Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Lesser Striped Swallow in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Lesser Striped Swallow at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.

Cecropis abyssinica

See where to stay
Lesser Striped Swallow
Photo: (c) Roy Lowry, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Lesser Striped Swallow

Hosts have recorded the Lesser Striped Swallow at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kruger National 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

  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Goukamma

    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

    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

GoukammaKruger

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

Cecropis abyssinica

Records

1,890

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Lesser Striped Swallow on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Lesser Striped Swallow in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Lesser Striped Swallow at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. 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 Lesser Striped Swallow in South Africa?

The Lesser Striped Swallow is most recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (37% of records), Mpumalanga (19% of records), Eastern Cape (14% of records), based on 1,890 iNaturalist observations. 35 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Lesser Striped Swallow on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Lesser Striped Swallow?

Sightings of the Lesser Striped Swallow peak from Oct to Nov, based on 1,890 iNaturalist records. You may still see it outside those months, sightings are just less frequent.

What is the Lesser Striped Swallow?

The lesser striped swallow (Cecropis abyssinica) is a large swallow. It breeds in Sub-Saharan Africa from Sierra Leone and southern Sudan south into eastern South Africa. It is partially migratory with South African birds wintering further north. West African birds leave the north of the breeding range in the dry season.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Lesser Striped Swallow

Every stay on the Lesser Striped Swallow 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