Kruger National Park
Limpopo · Best Apr to Sep
11 places
Trees & flora
Umbrella Thorn
Vachellia tortilis
Vachellia tortilis, widely known as Acacia tortilis but attributed by APG III to the Vachellia genus, is the umbrella thorn acacia, also known as umbrella thorn and Israeli babool, a medium to large canopied tree native primarily to the savanna and Sahel of Africa (especially Sudan), but also occurring in the Middle East.
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
Records1,486 records
Curve from 1,486 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
Limpopo and beyond
Provinces where Umbrella Thorn is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.
1,486 records, iNaturalist
Parks where hosts record the Umbrella Thorn
Stays that give back
Across South Africa
Kruger Untamed - Tshokwane River Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 17,500a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge
Kruger National Park
From R 17,400a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Kruger Untamed - Satara Plains Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 11,980a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Mdluli Safari Lodge
Kruger National Park
From R 10,670a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Bateleur Bushveld Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 2,820a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Singita Sweni Lodge
Kruger National Park
Price on request
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Sirheni Bushveld Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 1,634a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Punda Maria Rest Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 319a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Singita Lebombo Lodge
Kruger National Park
Price on request
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Shingwedzi Rest Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 378a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Pafuri Border Camp
Kruger National Park
From R 3,458a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Plains Camp @ Rhino Walking Safaris
Mpumalanga
Price on request
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park: Mpila Camp
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
From R 1,420a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park: Hilltop Camp
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
From R 900a night
Umbrella Thorn recorded here
More stays nearby
Oceans Away
Benguela Cove, Hermanus
From R 51,428a night
Thabile Lodge
Oudtshoorn
From R 1,400a night
Baobab Hill House by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
From R 17,120a night
Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse
Riebeek Valley, Riebeek West
From R 5,636a night
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Hazyview
From R 22,680a night
Babylonstoren
Klapmuts, Simondium
Price on request
Welgelegen House by RETURN Africa
Gardens, Cape Town
From R 2,800a night
An African Story by RETURN Africa
Bakoven, Cape Town
From R 9,900a night
Tanda Tula Safari Camp
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
Price on request
Pafuri Camp by RETURN Africa
Kruger National Park
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 Umbrella Thorn
The umbrella thorn is the flat-topped acacia of every safari photograph: a wide, level crown on a short trunk, standing alone on open grass.
Where to base yourself
The Kruger
Kruger National Park
The KrugerUmbrella thorns and knob thorns across the southern and central plains.
Self-driveGuidedStays near Kruger- The Masai Mara
The classic acacia skyline, single trees on rolling grass.
GuidedStays near the Mara - The Serengeti
Acacia woodland in the north and west, open plains to the south.
GuidedStays near the Serengeti
Species
Vachellia tortilis
Records
1,486
iNaturalist observations
Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the Umbrella Thorn on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the Umbrella Thorn
The umbrella thorn is the flat-topped acacia of every safari photograph: a wide, level crown on a short trunk, standing alone on open grass. Botanists now place Africa’s acacias in Vachellia and Senegalia, but every guide and traveller still calls this one the umbrella acacia.
It grows in the dry savanna from the Kalahari to the Horn of Africa. In South Africa look for it in the Kruger, the Limpopo bushveld and northern KwaZulu-Natal. North of the border it is the tree of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, where its shape against the plains is the view people come for.
Giraffe browse it from the top, which is part of why the crowns are so flat, and its curled pods are eaten by antelope and elephant in the dry season. It flowers with small white puffballs in early summer.
Is the umbrella thorn an acacia?
Yes, by every name a traveller uses. Botanists moved Africa’s acacias into the genera Vachellia and Senegalia, so its scientific name is now Vachellia tortilis, but guides still call it the umbrella acacia.
Where are the most famous acacia landscapes?
The Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya, where umbrella thorns stand alone on the open plains. In South Africa, the Kruger, the Limpopo bushveld and northern KwaZulu-Natal.
When is the best time to see the Umbrella Thorn?
The Umbrella 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. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.
What is the Umbrella Thorn?
Vachellia tortilis, widely known as Acacia tortilis but attributed by APG III to the Vachellia genus, is the umbrella thorn acacia, also known as umbrella thorn and Israeli babool, a medium to large canopied tree native primarily to the savanna and Sahel of Africa (especially Sudan), but also occurring in the Middle East.
