Kruger National Park
Limpopo · Best Apr to Sep
14 places
Wildlife
Cape Buffalo
Syncerus cafferNear threatened
The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large African bovine.
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
Records5,363 records
Curve from 5,363 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
Mpumalanga and beyond
Provinces where Cape Buffalo is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
5,363 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Cape Buffalo
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Hazyview
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 1 other
From R 22,680 a night
Tandweni Villa
Mkuze
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · African elephant · Cape buffalo
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 14,000 a night
Hutwini Walking Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Spotted hyena
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 11,820 a night
Jaci's Private Lodge
Madikwe
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Jaci's Lodge Trust
From R 31,500 a night
Makongo Hills Lodge
Magudu
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust
From R 1,280 a night
Tanda Tula Safari Camp
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Mdluli Safari Lodge
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
From R 10,670 a night
The Orpen Kruger
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 9,024 a night
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · African wild dog · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,400 a night
Dulini Moya
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leadwood · Leopard
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 28,990 a night
Ubuntu Lodge at Elephant Point
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
Price on request
Ziziphus River Lodge
Mjejane Game Reserve, Hectorspruit
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Hippopotamus · African elephant
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 14,000 a night
Quatermain's Camp
Paterson
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Black wildebeest · Blesbok
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 11,592 a night
Maninghi Lodge
Welgevonden Game Reserve
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · African elephant
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School and 1 other
Price on request
Kruger Untamed - Satara Plains Camp
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Impala · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 11,980 a night
Kruger Untamed - Tshokwane River Camp
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,500 a night
Marataba Mountain Lodge
Marakele National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Hlosi Game Lodge
Amakhala Game Reserve
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Spekboom
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 4,000 a night
Hitgeheim Country Lodge Addo
Sundays River Valley, Addo
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 2,000 a night
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Price on request
Bonamanzi Game Reserve
Hluhluwe
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Giraffe
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 240 a night
Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa
Touws River
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Fynbos biome · Giraffe · Leopard
Gives back to Saving Private Rhino
From R 7,820 a night
Lion Sands Tinga Lodge
Kruger National Park
Cape Buffalo recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Price on request
The Elephant Coast
Next stop
iSimangaliso wetlands, sand forest, and Sodwana reefs
See places that give backPlanning a trip
When and where to find the Cape Buffalo
Buffalo are Big Five because of what they do when wounded, not because they are hard to find.
When to go, park by park
Here all yearEasiest viewing
| Park | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kruger | Here | Here | Here | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Here | Here | Here |
| Sabi Sand | 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 Cape Buffalo 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
Limpopo
Kruger · Marakele · Timbavati
LimpopoBig FiveSelf-driveGuided drivesStays in Limpopo
Mpumalanga
Sabi Sand
MpumalangaBig FiveGuided drivesStays in Mpumalanga
KwaZulu-Natal
Phinda · Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
KwaZulu-NatalBig FiveGuided drivesStays in KwaZulu-Natal
Eastern Cape
Kwandwe · Addo Elephant · Amakhala
Eastern CapeBig FiveSelf-driveGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Eastern Cape
Ways to look
IUCN Red List
Near Threatened
Species
Syncerus caffer
Records
5,363
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Cape Buffalo on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Cape Buffalo
Buffalo are Big Five because of what they do when wounded, not because they are hard to find. Herds of several hundred move through the Lowveld and the Zululand reserves as a grey mass with birds riding on them, and they need water daily, so in the dry season they are predictable: find the river or the waterhole in the late afternoon and wait.
Kruger and the private reserves on its boundary hold the largest herds, and Addo in the Eastern Cape has a well-known population in the thicket, one of the few disease-free herds in the country. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and the Zululand reserves are the third stronghold. May to September is the season for the same reason it is for everything else: water is scarce and the animals come to it.
The animals to treat with the most care are the old bulls, the dagga boys, who leave the herd and spend their days in mud wallows and thick riverine bush, usually in twos and threes. They are the reason buffalo have the reputation they do. Pair a buffalo trip with the rest of the Big Five in the same reserve, or with the Albany Thicket story in the Eastern Cape.
When is the best time to see buffalo?
The dry winter months, May to September, when herds come to water daily and the bush is thin. Late afternoon at a waterhole or river crossing is the most reliable time of day. Buffalo are the least seasonal of the Big Five because their need for water is constant.
Where are the best places to see buffalo?
Kruger and the private reserves on its western boundary, Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and the other Zululand reserves. Herds of several hundred are normal in all three.
Are buffalo dangerous?
Treated with respect from a vehicle, a herd is calm. Old solitary bulls in thick bush are the ones with the reputation, and walking safaris give them a wide berth. Never approach buffalo on foot outside a guided walk, and follow your guide without argument if one is encountered.
What is the conservation status of the Cape Buffalo?
The Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
What is the Cape Buffalo?
The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild water buffalo of Asia and its ancestry remains unclear. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one, found in South and East Africa.