, AND TARIFA
April 7 to 17, 2025
This trip is now full. Please join the wait list below. We will contact you if a space opens and will collect your payment at that time.
European Roller. Photo by Susan Berthelot.
Birds Georgia Host: Melanie Furr, Director of Education
Local Guide: Manuel Soler, owner and guide of Wild Donana Tours
Group Size: Minimum group size of 7 participants / Maximum group size of 14 (please see note below about group size)
Georgia Audubon Member Price: $4,900* per person
Non-member Price: $4,950* per person (includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single Supplement: +$450
*Based on double occupancy
Unforgettable birding awaits in southwestern Spain! White Storks nesting on medieval rooftops, soaring Griffon Vultures, the “foam bath” display of Great Bustards, the announcement of spring’s arrival by European Bee-eaters, and thousands of migratory birds making incredible flights across the Strait of Gibraltar are just a few of the sights participants will witness during our tour of southwestern Spain’s best birding sanctuaries, enjoying fine Spanish food and culture in spectacular landscapes along the way. Join Birds Georgia and Wild Donana Tours for this incredible 10-day tour.
A minimum of 7 participants is necessary to offer this tour. Because of transportation logistics, we cannot book the tour for 8 or 9 people, but if we reach 10 confirmed participants, we can run the tour for up to 14 people with an additional guide and transportation. If you try to register and are told the trip is full, please add your name to the waitlist. We will reopen registration for up to 14 people once we are able to confirm 10 participants and will collect your payment at that time.
Local Guide: Manuel Soler, owner and guide of Wild Donana Tours
Group Size: Minimum group size of 7 participants / Maximum group size of 14 (please see note below about group size)
Georgia Audubon Member Price: $4,900* per person
Non-member Price: $4,950* per person (includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single Supplement: +$450
*Based on double occupancy
Unforgettable birding awaits in southwestern Spain! White Storks nesting on medieval rooftops, soaring Griffon Vultures, the “foam bath” display of Great Bustards, the announcement of spring’s arrival by European Bee-eaters, and thousands of migratory birds making incredible flights across the Strait of Gibraltar are just a few of the sights participants will witness during our tour of southwestern Spain’s best birding sanctuaries, enjoying fine Spanish food and culture in spectacular landscapes along the way. Join Birds Georgia and Wild Donana Tours for this incredible 10-day tour.
A minimum of 7 participants is necessary to offer this tour. Because of transportation logistics, we cannot book the tour for 8 or 9 people, but if we reach 10 confirmed participants, we can run the tour for up to 14 people with an additional guide and transportation. If you try to register and are told the trip is full, please add your name to the waitlist. We will reopen registration for up to 14 people once we are able to confirm 10 participants and will collect your payment at that time.
Maine: Mountains to the Sea
June 4 to 11, 2025
This trip is now full. Please join the wait list below. We will contact you if a space opens and will collect your payment at that time.
Atlantic Puffin. Photo by Nancy Hynes, Audubon Photography Awards.
Birds Georgia Host: Dottie Head, Senior Director of Operations
Local Guide: Seth Benz, Bird Ecology Program Director, Schoodic Institute
Group Size: Maximum 11 participants
Member Price: $3,100
Non-member Price: $3,150 (includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single Supplement: $370* (Please read language about lodging below before selecting single supplement. It really is not necessary for this trip even for solo travelers.)
*We will do our best to avoid this scenario, but depending on group construction, solo travelers may be forced to pay a single supplement. All efforts will be made to avoid this expense though it cannot be guaranteed. Impacted travelers, should they decide to cancel, will be reimbursed following the cancellation policy below.
Maine is unique. It is as large as the rest of New England combined and is the most forested state in the U.S. Over 10 million acres are too sparsely populated to have local governments. “Down East,” in and around Acadia National Park, the coast of Maine is wild and dotted with fishing villages. A spruce/fir maritime forest dominates the ocean’s edge and just inland, the world’s largest lowbush blueberry fields create unique habitat.
The scenery on this adventure is equal to the variety of birds to be found. With local support from guides with the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, we’ll begin our tour in Bangor and move immediately to the Maine Highlands in and around Baxter State Park, where we'll chase some of Maine's toughest birds, including American Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers. Spruce Grouse and Boreal Chickadees also haunt this locale, and we should witness Fox and Lincoln's Sparrows singing on their territories. We'll also have a great chance to snap up some of the tougher warblers, such as Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Tennessee and Mourning, and northern forest flycatchers such as Alder, Least, Yellow-bellied and Olive-sided.
And let’s not forget the puffins! Following our Highlands adventures, we’ll make our way “down east” to the Maine coast. We will spend a two full days looking for iconic seabirds that breed in the Gulf of Maine each summer. A boat trip will take us into the Gulf of Maine to circle Petit Manan Island, home to one of Maine’s breeding colonies of Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills. With luck, we may also encounter other pelagic species such as Northern Gannet, Great and Sooty Shearwaters, Wilson’s Storm-petrels, and more.
Local Guide: Seth Benz, Bird Ecology Program Director, Schoodic Institute
Group Size: Maximum 11 participants
Member Price: $3,100
Non-member Price: $3,150 (includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single Supplement: $370* (Please read language about lodging below before selecting single supplement. It really is not necessary for this trip even for solo travelers.)
*We will do our best to avoid this scenario, but depending on group construction, solo travelers may be forced to pay a single supplement. All efforts will be made to avoid this expense though it cannot be guaranteed. Impacted travelers, should they decide to cancel, will be reimbursed following the cancellation policy below.
Maine is unique. It is as large as the rest of New England combined and is the most forested state in the U.S. Over 10 million acres are too sparsely populated to have local governments. “Down East,” in and around Acadia National Park, the coast of Maine is wild and dotted with fishing villages. A spruce/fir maritime forest dominates the ocean’s edge and just inland, the world’s largest lowbush blueberry fields create unique habitat.
The scenery on this adventure is equal to the variety of birds to be found. With local support from guides with the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, we’ll begin our tour in Bangor and move immediately to the Maine Highlands in and around Baxter State Park, where we'll chase some of Maine's toughest birds, including American Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers. Spruce Grouse and Boreal Chickadees also haunt this locale, and we should witness Fox and Lincoln's Sparrows singing on their territories. We'll also have a great chance to snap up some of the tougher warblers, such as Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Tennessee and Mourning, and northern forest flycatchers such as Alder, Least, Yellow-bellied and Olive-sided.
And let’s not forget the puffins! Following our Highlands adventures, we’ll make our way “down east” to the Maine coast. We will spend a two full days looking for iconic seabirds that breed in the Gulf of Maine each summer. A boat trip will take us into the Gulf of Maine to circle Petit Manan Island, home to one of Maine’s breeding colonies of Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills. With luck, we may also encounter other pelagic species such as Northern Gannet, Great and Sooty Shearwaters, Wilson’s Storm-petrels, and more.
Alaska: The Bering Sea
and Arctic Circle
Monday, June 9 to Thursday, June 19, 2025
(Optional: St Paul extension: June 20 to 22)
(Optional: St Paul extension: June 20 to 22)
This trip is now full. Please join the wait list below. We will contact you if a space opens and will collect your payment at that time.
Crested Auklet. Photo by George Armistead, Hillstar Birding
Guides: Adam Betuel, Birds Georgia Director of Conservation, and Georgia Armistead and Alex Harper, with Hillstar Nature
Group Size: 10 people
Cost for Main Trip:
*Based on double occupancy and 10 participants. See more details below if travelling solo
* Prices are an estimate due to local vendors not setting prices yet. Final prices expected to be set in September or October of 2024. Trip costs were based off of 2024 trip costs with a minor increase included. Please reach out to Adam Betuel if you have any questions.
Alaska is grand, in its size, its landscapes, and its wildlife diversity. It is home to fabulous long-distance migrants, seldom-seen inhabitants of the remote north, and often welcomes wayward vagrants from Asia. This tour offers chances for a broad range of birds and wildlife including nesting colonies of hard to track down seabirds, the wonderous landscapes of Nome, a lottery for oddball vagrants from across the turbulent Bering Sea, and a visit to the Arctic Circle where snazzy shorebirds and waterfowl dominate and at times are punctuated by Snowy Owls.
Nome is unlike any other spot in North America, and ranks among the best birding places on Earth. Intensely scenic, it offers a chance at rare breeding birds such as Bristle-thighed Curlew, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Arctic Loon, Gyrfalcon, and still others. It also offers chances for mammals like Muskox and Grizzly Bear, and even other mammals more mythical in nature.
Utqiagvik is as far north as you can get in the State(s). Eiders and shorebirds abound. All the way up at 71 degrees north, just inside the Arctic Circle lies a northward projecting point and an adjoining town. Formerly known as Barrow, the native Inupiat people have long known it as Utqiagvik, which is often translated as “the place where Snowy Owls are hunted.” All four eider species can be seen in a single day, and it is a great location for breeding shorebirds. Lucky observers at times see Polar Bear here. We will spend three nights and parts of four days exploring this unique town and its outskirts, smack in the middle of the arctic wilderness.
Each location offers a chance at scarce or rare visitors from Asia, adding an element of ‘jackpot birding’ to each day. They enough constitute a fantastic trip but if possible, a birder should not miss out on the unique and rarity prone Pribilof Islands. With that in mind, as well as it’s unpredictable weather, we have decided to offer a short excursion to the “Pribs” as an extension to chase down some of the most desired birds in the United States. On remote St. Paul Island, the steep and winding cliff faces hold nesting Red-legged Kittiwakes, Red-faced Cormorants, and thousands of alcids (auks) including Least, Parakeet, and Crested Auklets, as well as Horned and Tufted Puffins. It also offers a chance at scarce or rare visitors from Asia. Visit a tremendous marine wilderness and see the Bering Sea at its best.
Join us for an incomparable adventure to Alaska’s very best birding hotspots.
Group Size: 10 people
Cost for Main Trip:
- Birds Georgia Member: $10,800*
- Non-member: $10,850* (Includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
- $4,600*
*Based on double occupancy and 10 participants. See more details below if travelling solo
* Prices are an estimate due to local vendors not setting prices yet. Final prices expected to be set in September or October of 2024. Trip costs were based off of 2024 trip costs with a minor increase included. Please reach out to Adam Betuel if you have any questions.
Alaska is grand, in its size, its landscapes, and its wildlife diversity. It is home to fabulous long-distance migrants, seldom-seen inhabitants of the remote north, and often welcomes wayward vagrants from Asia. This tour offers chances for a broad range of birds and wildlife including nesting colonies of hard to track down seabirds, the wonderous landscapes of Nome, a lottery for oddball vagrants from across the turbulent Bering Sea, and a visit to the Arctic Circle where snazzy shorebirds and waterfowl dominate and at times are punctuated by Snowy Owls.
Nome is unlike any other spot in North America, and ranks among the best birding places on Earth. Intensely scenic, it offers a chance at rare breeding birds such as Bristle-thighed Curlew, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Arctic Loon, Gyrfalcon, and still others. It also offers chances for mammals like Muskox and Grizzly Bear, and even other mammals more mythical in nature.
Utqiagvik is as far north as you can get in the State(s). Eiders and shorebirds abound. All the way up at 71 degrees north, just inside the Arctic Circle lies a northward projecting point and an adjoining town. Formerly known as Barrow, the native Inupiat people have long known it as Utqiagvik, which is often translated as “the place where Snowy Owls are hunted.” All four eider species can be seen in a single day, and it is a great location for breeding shorebirds. Lucky observers at times see Polar Bear here. We will spend three nights and parts of four days exploring this unique town and its outskirts, smack in the middle of the arctic wilderness.
Each location offers a chance at scarce or rare visitors from Asia, adding an element of ‘jackpot birding’ to each day. They enough constitute a fantastic trip but if possible, a birder should not miss out on the unique and rarity prone Pribilof Islands. With that in mind, as well as it’s unpredictable weather, we have decided to offer a short excursion to the “Pribs” as an extension to chase down some of the most desired birds in the United States. On remote St. Paul Island, the steep and winding cliff faces hold nesting Red-legged Kittiwakes, Red-faced Cormorants, and thousands of alcids (auks) including Least, Parakeet, and Crested Auklets, as well as Horned and Tufted Puffins. It also offers a chance at scarce or rare visitors from Asia. Visit a tremendous marine wilderness and see the Bering Sea at its best.
Join us for an incomparable adventure to Alaska’s very best birding hotspots.
Southern Africa:
Towering falls to desert dunes
Sunday, August 17 to Tuesday, September 2, 2025
3 spots remain!
3 spots remain!
Lesser Flamingos. Photo by George Armistead.
Birds Georgia Leader: Adam Betuel, Director of Conservation
Local Guide: Adam Betuel (Birds Georgia Director of Conservation), Josh Engel (Red Hill Birding), and local guide
Group Size: 13 people (can be run with a smaller group at an elevated price)
Member price: : $9,950*
Non-member price: $10,000* (Includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single supplement for non-shared hotel room: $500/person
*Based on double occupancy. See more details below if traveling solo
*Sharing of a room is almost a certainty at one location. More info on Day 2 in trip description.
Namibia and Botswana are desert countries, yet they are unexpected oases of amazing bird and animal diversity. From the nutrient-rich Benguela Current that brings moisture and life to the western coastline, across the Kalahari to the swamps and broad-leafed woodlands that fringe the Okavango River, and following the Zambezi River to the incredible Victoria Falls, no two days in this region are alike. In between lies the mountainous escarpment that forms the backbone of the country and the wildlife-filled Etosha National Park. A stellar cast of birds live here, like Rockrunner, White-tailed Shrike, Dune Lark, Damara Hornbill, Rüppel’s Parrot, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, African Skimmer, and Pel’s Fishing Owl.
Namibia and Botswana are among the least densely populated countries in the world, yet contain world-class tourism infrastructure. The scarcity of people translates into abundant birds and wildlife, even outside of formally protected areas. The arid nature of both countries means that any place with water attracts large quantities of creatures, and many lodges and protected areas provide permanent water sources just for this purpose. The unique habitats—the Kalahari Scrubland, the Namib Desert, the Okavango Swamps—means an abundance of unique and endemic birds and animals. This trip is not just excellent for birds; it also presents wonderful opportunities to see and photograph the megafauna that Africa is so famous for, including lion, giraffe, elephant, black rhinoceros, leopard, a wide diversity of antelopes and smaller mammals, and reptiles.
Namibia and Botswana are easy countries to travel in; we stay in wonderful hotels in extraordinary locations. We will be in custom-modified vehicles that are designed for tours like this, so that everyone has a window seat and those windows open wide for great viewing and photography. Despite remaining under the radar from a global tourism perspective, the tourism infrastructure is outstanding: the roads are excellent, the hotels comfortable, and the food delicious. These are among the safest countries in Africa, with vibrant democracies and a free press. Between the birding, the mammals, the people, and the infrastructure, it is no wonder that it is a favorite of guides and wildlife travelers alike.
Local Guide: Adam Betuel (Birds Georgia Director of Conservation), Josh Engel (Red Hill Birding), and local guide
Group Size: 13 people (can be run with a smaller group at an elevated price)
Member price: : $9,950*
Non-member price: $10,000* (Includes a one-year Birds Georgia membership)
Single supplement for non-shared hotel room: $500/person
*Based on double occupancy. See more details below if traveling solo
*Sharing of a room is almost a certainty at one location. More info on Day 2 in trip description.
Namibia and Botswana are desert countries, yet they are unexpected oases of amazing bird and animal diversity. From the nutrient-rich Benguela Current that brings moisture and life to the western coastline, across the Kalahari to the swamps and broad-leafed woodlands that fringe the Okavango River, and following the Zambezi River to the incredible Victoria Falls, no two days in this region are alike. In between lies the mountainous escarpment that forms the backbone of the country and the wildlife-filled Etosha National Park. A stellar cast of birds live here, like Rockrunner, White-tailed Shrike, Dune Lark, Damara Hornbill, Rüppel’s Parrot, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, African Skimmer, and Pel’s Fishing Owl.
Namibia and Botswana are among the least densely populated countries in the world, yet contain world-class tourism infrastructure. The scarcity of people translates into abundant birds and wildlife, even outside of formally protected areas. The arid nature of both countries means that any place with water attracts large quantities of creatures, and many lodges and protected areas provide permanent water sources just for this purpose. The unique habitats—the Kalahari Scrubland, the Namib Desert, the Okavango Swamps—means an abundance of unique and endemic birds and animals. This trip is not just excellent for birds; it also presents wonderful opportunities to see and photograph the megafauna that Africa is so famous for, including lion, giraffe, elephant, black rhinoceros, leopard, a wide diversity of antelopes and smaller mammals, and reptiles.
Namibia and Botswana are easy countries to travel in; we stay in wonderful hotels in extraordinary locations. We will be in custom-modified vehicles that are designed for tours like this, so that everyone has a window seat and those windows open wide for great viewing and photography. Despite remaining under the radar from a global tourism perspective, the tourism infrastructure is outstanding: the roads are excellent, the hotels comfortable, and the food delicious. These are among the safest countries in Africa, with vibrant democracies and a free press. Between the birding, the mammals, the people, and the infrastructure, it is no wonder that it is a favorite of guides and wildlife travelers alike.
trips we're planning...
Be sure to join Birds Georgia as a member to ensure you receive all updates regarding the Birds Georgia Travel Program.
We'll be announcing additional 2025 trips later this year, including regional trips to:
. Please check back for more information!
We'll be announcing additional 2025 trips later this year, including regional trips to:
- Central Florida
- Wheeler NWR
- and more
. Please check back for more information!
