uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
KwaZulu-Natal · Year-round
10 places
Trees & flora
Outeniqua Yellowwood
Afrocarpus falcatus
Afrocarpus falcatus (syn.
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
Records2,579 records
Curve from 2,579 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
Western Cape and beyond
Provinces where Outeniqua Yellowwood is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
2,579 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Outeniqua Yellowwood
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Pumula Lodge 4 Star Guesthouse Knysna
Hunter's Home, Knysna
From R 2,310a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Storms River Mouth Rest Camp (Tsitsikamma)
Garden Route National Park
From R 457a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Wilderness Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp
Garden Route National Park
From R 287a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Babylonstoren
Klapmuts, Simondium
Price on request
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Nature’s Valley Rest Camp (Tsitsikamma)
Garden Route National Park
From R 294a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Cobham
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 190a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Garden Castle
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 190a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Monk's Cowl
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 130a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Kamberg
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 840a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Lotheni
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 270a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Highmoor
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 200a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Royal Natal (Thendele, Mahai & Rugged Glen)
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 360a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Injisuthi
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 170a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Didima (Cathedral Peak)
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 1,070a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
Giant's Castle
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
From R 1,150a night
Outeniqua Yellowwood recorded here
More stays nearby
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From R 51,428a night
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From R 1,400a night
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From R 2,800a night
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From R 9,900a night
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From R 11,820a night
The Drakensberg
Next stop
Sandstone amphitheatres and cool mountain air
See places that give backPlanning a trip
When and where to find the Outeniqua Yellowwood
The Outeniqua yellowwood is the giant of South Africa’s forests, a straight, grey trunk rising out of the Afromontane forest of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape.
Where to base yourself
The Tsitsikamma
Storms River · the Big Tree
The TsitsikammaOld-growth forest running down to the sea, and the best known yellowwood in the country.
Walking trailsStays near the TsitsikammaThe Knysna forests
Garden Route National Park
The Knysna forestsDiepwalle, Goldfields and the forest walks above Knysna and Wilderness.
Walking trailsStays on the Garden Route
Species
Afrocarpus falcatus
Records
2,579
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Outeniqua Yellowwood on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Outeniqua Yellowwood
The Outeniqua yellowwood is the giant of South Africa’s forests, a straight, grey trunk rising out of the Afromontane forest of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape. Most of the old trees were felled for timber in the 1800s; those left standing are protected, and some are many centuries old.
The best known is the Big Tree at Storms River in the Tsitsikamma, reached on a short boardwalk through the forest. The Knysna forests, the Diepwalle and Goldfields walks, and the forests above Wilderness and Hogsback have more of them, along with stinkwood, ironwood and the real yellowwood, South Africa’s national tree.
The forest is cool and green all year. Go early for the birds, Knysna Turaco and Narina Trogon among them.
Where is the Big Tree?
At Storms River in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, a short walk from the N2 on a boardwalk through the forest.
Is the yellowwood South Africa’s national tree?
The real yellowwood, Podocarpus latifolius, is. The Outeniqua yellowwood is its taller cousin, and both grow in the forests of the Garden Route.
When is the best time to see the Outeniqua Yellowwood?
The Outeniqua Yellowwood is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Tsitsikamma National Park: Apr-Sep; Garden Route National Park: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Giants Castle Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the Outeniqua Yellowwood?
Afrocarpus falcatus (syn. Podocarpus falcatus) is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the montane forests of southern Africa, where it is distributed in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland.
