About
# Meet Your Specialist Birding Guide ### Sarel van der Westhuizen | Bushwack Birding **Over 30 years of guiding experience | Specialist Bird Guide | Wildlife & Big Five Guide** With over 30 years of experience in the South African bush, Sarel van der Westhuizen brings a wealth of knowledge, practical experience and a genuine passion for wildlife and birding to every guided experience. As the specialist guide behind **Bushwack Birding**, Sarel offers guided birding walks, private birding excursions and wildlife experiences across the Greater Kruger region and beyond, including Kruger National Park, Mariepskop, the Blyde River Canyon and surrounding wilderness areas. His extensive guiding background includes working in Big Five environments, where his understanding of animal behaviour, bush safety, bird identification and the natural environment adds exceptional value to every outing. His broader outdoor qualifications and experience also include holding a skipper's licence. Sarel is currently the **Chairperson of the Hoedspruit Bird Club**, affiliated with BirdLife South Africa, reflecting his ongoing commitment to birding, conservation and sharing knowledge with others. What makes an experience with Sarel particularly special is his relaxed, patient and engaging approach. He doesn't simply identify a bird and move on. He takes the time to explain its distinguishing features, behaviour, habitat and calls, helping guests understand what they are seeing and develop their own identification skills. With a natural sense of humour and an easy-going personality, Sarel makes birding enjoyable and accessible to everyone, from complete beginners and curious nature lovers to experienced birders and dedicated twitchers. **Whether exploring on foot, travelling through the bush or searching for a particular species, guests can expect an informative, memorable and genuinely enjoyable experience with a guide who knows and loves the African wilderness.** *Bushwack Birding – Discover the bush, one bird at a time.*
Hobbies & Interests
Birding, Photography
Destination Experience
**Bushwack Birding by WEST RADIUS** is a Hoedspruit-based specialist birding and private safari business offering personalised, guided experiences throughout Greater Kruger, Kruger National Park, Mariepskop, Blyde River Canyon and the surrounding Lowveld.
Led by experienced specialist birding guide Sarel van der Westhuizen, we offer private half-day and full-day birding safaris, luxury vehicle experiences, open safari vehicle excursions, guided birding walks and specialist guide-only services.
Our experiences cater for beginners, families, wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, field guides, experienced birders and serious twitchers. Each outing is tailored to guests' interests, with opportunities to discover diverse birdlife, wildlife, habitats and spectacular scenery.
We work with individual travellers, lodges, villas, travel agents and tour operators to deliver authentic, flexible and memorable bush experiences.
**Real birding. Real wilderness. Real experiences.**