Where to see the Shepherd’s Tree in South Africa

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Shepherd’s Tree at stays in or beside Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Kruger National Park. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Shepherd’s Tree is most recorded in Northern Cape (56% of records), Limpopo (21% of records), North West (9% of records), based on 1,676 iNaturalist observations. 11 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Shepherd’s Tree on site or nearby.

The Shepherd’s Tree 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. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

Boscia albitrunca, commonly known as the Shepherd tree or Shepherd's tree (Afrikaans: Witgat, Sotho: Mohlôpi, Tswana: Motlôpi, Venda: Muvhombwe, Xhosa: Umgqomogqomo, Zulu: Umvithi), is a protected tree in South Africa. The species epithet "albitrunca" refers to the oftentimes white trunk.