Where to see the Leopard in South Africa

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.