1-day Johannesburg – Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden

These beautiful botanic gardens are one of Johannesburg’s most idyllic natural sites, and here one can see Verreaux’s Eagle and other raptors soar in front of a lovely waterfall, while the beautiful landscaped gardens are literally hopping with birds, many of them very approachable.

Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden is best known amongst birders for its resident pair of Verreaux’s Eagles.

The Aloe garden can sometimes be teeming with spectacular sunbirds, such as White-bellied, Greater Double-collared, Malachite and Amethyst. The lawns are often crawling with Crowned, Blacksmith and African Wattled Lapwings, Crested Barbet, Bokmakierie, Cape Robin-Chat, Karoo and Kurrichane Thrushes, and many others. The woodlands and forests have Black-headed Oriole, African Paradise Flycatcher, and various cuckoos in summer, such as Red-chested, Black, and Diederik. Small lakes and a pleasant river support other good birds, including uncommon species such as African Black Duck, as well as kingfishers, including Giant and Half-collared (with a bit of luck). A more strenuous walk can generate some less regularly recorded species such as Lazy Cisticola or Striped Pipit, among others.

Greater Double-collared Sunbirds can be seen feeding on flowers in the garden.

These lovely gardens are home to a great many other birds not mentioned above, and they lend themselves particularly well to a productive and pleasant half day of birding, for the morning or afternoon. If you wish to bird for the whole day, either it’s at a relaxed pace or we can take you to additional sites. The gardens are one of the best places in Johannesburg for bird photography, because the birds tend to be confiding.

The guide for day trips is allocated only after you have booked, as all of them are run as private trips. But we always use the country’s top birding guides.