Where to see the Stinkwood in South Africa

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Stinkwood at stays in or beside Garden Route 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 Stinkwood is most recorded in Western Cape (89% of records), Eastern Cape (6% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (5% of records), based on 383 iNaturalist observations. 2 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Stinkwood on site or nearby.

The Stinkwood 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. Garden Route National Park: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The Stinkwood (Ocotea bullata) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Ocotea bullata, (stinkwood or black stinkwood, Afrikaans: Stinkhout, Xhosa: Umhlungulu, Zulu: Umnukane) is a species of flowering tree native to South Africa. It produces very fine and valuable timber which was formerly much sought after to make furniture. Due to over-exploitation it is now a protected species. Other names for it are Cape Walnut, Cape laurel, and laurel wood.