Kruger National Park
Limpopo · Best Apr to Sep
6 places
Trees & flora
Baobab
Adansonia digitata
Adansonia digitata, the baobab, is the most widespread of the Adansonia species, and is native to the African continent.
Species insights
When to visit
Recorded year-round
Recorded in every month, so no month is the wrong month to look. We would rather say that than invent a best time.
Best monthsAny month
Records1,289 records
Curve from 1,289 national iNaturalist observations, not from one property. Single-month spikes are discarded as upload artefacts, and below 50 records we show no curve at all.
Where you'll find it
Limpopo and beyond
Provinces where Baobab is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
1,289 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Baobab
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Hutwini Walking Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Spotted hyena
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 11,820 a night
Punda Maria Rest Camp
Kruger National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Baobab · Fever tree
From R 319 a night
Vhembe Wilderness Camp
Mapungubwe National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Baobab · Mopane
From R 1,044 a night
Singita Sweni Lodge
Kruger National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Mazhou Camp Site
Mapungubwe National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Baobab · Mopane
From R 339 a night
Shimuwini Bushveld Camp
Kruger National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Baobab · Cheetah
From R 1,670 a night
Singita Lebombo Lodge
Kruger National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Pafuri Border Camp
Kruger National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Baobab · Fever tree
From R 3,458 a night
Leokwe Rest Camp
Mapungubwe National Park
Baobab recorded here · Savanna biome · Baobab · Giraffe
From R 1,743 a night
More stays nearby
Coastal Retreat
Benguela Cove, Hermanus
Fynbos biome
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 14,985 a night
Sasi Bush Lodge
Bergville
Grassland biome
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust and 2 others
From R 5,400 a night
Pafuri Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Savanna biome · Makalani palm · Ana tree
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 11,820 a night
Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse
Riebeek Valley, Riebeek West
Fynbos biome · Black wildebeest · Bontebok
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 5,636 a night
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Hazyview
Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 1 other
From R 22,680 a night
Babylonstoren
Klapmuts, Simondium
Angulate tortoise · Wild olive
Price on request
Franschhoek Country House & Villas
Franschhoek
Fynbos biome · English oak
Gives back to Cape Leopard Trust
From R 6,195 a night
Welgelegen House by RETURN Africa
Gardens, Cape Town
Fynbos biome · English oak
From R 2,800 a night
Tanda Tula Safari Camp
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
An African Story by RETURN Africa
Bakoven, Cape Town
Fynbos biome
From R 9,900 a night
Baobab Hill House by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Savanna biome · Makalani palm · Ana tree
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 17,120 a night
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Savanna biome · African wild dog · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
Nkula Walking Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Savanna biome · Makalani palm · Ana tree
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 8,380 a night
Thonga Beach Lodge
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Forest biome · Humpback whale · Southern right whale
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
Jaci's Private Lodge
Madikwe
Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Jaci's Lodge Trust
From R 31,500 a night
The Drakensberg
Next stop
Sandstone amphitheatres and cool mountain air
See places that give backPlanning a trip
When and where to find the Baobab
The baobab grows where it is hot, dry and frost free, which in South Africa means the far north of Limpopo: the Mopane country beyond the Soutpansberg, the Limpopo valley around Mapungubwe, and the northern Kruger around Punda Maria and Pafuri.
Where to base yourself
Mapungubwe
Mapungubwe National Park · Limpopo valley
MapungubweSandstone koppies and baobabs on the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe, where three countries meet.
Self-driveGuidedStays near MapungubweThe northern Kruger
Punda Maria · Pafuri
The northern KrugerThe quiet end of the Kruger, baobab and fever tree country on the Luvuvhu River.
Self-driveGuidedStays near Kruger- Tarangire
Some of the densest stands of big baobabs in Africa, with elephants feeding among them in the dry season.
GuidedStays near Tarangire - Nxai Pan
Baines’ Baobabs on the edge of a salt pan, painted by Thomas Baines in 1862 and little changed since.
Self-driveGuidedStays near Nxai Pan
Species
Adansonia digitata
Records
1,289
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Baobab on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Baobab
The baobab grows where it is hot, dry and frost free, which in South Africa means the far north of Limpopo: the Mopane country beyond the Soutpansberg, the Limpopo valley around Mapungubwe, and the northern Kruger around Punda Maria and Pafuri. The biggest trees are well over a thousand years old, with trunks that take a dozen people to circle.
The tree looks different in every season. From about May to October it stands bare, the shape that earned it the name upside-down tree. The leaves come with the first rains, and from October to December it flowers at night: large white flowers that open at dusk, are pollinated by fruit bats and drop by the next afternoon. The velvet-coated fruit hangs on into winter.
North of the border the baobab is a landmark tree. Tarangire in Tanzania is known for it, Baines’ Baobabs stand on the edge of a salt pan in Botswana’s Nxai Pan, and the Zambezi valley at Mana Pools and the Luangwa in Zambia are full of them.
Where can you see baobabs in South Africa?
Only in the far north of Limpopo, where there is no frost: Mapungubwe National Park and the Limpopo valley, the northern Kruger around Punda Maria and Pafuri, and the Venda country north of the Soutpansberg. Each stay on this page lists the trees its host has recorded on or near the property.
When do baobabs flower?
From about October to December, after the first rains. The large white flowers open at dusk, are pollinated by fruit bats and fall by the next afternoon, so the time to see one open is in the evening.
Where are the most famous baobabs in Africa?
Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, Baines’ Baobabs in Nxai Pan and the baobabs of the Makgadikgadi in Botswana, the Zambezi valley at Mana Pools, and the Avenue of the Baobabs in Madagascar, which is a different species.
What is the Baobab?
Adansonia digitata, the baobab, is the most widespread of the Adansonia species, and is native to the African continent. The long-lived pachycauls are typically found in dry, hot savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, where they dominate the landscape, and reveal the presence of a watercourse from afar.