Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Natal Spurfowl in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Natal Spurfowl at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.

Pternistis natalensis

See where to stay
Natal Spurfowl
Photo: (c) Wynand Uys, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Natal Spurfowl

Hosts have recorded the Natal Spurfowl at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi 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

  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    Hluhluwe-Imfolozi · iSimangaliso Wetland · Ithala

    Stays in KwaZulu-Natal
    KwaZulu-Natal
  • 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

Kruger

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 Sand

Species

Pternistis natalensis

Records

1,842

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

Which parks and reserves are best for the Natal Spurfowl in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Natal Spurfowl at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Ithala Game Reserve. 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 Natal Spurfowl in South Africa?

The Natal Spurfowl is most recorded in Mpumalanga (40% of records), Limpopo (30% of records), North West (15% of records), based on 1,842 iNaturalist observations. 22 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Natal Spurfowl on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Natal Spurfowl?

The Natal Spurfowl 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; Sabi Sand Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep optimal; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; iSimangaliso Wetland Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Natal Spurfowl?

The Natal spurfowl or Natal francolin (Pternistis natalensis) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Natal Spurfowl

Every stay on the Natal Spurfowl 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