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Where to see

Where to see the Kori Bustard in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Kori Bustard at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.

Ardeotis kori · Near Threatened

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Kori Bustard
Photo: (c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Kori Bustard

Hosts have recorded the Kori Bustard at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Kwandwe Private Game 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

  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger · Timbavati · Welgevonden

    Self-driveGuided drives
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Northern Cape

    Northern Cape

    Kgalagadi

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

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe

    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

KrugerKgalagadi

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

KwandweSabi SandTimbavatiWelgevonden

IUCN Red List

Near Threatened

Species

Ardeotis kori

Records

1,456

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

Which parks and reserves are best for the Kori Bustard in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Kori Bustard at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve 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 Kori Bustard in South Africa?

The Kori Bustard is most recorded in Mpumalanga (34% of records), Limpopo (26% of records), Northern Cape (21% of records), based on 1,456 iNaturalist observations. 46 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Kori Bustard on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Kori Bustard?

The Kori Bustard 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; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best 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 conservation status of the Kori Bustard?

The Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

What is the Kori Bustard?

The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species (ranging from Africa to India to Australia) in the large-bodied Ardeotis genus.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Kori Bustard

Every stay on the Kori Bustard 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