Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Blacksmith Lapwing in South Africa

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

Vanellus armatus

See where to stay
Blacksmith Lapwing
Photo: (c) Stefan Wolmarans, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Blacksmith Lapwing

Hosts have recorded the Blacksmith Lapwing 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 · Anysberg

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

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    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

KrugerCederberg Wilderness AreaGoukammaAnysbergRocherpan

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

Kwandwe

Species

Vanellus armatus

Records

8,086

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

Which parks and reserves are best for the Blacksmith Lapwing in South Africa?

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

The Blacksmith Lapwing is most recorded in Western Cape (44% of records), Gauteng (14% of records), Mpumalanga (13% of records), based on 8,086 iNaturalist observations. 90 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Blacksmith Lapwing on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Blacksmith Lapwing?

The Blacksmith Lapwing 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; Anysberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Blacksmith Lapwing?

The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (Vanellus armatus) occurs commonly from Kenya through central Tanzania to southern and southwestern Africa. The vernacular name derives from the repeated metallic 'tink, tink, tink' alarm call, which suggests a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Blacksmith Lapwing

Every stay on the Blacksmith Lapwing 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