Where to see the Lappet-faced Vulture in South Africa

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Lappet-faced Vulture at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve and iSimangaliso Wetland Park 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.

The Lappet-faced Vulture is most recorded in Mpumalanga (53% of records), Limpopo (24% of records), Northern Cape (14% of records), based on 682 iNaturalist observations. 38 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Lappet-faced Vulture on site or nearby.

The Lappet-faced Vulture 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.

The Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

The lappet-faced vulture or Nubian vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) is an Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Torgos. It is not closely related to the superficially similar New World vultures, and does not share the good sense of smell of some members of that group.