Sewage Ponds & Zambezi River – Chongwen Safaris

Sewage Ponds & Zambezi River Birdwatching Tour

Short description: This birdwatching tour is ideal for first-time visitors to Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River basin. This half-day tour covers habitats such as the city, shrubland, sewage ponds, river shore and river canyon. You will see many species in quick succession and be able to pick up some rarities as well.

Activity Highlights:

See plenty of aquatic, shrubland and migrant species at the sewage ponds, a magnet for wildlife.
Explore the shore of the Zambezi River in search of avian specialities such as Rock Pratincole and Collared Palm-Thrush.
Finish the tour with a glimpse into the spectacular Zambezi River gorge where you can pick up some additional species such as raptors.

Included: expert guide specialised in birdwatching, Hotel pickup and drop-off

Excluded: Food and drinks, Gratuities

Duration & Price:

5-hour tour: 180 USD (per person)
3-hour tour: 140 USD (per person)
There is no minimum group size for this tour. If you are more than 1 person, we can give you a discount on the above prices. Please contact us directly to get a more specific quote tailored to your requirements.

Full description:

1.) Victoria Falls town
After pickup at your hotel, we drive to the sewage ponds on the outskirts of the town. While driving there we have the chance to see some birds in the town area such as Laughing Dove, Pied Crow, Common Bulbul, Red-winged starling, White-browed Robin-Chat, Scarlet-chested Sunbird and White-browed Sparrow-Weaver.

2.) Sewage ponds
The sewage ponds are a magnet for wildlife all year round. Access to the area is free and it hosts many species that you can also see in Zambezi National Parks and other reserves where an entry fee is necessary. Walking in the area you will be able to see many residents and migrant species. The ponds are popular with aquatic species such as Egyptian Goose, Water Thick-knee, Black-winged Stilt, Blacksmith Lapwing, White-headed Lapwing, Three-banded Plover, African Jacana, Marabou Stork, Hamerkop, African Sacred Ibis and various migrant waders such as Wood Sandpiper. We will spend around 1 hour exploring the surrounding shrubland which has plenty of species such as Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Namaqua Dove, Gray Go-away-bird, African Gray Hornbill, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Little Bee-eater, Lilac-breasted Roller, White Helmetshrike, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Kurrichane Thrush, Red-backed Scrub-Robin, Red-billed Quelea, Red-billed Firefinch and Golden-breasted Bunting.

3.) Shore of Zambezi River

We drive to the river shore where we will be able to pick up further species that are unique to this habitat. This includes specialities such as Pratincoles (Collared, Black-Winged and Rock Pratincole all possible) and the Collared Palm-Thrush. Common riverine birds include African Darter, Long-tailed Cormorant, Hadada Ibis, African Fish-Eagle. In the woodland & shrubland along the river you can expect Red-faced Mousebird, White-fronted Bee-eater, Crested Barbet, Black-Collared Barbet, Black-backed Puffback, Tropical Boubou, Crimson-breasted Gonolek, Terrestrial Brownbulbul and Southern Yellow White-eye.

Crimson-breasted Gonolek (Laniarius atrococcineus)

Black-collared Barbet (Lybius torquatus)

4.) Zambezi River gorge

We transfer to the Lookout Café. On the terrace of the café, you can enjoy breathtaking views over the river gorge. Also, you have a chance to pick up some additional species such as swifts, swallows and various raptors. If time is up, the tour ends here. From the Lookout Café, you can conveniently walk back to your hotel in Victoria Falls town.

5.) Victoria Falls Safari Club

If time allows, we will drive you to Victoria Falls Safari Club. This luxurious lodge has a lookout terrace from where you have excellent views into Zambezi National Park. Daily at 1pm vultures are being fed right under the terrace so this is an excellent opportunity to see species such as Hooded Vulture and White-backed Vulture from close. From the lodge, you also have a chance to spot mammals such as antelopes or giraffes.

Species list birds (species marked with an * are specialities):

Egyptian Goose	Alopochen aegyptiaca
Helmeted Guineafowl	Numida meleagris
Mourning Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decipiens
Ring-necked Dove	Streptopelia capicola
Laughing Dove	Spilopelia senegalensis
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove	Turtur chalcospilos
Namaqua Dove	Oena capensis
Gray Go-away-bird	Corythaixoides concolor
African Swift	Apus barbatus
African Palm Swift	Cypsiurus parvus
Water Thick-knee	Burhinus vermiculatus
Black-winged Stilt	Himantopus himantopus
Blacksmith Lapwing	Vanellus armatus
White-headed Lapwing	Vanellus albiceps
Three-banded Plover *	Charadrius tricollaris
African Jacana	Actophilornis africanus
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola
Collared Pratincole *	Glareola pratincola
Black-winged Pratincole *	Glareola nordmanni
Rock Pratincole *	Glareola nuchalis
Marabou Stork	Leptoptilos crumenifer
African Darter	Anhinga rufa
Long-tailed Cormorant	Microcarbo africanus
Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta
Gray Heron	Ardea cinerea
Great Egret	Ardea alba
Intermediate Egret	Ardea intermedia
African Sacred Ibis	Threskiornis aethiopicus
Hadada Ibis	Bostrychia hagedash
Black-winged Kite	Elanus caeruleus
Hooded Vulture *	Necrosyrtes monachus
White-backed Vulture*	Gyps africanus
African Fish-Eagle	Haliaeetus vocifer
Red-faced Mousebird	Urocolius indicus
Green Woodhoopoe	Phoeniculus purpureus
African Gray Hornbill *	Lophoceros nasutus
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill *	Tockus leucomelas
Trumpeter Hornbill *	Bycanistes bucinator
White-fronted Bee-eater	Merops bullockoides
Little Bee-eater	Merops pusillus
Lilac-breasted Roller	Coracias caudatus
Crested Barbet	Trachyphonus vaillantii
Black-collared Barbet	Lybius torquatus
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus
Taita Falcon	Falco fasciinucha
White Helmetshrike	Prionops plumatus
Black-backed Puffback	Dryoscopus cubla
Tropical Boubou	Laniarius major
Crimson-breasted Gonolek	Laniarius atrococcineus
Fork-tailed Drongo	Dicrurus adsimilis
Pied Crow	Corvus albus
Tawny-flanked Prinia	Prinia subflava
Terrestrial Brownbul	Phyllastrephus terrestris
Common Bulbul	Pycnonotus barbatus
Southern Yellow White-eye	Zosterops anderssoni
Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis
Red-winged Starling	Onychognathus morio
Meves’s Starling	Lamprotornis mevesii
Kurrichane Thrush	Turdus libonyana
Red-backed Scrub-Robin	Cercotrichas leucophrys
White-browed Robin-Chat	Cossypha heuglini
Collared Palm-Thrush *	Cichladusa arquata
Collared Sunbird	Hedydipna collaris
Scarlet-chested Sunbird	Chalcomitra senegalensis
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver	Plocepasser mahali
Southern Masked-Weaver	Ploceus velatus
Red-billed Quelea	Quelea quelea
Southern Cordonbleu	Uraeginthus angolensis
Green-winged Pytilia	Pytilia melba
Red-billed Firefinch	Lagonosticta senegala
Jameson’s Firefinch *	Lagonosticta rhodopareia
African Pied Wagtail	Motacilla aguimp
Golden-breasted Bunting	Emberiza flaviventris

Please note that this species list offers only a selection of species you are likely to encounter on this tour. If you want to prepare for the trip, you can use this list to get familiar with the species before the tour starts.