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Where to see

Where to see the Martial Eagle in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Martial Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Polemaetus bellicosus · Endangered

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Martial Eagle
Photo: (c) Dan Harville, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Dan Harville

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Martial Eagle

Hosts have recorded the Martial Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Best hours of the day

  • Late morning to mid-afternoon. Raptors soar once the sun raises thermals.
  • Early morning. Often perched while the air warms.

Where to base yourself

  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger · Timbavati

    Self-driveGuided drives
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Gamkaberg · De Hoop · Grootvadersbosch

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

    Northern Cape

    Kgalagadi

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Northern Cape
    Northern 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

KrugerGamkabergKgalagadiDe HoopGrootvadersbosch

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

Sabi SandKwandweTimbavati

IUCN Red List

Endangered

Species

Polemaetus bellicosus

Records

2,094

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

Which parks and reserves are best for the Martial Eagle in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Martial Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and De Hoop 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 Martial Eagle in South Africa?

The Martial Eagle is most recorded in Mpumalanga (38% of records), Limpopo (23% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (15% of records), based on 2,094 iNaturalist observations. 88 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Martial Eagle on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Martial Eagle?

The Martial Eagle 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; Gamkaberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; 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 Martial Eagle?

The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

What is the Martial Eagle?

The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus. A species of the booted eagle subfamily (Aquillinae), it has feathering over its tarsus. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle, it is a fairly opportunistic predator that varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Martial Eagle

Every stay on the Martial Eagle 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