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Where to see

Where to see the Black-chested Snake Eagle in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Black-chested Snake Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Circaetus pectoralis

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Black-chested Snake Eagle
Photo: (c) Dirk Froebel, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Black-chested Snake Eagle

Hosts have recorded the Black-chested Snake Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Sabi Sand Game 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 · Marakele

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Northern Cape

    Northern Cape

    Kgalagadi

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Northern Cape
    Northern Cape
  • Mpumalanga

    Mpumalanga

    Sabi Sand

    Guided drives
    Stays in Mpumalanga
    Mpumalanga
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    Hluhluwe-Imfolozi · iSimangaliso Wetland

    Stays in KwaZulu-Natal
    KwaZulu-Natal

Ways to look

Drive yourself

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

Where hosts record it

KrugerKgalagadiMarakele

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 Sand

Species

Circaetus pectoralis

Records

921

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Black-chested Snake Eagle on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Black-chested Snake Eagle in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Black-chested Snake Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Madikwe 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 Black-chested Snake Eagle in South Africa?

The Black-chested Snake Eagle is most recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (23% of records), Northern Cape (22% of records), Limpopo (21% of records), based on 921 iNaturalist observations. 44 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Black-chested Snake Eagle on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Black-chested Snake Eagle?

The Black-chested Snake 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; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; Sabi Sand Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep optimal; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Black-chested Snake Eagle?

The black-chested snake eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey of the Accipitridae family. It resembles other snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the short-toed and Beaudouin's snake eagles.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Black-chested Snake Eagle

Every stay on the Black-chested Snake 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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