Kruger National Park
Limpopo · Best Apr to Sep
24 places
Wildlife
Leopard
Panthera pardusVulnerable
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae.
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
Records3,721 records
Curve from 3,721 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 Leopard is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
3,720 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Leopard
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Gecko Rock Private Nature Reserve
Touws River
Leopard recorded here · Fynbos biome · Gemsbok · Aardvark
Gives back to Pietersfontein Conservancy
From R 360 a night
Hutwini Walking Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Spotted hyena
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 11,820 a night
Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse
Riebeek Valley, Riebeek West
Leopard recorded here · Fynbos biome · Black wildebeest · Bontebok
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 5,636 a night
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Hazyview
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 1 other
From R 22,680 a night
Jaci's Private Lodge
Madikwe
Leopard 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
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Danielskraal Guest Farm
Calitzdorp
Leopard recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Leopard · Spekboom
Gives back to Wolwekraal Nature Reserve
From R 2,500 a night
Sungubala Eco Camp
Drakensberg, Bergville
Leopard recorded here · Grassland biome · Spotted hyena · Leopard
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 1,140 a night
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · African wild dog · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
Makongo Hills Lodge
Magudu
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust
From R 1,280 a night
Drie Kuilen Nature Reserve
Montagu
Leopard recorded here · Fynbos biome · Bontebok · Gemsbok
Gives back to Cape Leopard Trust
From R 350 a night
Ubuntu Lodge at Elephant Point
Kruger National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
Price on request
Qambathi Mountain Lodge
Nottingham Road
Leopard recorded here · Grassland biome · Bushbuck · Serval
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 4,100 a night
Mdluli Safari Lodge
Kruger National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
From R 10,670 a night
Maninghi Lodge
Welgevonden Game Reserve
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · African elephant
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School and 1 other
Price on request
The Orpen Kruger
Kruger National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 9,024 a night
Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge
Kruger National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,400 a night
Marataba Mountain Lodge
Marakele National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Dulini Moya
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leadwood · Leopard
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 28,990 a night
Ziziphus River Lodge
Mjejane Game Reserve, Hectorspruit
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Hippopotamus · African elephant
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 14,000 a night
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Price on request
Quatermain's Camp
Paterson
Leopard recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Black wildebeest · Blesbok
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 11,592 a night
Kruger Untamed - Satara Plains Camp
Kruger National Park
Leopard recorded here · Savanna biome · Impala · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 11,980 a night
Lion Sands Tinga Lodge
Kruger National Park
Leopard 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 Leopard
The leopard is the most widespread big cat in Africa and the hardest to see.
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
- After dark and around dawn. The Leopard is mostly active at night, so a night drive gives the best chance.
- Daytime, resting. Usually out of sight in cover, a burrow or 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
Vulnerable
Species
Panthera pardus
Records
3,720
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Leopard on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Leopard
The leopard is the most widespread big cat in Africa and the hardest to see. It is solitary, largely nocturnal and it hides in exactly the cover that makes it invisible: riverine thickets, rocky kloofs and the branches of big trees. Two very different leopards live in South Africa. The bushveld leopard of the Lowveld is heavy, relatively relaxed around vehicles in the reserves where it has been watched for decades, and the reason the Sabi Sand has a worldwide reputation. The Cape leopard of the fynbos mountains is small, wary and almost never seen; it is known from camera traps, tracks and the work of the Cape Leopard Trust.
For the bushveld leopard, the dry winter is best and night is better than day. The private reserves on the Kruger boundary allow off-road driving and spotlit night drives, which is the single largest difference in your odds. Rivers matter: leopards follow drainage lines, and a drive that works the riverine bush at dusk is doing the right thing.
Pair a leopard trip with the rest of the Big Five in the same reserve, or go the other way and walk the Cederberg and the Boland mountains where the Cape leopard lives, knowing you will see its country rather than the animal.
When is the best time to see a leopard?
The dry winter months, May to September, and after dark. Leopards are mostly nocturnal, so a spotlit night drive or the last hour of a late afternoon drive is worth more than a whole morning. Even in the best reserves a sighting is luck, never a promise.
Where are the best places to see leopards in South Africa?
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve and the other private reserves on the western Kruger boundary, where generations of leopards are used to vehicles, followed by Kruger itself, the Timbavati, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in Zululand. The Cape leopard of the fynbos mountains lives across the Cederberg and the Boland but is very rarely seen.
What is a Cape leopard?
The same species as the bushveld leopard, but the mountain populations of the Western and Eastern Cape are notably smaller, live at low density across large territories and avoid people almost completely. Research by the Cape Leopard Trust is done with camera traps and collars. Staying in the Cederberg or the Boland supports that work without promising you a sighting.
What is the conservation status of the Leopard?
The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
What is the Leopard?
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. The leopard occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of the global range.