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Where to see

Where to see the African Darter in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the African Darter at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Cederberg Wilderness Area and Goukamma Nature Reserve.

Anhinga rufa

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African Darter
Photo: (c) Paul Hoekman, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the African Darter

Hosts have recorded the African Darter at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Cederberg Wilderness Area and Goukamma Nature Reserve.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Cederberg Wilderness Area · Goukamma · Rocherpan

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Western Cape
    Western Cape
  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe · Amakhala

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

KrugerCederberg Wilderness AreaGoukammaRocherpanDe Hoop

Guided drives from a lodge

A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.

Where hosts record it

KwandweAmakhala

Species

Anhinga rufa

Records

3,754

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the African Darter on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the African Darter in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the African Darter at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve and De Hoop Nature 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 African Darter in South Africa?

The African Darter is most recorded in Western Cape (50% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (14% of records), Gauteng (11% of records), based on 3,754 iNaturalist observations. 77 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the African Darter on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the African Darter?

The African Darter 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; Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the African Darter?

The African darter (Anhinga rufa), sometimes called the snakebird, is a water bird of sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the African Darter

Every stay on the African Darter page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

See where to stay