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Where to see

Where to see the White-backed Vulture in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the White-backed Vulture at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Gyps africanus · Critically Endangered

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White-backed Vulture
Photo: (c) Morten Ross, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Morten Ross

Planning a trip

When and where to find the White-backed Vulture

Hosts have recorded the White-backed Vulture at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

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
  • Northern Cape

    Northern Cape

    Kgalagadi

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

    Mpumalanga

    Sabi Sand

    Guided drives
    Stays in Mpumalanga
    Mpumalanga
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    Hluhluwe-Imfolozi · iSimangaliso Wetland · Ithala

    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

KrugerKgalagadi

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 SandTimbavati

IUCN Red List

Critically Endangered

Species

Gyps africanus

Records

3,502

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the White-backed Vulture on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the White-backed Vulture in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the White-backed 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.

Where can you see the White-backed Vulture in South Africa?

The White-backed Vulture is most recorded in Mpumalanga (48% of records), Limpopo (25% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (17% of records), based on 3,502 iNaturalist observations. 41 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the White-backed Vulture on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the White-backed Vulture?

The White-backed 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.

What is the conservation status of the White-backed Vulture?

The White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

What is the White-backed Vulture?

The white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European griffon vulture, G. fulvus.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the White-backed Vulture

Every stay on the White-backed Vulture 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