Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Brown-throated Martin in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Brown-throated Martin at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park.

Riparia paludicola

See where to stay
Brown-throated Martin
Photo: (c) Timothy Whitehead, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Timothy Whitehead

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Brown-throated Martin

Hosts have recorded the Brown-throated Martin at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park.

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

Ways to look

Drive yourself

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

Where hosts record it

Cederberg Wilderness AreaGoukammaKrugerAnysbergGamkaberg

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

Riparia paludicola

Records

908

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Brown-throated Martin on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Brown-throated Martin in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Brown-throated Martin at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve and Kwandwe 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 Brown-throated Martin in South Africa?

The Brown-throated Martin is most recorded in Western Cape (62% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (12% of records), Gauteng (12% of records), based on 908 iNaturalist observations. 81 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Brown-throated Martin on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Brown-throated Martin?

The Brown-throated Martin 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. Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; 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 Brown-throated Martin?

The brown-throated martin or brown-throated sand martin (Riparia paludicola) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It was first formally described as Hirundo paludicola by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot in 1817 in his Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle. It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the grey-throated martin (R. chinensis) under the name "plain martin".

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Brown-throated Martin

Every stay on the Brown-throated Martin 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