Where are the best places to see lions?

The Kruger National Park and the private reserves on its western boundary such as the Sabi Sand and Timbavati, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for its black-maned Kalahari lions, Madikwe and the Waterberg in the north, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in KwaZulu-Natal. Each stay on this page lists the species its host has recorded.

Can you see lions on a self-drive safari?

Yes. Kruger, the Kgalagadi and Addo are all self-drive parks with good road networks, and lions are seen from the tar and gravel roads every day. A guided drive adds a trained spotter, radio contact between vehicles and permission to drive off-road in the private reserves, which is why guided sightings tend to be closer and longer.

Are Kalahari lions different?

They are the same species, but the Kgalagadi males are known for dark, heavy manes, and the prides range over far larger territories because prey is thinner on the ground. The landscape is red dune and dry riverbed rather than bushveld, so sightings are wide open and often at a distance.

What is the conservation status of the Lion?

The Lion (Panthera leo) is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as populations in African range countries declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas.

Wildlife

Lion

Panthera leoVulnerable

The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera.

from Wikipedia

Showing stays that recordLion75+ stays list it on site or nearby

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

Records5,763 records

Curve from 5,763 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

Mpumalanga and beyond

Provinces where Lion is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.

5,762 records, iNaturalist

Parks where hosts record the Lion

Places to stay

75+ results in South Africa

Tanda Tula Safari Camp

Limpopo

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 27 birds recorded · Lion, Leopard · Guided walk, Game drives

Price on request

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

Hluhluwe

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 285 birds recorded · African wild dog, Spotted hyena · Game drives

Price on request

Ubuntu Lodge at Elephant Point

Hazyview

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 1 bird recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Scenic drives

Price on request

Maninghi Lodge

Hoedspruit

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 8 birds recorded · Giraffe, African elephant · Game drives

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

Price on request

Rhino Sands Safari Camp

Hazyview

Plains Camp @ Rhino Walking Safaris

Mpumalanga

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 224 birds recorded · Aardvark, African elephant · Guided walk, Game drives

Supports BirdLife South Africa

Price on request

Jaci's Private Lodge

Madikwe

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 71 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Game drives, Photography

Supports Jaci's Lodge Trust

From R 31,500 per night

Laluka Safari Lodge

Vaalwater

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · Leopard, Lion · Spa, Hiking

Price on request

Mont Eco Game Reserve

Mont Eco Game Reserve, Montagu

Lion recorded here · Succulent Karoo biome · Leopard, Lion · Guided walk, Game drives

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

Price on request

Phelwana Game Lodge

Hoedspruit

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 2 birds recorded · Giraffe, Cheetah · Safaris, Game drives

Supports DAKTARI Bush School

From R 1,100 per night

&Beyond Phinda Zuka Lodge

Hluhluwe

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 34 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Scenic drives

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 31,600 per night

&Beyond Tengile River Lodge

Bushbuckridge

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 37 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Wildlife viewing

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 93,000 per night

&Beyond Phinda Vlei Lodge

Hluhluwe

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 34 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Wildlife viewing

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 44,800 per night

&Beyond Phinda Rock Lodge

Hluhluwe

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 34 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Hiking

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 44,800 per night

&Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge

Hluhluwe

Lion recorded here · Savanna biome · 34 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Wildlife viewing

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 35,500 per night

Plan a trip around these stays

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Lion

Lions are easiest to find where they are least disturbed and where the animals they hunt have to come to water.

When to go, park by park

Here all yearEasiest viewing

Best months to visit each park where hosts record the Lion
Park	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Kruger	Here	Here	Here	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Here	Here	Here
Kgalagadi	Here	Here	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Easiest viewing	Here	Here

Lions live in these parks all year. In the dry winter they are easier to find: the grass is short, the bush is thin, and prey gathers at the last water, where the prides wait. 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

First two hours after sunrise, last two before dark. Lions hunt and move in the cool.
Midday, asleep. Often within sight of the road, and almost impossible to spot.
After dark, on a night drive. In the private reserves, and on guided drives in the national parks.

Where to base yourself

Ways to look

	Self-driveKruger, Kgalagadi, Addo	Guided driveEvery reserve and park	Night drivePrivate reserves, guided in parks
Lions seen from the road	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trained spotter, radio between vehicles	No	Yes

IUCN Red List

Vulnerable

Species

Panthera leo

Records

5 762

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Lion on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

More about the Lion

Lions are easiest to find where they are least disturbed and where the animals they hunt have to come to water. In South Africa that means the big parks and the private reserves beside them: the Kruger and the Sabi Sand and Timbavati reserves on its western boundary, the Kgalagadi in the Northern Cape, Madikwe and the Waterberg in the north, and Phinda and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in Zululand.

Lions live in these parks all year, but the dry winter, from May to September, makes them easiest to find. The grass is short, the bush is thin, and the animals concentrate at the few remaining waterholes and riverbeds, which is where the prides wait. Time of day matters as much as time of year: lions hunt and move in the cool, so the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before dark are when a drive is worth taking. In the middle of the day they are asleep under a bush, often within sight of the road and almost impossible to spot.

Night drives, available inside the private reserves and on guided drives in the national parks, are the other way to see them awake. Pair a lion trip with the birding of the Lowveld in summer, a walk in a Big Five reserve, or the Kalahari for a completely different lion in a completely different landscape.

When is the best time to see lions in South Africa?

Lions are resident all year, so any month can work. The dry winter months, May to September, are the easiest, when thin bush and scarce water concentrate both the lions and what they hunt. Within the day, the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before sunset are far better than the middle of the day, when lions sleep. Sightings are never guaranteed in any season.