Wildlife
Lion
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera.
Recorded year-round
Recorded in every month, so no month is the wrong month to look. We would rather say that than invent a best time.
Curve from 5,763 national iNaturalist observations, not from one property. Single-month spikes are discarded as upload artefacts, and below 50 records we show no curve at all.
Mpumalanga and beyond
Provinces where Lion is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
5,762 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Lion
Kruger National ParkLimpopo · Best Apr to Sep18 places
Kgalagadi Transfrontier ParkNorthern Cape · Best Aug to Oct7 places
Phinda Private Game ReserveKwaZulu-Natal · Year-round6 places
Gondwana Game ReserveWestern Cape · Best Sep to Apr5 places
Sabi Sand Game ReserveMpumalanga · Year-round4 places
Welgevonden Game ReserveLimpopo · Best May to Sep3 places
Addo Elephant National ParkEastern Cape · Year-round2 places
Amakhala Game ReserveEastern Cape · Year-round2 places
Timbavati Private Nature ReserveLimpopo · Best May to Sep2 places
Madikwe Game ReserveNorth West · Best Apr to Sep1 place
Marakele National ParkLimpopo · Best May to Sep1 place
Mont Eco Private Game ReserveWestern Cape · Year-round1 place
Places to stay
75+ results in South Africa
Lions are easiest to find where they are least disturbed and where the animals they hunt have to come to water. In South Africa that means the big parks and the private reserves beside them: the Kruger and the Sabi Sand and Timbavati reserves on its western boundary, the Kgalagadi in the Northern Cape, Madikwe and the Waterberg in the north, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in Zululand.
The dry winter, from May to September, is the season. The grass is short, the bush is thin, and the animals concentrate at the few remaining waterholes and riverbeds, which is where the prides wait. Time of day matters as much as time of year: lions hunt and move in the cool, so the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before dark are when a drive is worth taking. In the middle of the day they are asleep under a bush, often within sight of the road and almost impossible to spot.
Night drives, available inside the private reserves and on guided drives in the national parks, are the other way to see them awake. Pair a lion trip with the birding of the Lowveld in summer, a walk in a Big Five reserve, or the Kalahari for a completely different lion in a completely different landscape.
- Which parks and reserves are best for the Lion in South Africa?
- Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Lion at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Phinda Private Game Reserve, Gondwana Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve and Welgevonden Game Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.
- Where can you see the Lion in South Africa?
- The Lion is most recorded in Mpumalanga (47% of records), Limpopo (19% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (10% of records), based on 5 762 iNaturalist observations. 87 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Lion on site or nearby.
- When is the best time to see the Lion?
- The Lion is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; Phinda Private Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Gondwana Game Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
- What is the conservation status of the Lion?
- The Lion (Panthera leo) is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- What is the Lion?
- The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as populations in African range countries declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas.
- When is the best time to see lions in South Africa?
- The dry winter months, May to September, when thin bush and scarce water concentrate both the lions and what they hunt. Within the day, the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before sunset are far better than the middle of the day, when lions sleep. Sightings are never guaranteed in any season.
- Where are the best places to see lions?
- The Kruger National Park and the private reserves on its western boundary such as the Sabi Sand and Timbavati, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for its black-maned Kalahari lions, Madikwe and the Waterberg in the north, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in KwaZulu-Natal. Each stay on this page lists the species its host has recorded.
- Can you see lions on a self-drive safari?
- Yes. Kruger, the Kgalagadi and Addo are all self-drive parks with good road networks, and lions are seen from the tar and gravel roads every day. A guided drive adds a trained spotter, radio contact between vehicles and permission to drive off-road in the private reserves, which is why guided sightings tend to be closer and longer.
- Are Kalahari lions different?
- They are the same species, but the Kgalagadi males are known for dark, heavy manes, and the prides range over far larger territories because prey is thinner on the ground. The landscape is red dune and dry riverbed rather than bushveld, so sightings are wide open and often at a distance.