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Where to see

Where to see the African Fish Eagle in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the African Fish Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Anysberg Nature Reserve.

Icthyophaga vocifer

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African Fish Eagle
Photo: (c) Wynand Uys, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the African Fish Eagle

Hosts have recorded the African Fish Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Anysberg Nature Reserve.

Best hours of the day

  • Late morning to mid-afternoon. Raptors soar once the sun raises thermals.
  • Early morning. Often perched while the air warms.

Where to base yourself

  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Goukamma · Anysberg · Rocherpan

    Self-driveGuided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Western Cape
    Western Cape
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe · Amakhala

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape
  • Mpumalanga

    Mpumalanga

    Sabi Sand

    Guided drives
    Stays in Mpumalanga
    Mpumalanga

Ways to look

Drive yourself

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

Where hosts record it

KrugerGoukammaAnysbergRocherpanDe 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

Sabi SandKwandwePhindaAmakhalaGondwana

Species

Icthyophaga vocifer

Records

4,418

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

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

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the African Fish Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and Phinda Private 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 African Fish Eagle in South Africa?

The African Fish Eagle is most recorded in Mpumalanga (30% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (21% of records), Western Cape (18% of records), based on 4,418 iNaturalist observations. 136 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the African Fish Eagle on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the African Fish Eagle?

The African Fish Eagle 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; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Anysberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Sabi Sand Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep optimal. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the African Fish Eagle?

The African fish eagle (Icthyophaga vocifer) or the African sea eagle is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur. It is the national bird of Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. As a result of its large range, it is known in many languages.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the African Fish Eagle

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

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