Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Northern Cape · Best Aug to Oct
9 places
Wildlife
Springbok
Antidorcas marsupialis
The springbok is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in southern and southwestern Africa.
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
Records2,545 records
Curve from 2,545 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 Springbok is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
2,542 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Springbok
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Zwartberg View Mountain Lodge
Oudtshoorn
Springbok recorded here · Fynbos biome · Gemsbok · Greater kudu
Gives back to Wolwekraal Nature Reserve
From R 5,060 a night
Jaci's Private Lodge
Madikwe
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard · Lion
Gives back to Jaci's Lodge Trust
From R 31,500 a night
Heritage View Birding Retreat
Delareyville
Springbok recorded here · Grassland biome · Brown hyena · Black backed jackal
Gives back to BirdLife South Africa
From R 1,000 a night
Gecko Rock Private Nature Reserve
Touws River
Springbok recorded here · Fynbos biome · Gemsbok · Aardvark
Gives back to Pietersfontein Conservancy
From R 360 a night
Rooilande Guest Farm
Laingsburg
Springbok recorded here · Fynbos biome · Gemsbok · Springbok
Gives back to Saving Private Rhino
From R 1,900 a night
Kwandwe Melton Manor
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Springbok recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Drie Kuilen Nature Reserve
Montagu
Springbok recorded here · Fynbos biome · Bontebok · Gemsbok
Gives back to Cape Leopard Trust
From R 350 a night
Qambathi Mountain Lodge
Nottingham Road
Springbok recorded here · Grassland biome · Bushbuck · Serval
Gives back to Royal Drakensberg Education Trust
From R 4,100 a night
Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Springbok recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa
Touws River
Springbok recorded here · Fynbos biome · Giraffe · Leopard
Gives back to Saving Private Rhino
From R 7,820 a night
Twee Rivieren Rest Camp
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Gemsbok · Camel thorn
From R 450 a night
Kwandwe Uplands Homestead
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Springbok recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Mountain Zebra National Park
Mountain Zebra National Park
Springbok recorded here · Grassland biome · Black wildebeest · Springbok
From R 449 a night
Mata-Mata Rest Camp
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Gemsbok · Camel thorn
From R 450 a night
Kwandwe Fort House
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Springbok recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Grootkolk Wilderness Camp
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Gemsbok · Springbok
From R 2,634 a night
Bitterpan Wilderness Camp
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Gemsbok · Camel thorn
From R 2,634 a night
Kwandwe Ecca Lodge
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Springbok recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Lion · Leopard
Price on request
Golden Gate Hotel And Chalets
Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Springbok recorded here · Grassland biome · Black wildebeest · Blesbok
From R 1,741 a night
Camdeboo Rest Camp
Camdeboo National Park
Springbok recorded here · Albany Thicket biome · Blesbok · Springbok
From R 345 a night
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat
Western Cape
Springbok recorded here · Fynbos biome · Cape fox · Caracal
Gives back to Saving Private Rhino
Price on request
Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Camel thorn · Gemsbok
From R 2,634 a night
Glen Reenen Rest Camp
Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Springbok recorded here · Grassland biome · Blesbok · Springbok
From R 339 a night
Izingwe Lodge
Welgevonden Game Reserve
Springbok recorded here · Savanna biome · Aardvark · Banded mongoose
Gives back to Endangered Wildlife Trust
Price on request
The Klein Karoo
Next stop
Dry mountains, ostriches, and Calitzdorp's port wines
See places that give backPlanning a trip
When and where to find the Springbok
The springbok is the national animal and the most widespread antelope in the dry half of the country.
When to go, park by park
Here all yearEasiest viewing
| Park | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kgalagadi | Here | Here | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here |
| Kwandwe | Here | Here | Easiest viewing | Easiest viewing | 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
- Early morning and late afternoon. The Springbok is out through the day, and easiest to watch before the heat.
- Midday heat. Often resting in shade or near water.
Where to base yourself
Northern Cape
Kgalagadi · Ai-Ais/Richtersveld · Augrabies Falls
Northern CapeSelf-driveStays in Northern CapeEastern Cape
Kwandwe · Camdeboo · Mountain Zebra
Eastern CapeBig FiveSelf-driveGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Eastern Cape
Western Cape
Gondwana · Karoo
Western CapeBig FiveSelf-driveGuided drivesMalaria-freeStays in Western CapeFree State
Golden Gate Highlands
Free StateSelf-driveMalaria-freeStays in Free State
Ways to look
Drive yourself
Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.
Where hosts record it
Guided drives from a lodge
A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.
Where hosts record it
Species
Antidorcas marsupialis
Records
2,542
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Springbok on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Springbok
The springbok is the national animal and the most widespread antelope in the dry half of the country. It lives where grass is short and water is scarce: the Karoo, Namaqualand, the Kalahari and the open grasslands of the Free State and the Northern Cape, and it does well on farmland, so you will see herds from the road long before you reach a park.
There is no closed season for them. What changes is the spectacle. After good rains in the arid west, herds gather in numbers on the fresh grass, and in spring the lambs arrive together within a few weeks of each other, which is the best time to watch a herd. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Karoo parks hold the largest concentrations, and Namaqualand in August and September puts springbok in front of the flower fields.
The name comes from the pronking, a stiff-legged vertical leap with the back arched and the white crest along the rump flared open, which they do when alarmed and sometimes for no visible reason at all. Pair the Karoo for springbok with dark-sky stargazing, gravel riding and the Victorian villages of the interior.
When is the best time to see springbok?
Any time of year, since they are resident across the arid interior and easily seen. For the biggest herds, the months after good rains in the Kalahari and the Karoo, and for lambs, spring. Namaqualand in August and September combines them with the flower season.
Where are the best places to see springbok?
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the Karoo parks including Karoo National Park and Camdeboo, Mokala and Augrabies in the Northern Cape, and the open Free State grasslands. They are also common on farmland across the arid west, so many farm stays have them on the property.
Why do springbok pronk?
Pronking is the stiff-legged leap with the back arched and the white rump crest flared. It is generally read as a signal to a predator that the animal has seen it and is fit enough to outrun it, so the chase is not worth starting. Lambs also pronk in play, which is the version most guests see.
What is the Springbok?
The springbok is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in southern and southwestern Africa. The sole member of the genus Antidorcas, this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1780. Three subspecies are identified.