Description

Nine days of action in Mpumalanga, east of Pretoria, for two of South Africa’s iconic butterflies. Our tour is timed to be in South Africa for late spring, when many rare and local species are on the wing!

Day 1 Arriving at OR Tambo International Airport, we’ll drive to an exclusive private nature reserve near Pretoria. This is situated in the striking ‘Bankenveld’ habitat favoured by one of Africa’s most impressive and sought-after butterflies.

Hutchinson’s Highflier, Aphnaeus hutchinsonii, is one of the largest Lycaenid butterflies found in South Africa, with a wingspan of 30-40mm. Its pearly white underside spots flash in the sun as it perches on a hilltop bush or chases a rival in a territorial battle. It has often featured in books on tropical butterflies and is on many butterfly lovers’ wants list.

Days 2-4 will be spent in this reserve and in some similar montane areas to the north and east as we seek out this beauty.

Other butterflies we may see in the area are the Saffron Sapphire Iolaus pallene, Fig-tree Blue Myrina silenus ficedula, Russet Protea Capys disjunctus, Bowker’s Marbled Sapphire Stugeta bowkeri, Broad-bordered Acraea Tildia anemosa, and Magaliesberg Painted Ranger Nervia nerva.

Days 5 & 6 In the afternoon of day 4 we’ll drive further east to the Barberton area in Mpumalanga Province. We’ll spend two days in the scenic Mountainlands Nature Reserve, site of South Africa’s first gold rush and the historic Eureka City ghost town.

This is one of the best areas for South Africa’s rare and red listed grassland Lycaenidae and Satyrinae of the area. Butterflies we may see are the Barberton Giant Cupid Lepidochrysops swanepoeli, Purple-brown Giant Cupid Lepidochrysops jefferyi, King Giant Cupid Lepidochrysops tantalus, Narrow-banded Widow Dingana angusta, Speckled Red Acraea Rubraea violarum and Barberton Russet Aloeides barbarae.

Day 7 Montane forests south of Barberton near the Swaziland border. These are good places to see the Bush Kite Swallowtail Papilio euphranor, South Africa’s only endemic swallowtail. It’s restricted to the high-altitude forests of the eastern side of the country. They can be found at forest edges sunning themselves in the early morning, or nectaring on flowers. At midday they patrol above the canopy, like a high-flying kite. It’s a large butterfly with a wingspan of 8 – 11cm so even when soaring high they can be photographed.

October is the time when this species and the Emperor Swallowtail, Papilio ophidicephalus, begin flying in these forests. Other forest butterflies we could see are Long-tailed Admiral Antanartia schaeneia schaeneia and Dry-leaf Commodore Precis tugela tugela.

Day 8 Forests to the east of Barberton along the Crocodile River. These are good places to see mud puddling butterflies as well as species like Boisduval’s False Acraea Pseudonympha boisduvalii trimenii and Azure Hairstreak Hemiolaus caeculus caeculus, Blonde Glider Cymothoe coranus coranus, and various Charaxes species.

Day 9 Return to OR Tambo Airport and if time, visit some other localities en route.

Please note: The itinerary is subject to change under certain circumstances (e.g. weather conditions or seasonal variation).  We can easily adapt the itinerary as necessary.

Contact us now to find out more or reserve places on what we expect to be a very popular tour!