Kruger National Park
Limpopo · Best Apr to Sep
20 places
Wildlife
Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
The South African giraffe or Cape giraffe (Giraffa giraffa or Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) is a species or subspecies of giraffe found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Mozambique.
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
Records7,512 records
Curve from 7,512 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 Giraffe is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
7,512 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Giraffe
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
la Vista Lodge
Plett Central, Plettenberg Bay
Giraffe recorded here · Fynbos biome · Giraffe
Gives back to National Sea Rescue Institute
From R 3,460 a night
Zwartberg View Mountain Lodge
Oudtshoorn
Giraffe recorded here · Fynbos biome · Gemsbok · Greater kudu
Gives back to Wolwekraal Nature Reserve
From R 5,060 a night
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Hazyview
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 1 other
From R 22,680 a night
Hutwini Walking Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Spotted hyena
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 11,820 a night
Jaci's Private Lodge
Madikwe
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Jaci's Lodge Trust
From R 31,500 a night
Tanda Tula Safari Camp
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Phelwana Game Lodge
Hoedspruit
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · Cheetah
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 1,100 a night
Makongo Hills Lodge
Magudu
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust
From R 1,280 a night
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · African wild dog · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
Ludicks Farm
Montagu
Giraffe recorded here · Fynbos biome · Giraffe · Spekboom
Gives back to Cape Leopard Trust
From R 2,200 a night
Lupus Den Country House
Sundays River Valley, Addo
Giraffe recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Black backed jackal · Bushbuck
Gives back to Wilderness Foundation Africa
From R 2,600 a night
Ubuntu Lodge at Elephant Point
Kruger National Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
Price on request
Mdluli Safari Lodge
Kruger National Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
From R 10,670 a night
Mvuradona Safari Lodge
Marloth Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · Warthog
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 2,473 a night
Maninghi Lodge
Welgevonden Game Reserve
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · African elephant
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School and 1 other
Price on request
Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge
Kruger National Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,400 a night
Dulini Moya
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leadwood · Leopard
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 28,990 a night
Marataba Mountain Lodge
Marakele National Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Ziziphus River Lodge
Mjejane Game Reserve, Hectorspruit
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Hippopotamus · African elephant
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 14,000 a night
Quatermain's Camp
Paterson
Giraffe recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Black wildebeest · Blesbok
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 11,592 a night
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Price on request
Kruger Untamed - Satara Plains Camp
Kruger National Park
Giraffe 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
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,500 a night
Lion Sands Tinga Lodge
Kruger National Park
Giraffe recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Price on request
The Drakensberg
Next stop
Sandstone amphitheatres and cool mountain air
See places that give backPlanning a trip
When and where to find the Giraffe
Giraffe are the easiest large animal to spot and the most pleasant to watch, because they are visible above the bush from a long way off and they are active through the day.
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 Giraffe 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 · Amakhala
Eastern CapeBig FiveGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Eastern Cape
Ways to look
Species
Giraffa camelopardalis
Records
7,512
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Giraffe on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Giraffe
Giraffe are the easiest large animal to spot and the most pleasant to watch, because they are visible above the bush from a long way off and they are active through the day. They browse acacia and combretum in the bushveld and savanna, which puts them across the Lowveld, the Waterberg, Madikwe and Pilanesberg, the Zululand reserves and the private reserves on the Kruger boundary. They do not occur naturally in the fynbos or the Karoo.
There is no real season. Winter thins the bush and makes them easier to see at a distance, summer brings green leaf and calves. Early morning is the best light for photographs, because a giraffe at a waterhole with its legs splayed is one of the great sights of the bushveld and it happens most often in the first hours of the day.
Watch for the necking of young bulls, a slow swinging contest that looks gentle until it is not. Pair giraffe with the rest of the plains game in the same reserve, a Lowveld birding trip in summer, or the Waterberg for a malaria-free bushveld alternative within easy reach of Johannesburg and Pretoria.
When is the best time to see giraffe?
Any season. Winter thins the bush and makes them easier to see at a distance, and early morning is the best time for drinking behaviour and photographs. Giraffe are active through the day, so they do not need dawn and dusk the way the cats do.
Where can you see giraffe in South Africa?
Across the bushveld and savanna: Kruger and the reserves beside it, the Waterberg, Madikwe and Pilanesberg, and the Zululand reserves including Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and Phinda. They do not occur in the Cape fynbos or the Karoo.
Why do giraffe splay their legs to drink?
Their necks are shorter than their legs, so reaching ground level takes a wide stance or a deep bend at the knees. It also leaves them slow to stand up, which is why they drink in turns with others watching, and why a waterhole is the place a giraffe is most alert.
What is the Giraffe?
The South African giraffe or Cape giraffe (Giraffa giraffa or Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) is a species or subspecies of giraffe found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Mozambique. It has rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves.