The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2, Two Turtle Doves

by Tom Bastek
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Mon November 17, 2014

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Our worldwide tour of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" continues to explore exactly where you need to go to obtain or achieve everything from the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Click here for part one, in which we traveled to Tasmania in search of a partridge in a pear tree.

Two Turtle Doves

The Turtle Dove is in the same class as pigeons and doves and is located mostly in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are strong pair bonded birds, and therefore have become have become emblems of devoted love in both literature and lore.

If we are looking to get our hands on a pair of these guys, we are going to have to go south; way south. The migration of these birds brings them all the way to South Africa every year and because of the wide spread hunting of the birds, is said to be a treacherous trip.

Photo Courtesy of Birding Africa

Since 1997, Birding Africa has been sharing their knowledge and passion of Africa's Birds. They are made up of biologists, bird book authors and conservationists and Birdwatch magazine voted them one of the Top Five Most Recommended Bird Tour Companies in the World.

If we are going to go all the way to South Africa for this bird experience, we had better spend at least seven days. Tours are offered going out of Cape Town, with anywhere from four to twenty-four days available. In January they are doing a 10-day tour to South Africa but for the comparison, lets look at the 10-day tour they just did this month.

The trip will run you about $2,930 per person and includes a Birding Africa tour-leader, accommodation, all meals, transport, flight from Cape Town to Durban, a pelagic trip with Cape Town Pelagics (this is a sea bird tour), a Sani Pass 4x4 trip, a night drive in Kruger, and all entry fees and conservation fees at parks and reserves. Accommodations are in guest houses, lodges and small hotels.

What will you see? Previous participants saw all of South Africa's birds, a total of 526 bird species and over 40 mammal species.

Cape Town

If you are dragging your camera all the way to South Africa, you might as well do some sightseeing in Cape Town, too. There are stunning views from the Cableway up to Table Mountain. There are plenty of places where you can go Shark Cage Diving (I'll pass on that one), Great White Shark Tours and Shark Diving Unlimited are just two of the many.

Go see the Jackass Penguins (named for the sound they make) at Boulders Penguin Colony. Or check out a wine tour with Luhambo Tours or a Brewery Tour with the gang at The Craft Beer Project.

So Africa is where to go for day two, and as promised here is another rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas: