Kruger National Park
Limpopo · Best Apr to Sep
24 places
Wildlife
Lion
Panthera leoVulnerable
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera.
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
Records5,763 records
Curve from 5,763 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 Lion is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
5,762 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Lion
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Jaci's Private Lodge
Madikwe
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Jaci's Lodge Trust
From R 31,500 a night
Woodall Country House & Spa
Sundays River Valley, Addo
Lion recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Black wildebeest · Blue wildebeest
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 7,500 a night
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Hazyview
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Zululand Conservation Trust and 1 other
From R 22,680 a night
Phelwana Game Lodge
Hoedspruit
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · Cheetah
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 1,100 a night
Makongo Hills Lodge
Magudu
Lion 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
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Mdluli Safari Lodge
Kruger National Park
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
From R 10,670 a night
Mvuradona Safari Lodge
Marloth Park
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · Warthog
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
From R 2,473 a night
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · African wild dog · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Isibindi Foundation
Price on request
The Orpen Kruger
Kruger National Park
Lion 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
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,400 a night
Ubuntu Lodge at Elephant Point
Kruger National Park
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School
Price on request
Dulini Moya
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Lion 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
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Hippopotamus · African elephant
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 14,000 a night
Maninghi Lodge
Welgevonden Game Reserve
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe · African elephant
Gives back to DAKTARI Bush School and 1 other
Price on request
Quatermain's Camp
Paterson
Lion 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
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Impala · Spotted hyena
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 11,980 a night
Marataba Mountain Lodge
Marakele National Park
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Kruger Untamed - Tshokwane River Camp
Kruger National Park
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 17,500 a night
Hlosi Game Lodge
Amakhala Game Reserve
Lion recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Spekboom
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 4,000 a night
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Price on request
Hitgeheim Country Lodge Addo
Sundays River Valley, Addo
Lion recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
From R 2,000 a night
Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa
Touws River
Lion 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
Lion 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 Lion
Lions are easiest to find where they are least disturbed and where the animals they hunt have to come to water.
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 |
Lions live in these parks all year. In the dry winter they are easier to find: the grass is short, the bush is thin, and prey gathers at the last water, where the prides wait. 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
- First two hours after sunrise, last two before dark. Lions hunt and move in the cool.
- Midday, asleep. Often within sight of the road, and almost impossible to spot.
- After dark, on a night drive. In the private reserves, and on guided drives in the national parks.
Where to base yourself
The Lowveld
Kruger · Sabi Sand · Timbavati
The LowveldThe most lions and the most roads. The private reserves on Kruger's western edge drive off-road and at night.
Self-driveGuidedNight drivesStays near Kruger
The Kalahari
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
The KalahariMales with dark, heavy manes in red dune and dry riverbed. Sightings are wide open, often at a distance.
Self-driveGuidedStays in the Kgalagadi- The north
Big Five reserves in the North West and the Waterberg, bushveld and mountain rather than flat Lowveld.
GuidedNight drivesStays in Madikwe 
Zululand
Phinda · Hluhluwe-iMfolozi
ZululandThornveld and sand forest a short drive from the coast.
Self-driveGuidedStays near Phinda
Ways to look
Self-drive
- Where
- Kruger, Kgalagadi, Addo
- Lions seen from the road
- Yes
- Trained spotter, radio between vehicles
- No
- Off-road to a sighting
- No
- Lions awake
- Early and late
- What it gives you
- Your own pace, the lowest cost
Guided drive
- Where
- Every reserve and park
- Lions seen from the road
- Yes
- Trained spotter, radio between vehicles
- Yes
- Off-road to a sighting
- Private reserves only
- Lions awake
- Early and late
- What it gives you
- Closer, longer sightings
Night drive
- Where
- Private reserves, guided in parks
- Lions seen from the road
- Yes
- Trained spotter, radio between vehicles
- Yes
- Off-road to a sighting
- Private reserves only
- Lions awake
- After dark
- What it gives you
- The hunt, not the nap
IUCN Red List
Vulnerable
Species
Panthera leo
Records
5,762
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Lion on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Lion
Lions are easiest to find where they are least disturbed and where the animals they hunt have to come to water. In South Africa that means the big parks and the private reserves beside them: the Kruger and the Sabi Sand and Timbavati reserves on its western boundary, the Kgalagadi in the Northern Cape, Madikwe and the Waterberg in the north, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in Zululand.
Lions live in these parks all year, but the dry winter, from May to September, makes them easiest to find. The grass is short, the bush is thin, and the animals concentrate at the few remaining waterholes and riverbeds, which is where the prides wait. Time of day matters as much as time of year: lions hunt and move in the cool, so the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before dark are when a drive is worth taking. In the middle of the day they are asleep under a bush, often within sight of the road and almost impossible to spot.
Night drives, available inside the private reserves and on guided drives in the national parks, are the other way to see them awake. Pair a lion trip with the birding of the Lowveld in summer, a walk in a Big Five reserve, or the Kalahari for a completely different lion in a completely different landscape.
When is the best time to see lions in South Africa?
Lions are resident all year, so any month can work. The dry winter months, May to September, are the easiest, when thin bush and scarce water concentrate both the lions and what they hunt. Within the day, the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before sunset are far better than the middle of the day, when lions sleep. Sightings are never guaranteed in any season.
Where are the best places to see lions?
The Kruger National Park and the private reserves on its western boundary such as the Sabi Sand and Timbavati, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for its black-maned Kalahari lions, Madikwe and the Waterberg in the north, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in KwaZulu-Natal. Each stay on this page lists the species its host has recorded.
Can you see lions on a self-drive safari?
Yes. Kruger, the Kgalagadi and Addo are all self-drive parks with good road networks, and lions are seen from the tar and gravel roads every day. A guided drive adds a trained spotter, radio contact between vehicles and permission to drive off-road in the private reserves, which is why guided sightings tend to be closer and longer.
Are Kalahari lions different?
They are the same species, but the Kgalagadi males are known for dark, heavy manes, and the prides range over far larger territories because prey is thinner on the ground. The landscape is red dune and dry riverbed rather than bushveld, so sightings are wide open and often at a distance.
What is the conservation status of the Lion?
The Lion (Panthera leo) is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
What is the Lion?
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as populations in African range countries declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas.