Where to see the Sweet Thorn Acacia in South Africa

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Sweet Thorn at stays in or beside uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Gondwana Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Welgevonden Game Reserve, Ithala Game Reserve and Kruger National Park and other reserves. 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 Sweet Thorn is most recorded in Eastern Cape (61% of records), Western Cape (16% of records), Gauteng (12% of records), based on 18,854 iNaturalist observations. 12 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Sweet Thorn on site or nearby.

The Sweet Thorn 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; Gondwana Game Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Welgevonden Game Reserve: May-Sep, dry season. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

Vachellia karroo, commonly known as the Sweet thorn, is a species of acacia, native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa.