Free State
Golden Gate Highlands
Self-driveMalaria-free
Stays in Free StateWhere to see
Where to see the Blesbok in South Africa
Hosts have recorded the Blesbok at stays in or beside Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Welgevonden Game Reserve and Camdeboo National Park.
Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi
Planning a trip
When and where to find the Blesbok
Hosts have recorded the Blesbok at stays in or beside Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Welgevonden Game Reserve and Camdeboo National Park.
When to go, park by park
Here all yearEasiest viewing
| Park | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Gate Highlands | Here | Here | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Here | Here | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Here | Here |
| Welgevonden | Here | Here | Here | Here | Easiest viewing |
Darker months are each park's own best season, when thinner bush or scarce water makes viewing easier. A sighting is never guaranteed.
Best hours of the day
- Early morning and late afternoon. The Blesbok is out through the day, and easiest to watch before the heat.
- Midday heat. Often resting in shade or near water.
Where to base yourself
- Free State
KwaZulu-Natal
Kamberg · uKhahlamba-Drakensberg · Weenen
KwaZulu-NatalSelf-driveStays in KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo
Welgevonden
LimpopoBig FiveGuided drivesStays in Limpopo
Eastern Cape
Camdeboo
Eastern CapeSelf-driveMalaria-freeStays in Eastern Cape
Ways to look
Drive yourself
Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.
Where hosts record it
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
Species
Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi
Records
1,691
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Blesbok on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
Which parks and reserves are best for the Blesbok in South Africa?
Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Blesbok at stays in or beside Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Welgevonden Game Reserve, Camdeboo National Park, Kamberg Nature Reserve, Madikwe Game Reserve and uKhahlamba-Drakensberg 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 Blesbok in South Africa?
The Blesbok is most recorded in Gauteng (32% of records), Eastern Cape (21% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (16% of records), based on 1,691 iNaturalist observations. 15 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Blesbok on site or nearby.
When is the best time to see the Blesbok?
The Blesbok 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. Golden Gate Highlands National Park: Mar-May, Aug-Oct; Welgevonden Game Reserve: May-Sep, dry season; Camdeboo National Park: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Kamberg Nature Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the Blesbok?
The blesbok or blesbuck (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) is an antelope endemic to South Africa. It has a distinctive white face and forehead which inspired the name, because bles is the Afrikaans word for a blaze such as one might see on the forehead of a horse.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the Blesbok
Every stay on the Blesbok 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