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Where to see

Where to see the Purple Roller in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Purple Roller at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Coracias naevius

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Purple Roller
Photo: (c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Purple Roller

Hosts have recorded the Purple Roller at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and iSimangaliso Wetland 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 · Marakele

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Northern Cape

    Northern Cape

    Kgalagadi

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Northern Cape
    Northern Cape
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    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

KrugerKgalagadiMarakele

Species

Coracias naevius

Records

601

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

Which parks and reserves are best for the Purple Roller in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Purple Roller at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Madikwe Game Reserve and Marakele National 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 Purple Roller in South Africa?

The Purple Roller is most recorded in Mpumalanga (47% of records), Limpopo (45% of records), North West (5% of records), based on 601 iNaturalist observations. 26 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Purple Roller on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Purple Roller?

The Purple Roller 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; iSimangaliso Wetland Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Madikwe Game Reserve: Apr-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Purple Roller?

The purple roller (Coracias naevius), or rufous-crowned roller, is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Compared with other rollers its colours are rather dull and its voice rather harsh and grating.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Purple Roller

Every stay on the Purple Roller page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

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