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Review Highlights
Highly productive birding around Gauteng, South Africa

I had a the most productive birding day in South Africa with Niall on 1 December 2023. I had... read more

Reviewed 26 December 2023
BalchaM
,
Harare, Zimbabwe
Bird photographer's delight in Johannesburg

Stumbled across Niall's tour company on the internet and found our way, very quickly to confirm 4... read more

Reviewed 17 August 2023
Ben_Naden
,
Singapore, Singapore
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Reviewed 23 January 2017

I've done 2 pelagic trips out of Durban with Niall and Rich and had great sightings on both occasions. These guys know their birds alright and make every bird a PI.

Date of experience: October 2016
Thank John T
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 22 January 2017

I have had the pleasure of birding with Niall Perrins on many occasions and always look forward to the next time. My two trips to Mozambique and Zimbabwe were exciting, informative and a huge amount of fun. At the same time, with Niall's excellent birding skills we were able to find virtually all our targeted birds.

I have done numerous pelagic trips off Durban and Cape Town and have already booked for the coming year. Niall and his team enthusiastically share their amazing knowledge of the birds, are able to identify them quickly and at the same time help us to get onto the birds without delay.

If you are a keen photographer you will have many opportunities to photograph the birds seen.

Date of experience: November 2016
1  Thank cheryldalyking
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 January 2017

I have had the opportunity to do several trips with Bustards Birding Tours. The two highlights were the Caprivi trip and the Northern Cape trip. On both trips both I and those with me returned ,feeling completely passionate and excited about the beauty of Africa and the awesome insights into the birding world is beyond expression! Niall Perrins is in my view certainly one of the best birding guides in the country. Brilliant to say the least. A word needs to be added about the accommodation that is used. Not once were we disappointed and when lunches are provided en route they were top class.

Date of experience: September 2016
1  Thank regJohannesburg
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 20 January 2017

I've hired bird guides on many occasions, and in 5 different countries, and I would rank Niall Perrins among the best I've seen.

Niall took me birding in April 2016 when I was on business in South Africa and had just one day for fun. He picked me up very early and on time, was immediately easy and fun to be with, and he had a great itinerary planned for our day that matched my stated preferences.

Niall did a great job of locating and helping me identify nearly 100 species that day. He demonstrated excellent birding skills, ETHICS, and knowledge. I'm sure he could have boosted our species count for the day, but Niall honored my desire to try to ID birds on my own (challenging for an American on just his second trip to the African continent).

For me, a big species count is not as important as enjoying the birds - even common birds - and enjoying the day. Unlike some guides who are obviously bored with common local species, who are obsessed with finding target birds, Niall put my interests first and adapted to what I wanted.

I would hire Niall or his company again, without any hesitation. Top notch!

Date of experience: April 2016
2  Thank shenoj
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 20 January 2017

I am fortunate enough to live in Durban so am at hand to go on trips out to sea with Bustards Birding Tours anything from 3 to 6 times a year. There are always 3 experts on board to help identify the very special birds we see out there. They make sure that us less proficient birders know what we are looking at and its particular ID features. There is something so thrilling when Niall Perrins shouts out the name of a bird we've been hoping to see as he scans the horizon. You haven't lived until you've seen an albatross swooping elegantly past the boat, tipping a wing into the water as it experiences the joys of flight.

We leave from Wilson's Wharf at around 5.30 am, returning between 2 and 3, depending on the weather. For those who struggle with seasickness, they also have some good remedies. Many people travel from Jhb, Cape Town and even more far-flung places such as Belgium, Holland and the Netherlands to experience the wonderful birds we have here as well as the expertise.

An unmissable experience!

Date of experience: October 2016
2  Thank PennydeVries
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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