Why are zebra always with wildebeest?

The two eat different parts of the same grass, so they do not compete, and mixed herds give more eyes and ears against predators. Zebra see well and wildebeest hear and smell well, which is why the two move together across most of their shared range.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Plains Zebra in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Plains Zebra at stays in or beside Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Amakhala Game Reserve, Gondwana Game Reserve and Timbavati Private Nature Reserve 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.

Where can you see the Plains Zebra in South Africa?

The Plains Zebra is most recorded in Mpumalanga (24% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (21% of records), Limpopo (16% of records), based on 9 066 iNaturalist observations. 55 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Plains Zebra on site or nearby.

What is the conservation status of the Plains Zebra?

The Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Wildlife

Plains Zebra

Q: What is the difference between plains zebra and Cape mountain zebra?

They are separate species. Plains zebra are the common bushveld and grassland animal, with stripes that carry onto the belly and shadow stripes between the black bands. Cape mountain zebra are smaller, live on mountain slopes in the Eastern and Western Cape, have a white belly and a dewlap, and came within a few dozen animals of extinction. Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock was proclaimed for them.

Equus quaggaNear threatened

The plains zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchellii), also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra, or locally as the " quagga " (not to be confused with the extinct subspecies), is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra.

from Wikipedia

Showing stays that recordPlains Zebra50+ 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

Records9,066 records

Curve from 9,066 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 Plains Zebra is most recorded. Tap one to find places to stay.

9,066 records, iNaturalist

Parks where hosts record the Plains Zebra

Places to stay

50+ results in South Africa

Tanda Tula Safari Camp

Limpopo

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

Price on request

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

Hluhluwe

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

Price on request

Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse

Riebeek Valley, Riebeek West

Plains Zebra recorded here · Fynbos biome · 26 birds recorded · Black wildebeest, Bontebok · Horse riding, Hiking

Supports BirdLife South Africa

From R 5,636 per night

Rhino Sands Safari Camp

Hazyview

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 30 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Scenic drives

Supports Zululand Conservation Trust

From R 22,680 per night

Singita Ebony Lodge

Mpumalanga

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 42 birds recorded · Lion, Leopard

Price on request

Singita Boulders Lodge

Mpumalanga

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 43 birds recorded · Lion, Leopard

Price on request

Singita Sweni Lodge

Mpumalanga

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 53 birds recorded · Lion, Leopard

Price on request

Singita Lebombo Lodge

Mpumalanga

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 50 birds recorded · Lion, Leopard

Price on request

Hutwini Walking Camp by RETURN Africa

Limpopo

Plains Zebra recorded here · Forest biome · 16 birds recorded · Leopard, Spotted hyena · Fishing, Guided walk

Supports BirdLife South Africa

From R 11,820 per night

Plains Camp @ Rhino Walking Safaris

Mpumalanga

Plains Zebra 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

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

Supports Jaci's Lodge Trust

From R 31,500 per night

&Beyond Phinda Zuka Lodge

Hluhluwe

Plains Zebra 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

Plains Zebra 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

Plains Zebra 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

Plains Zebra 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

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

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 35,500 per night

&Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge

Hluhluwe

Plains Zebra recorded here · Forest biome · 34 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Hiking

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 36,200 per night

&Beyond Ngala Safari Lodge

Hoedspruit

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 31 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Game drives

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 37,800 per night

&Beyond Ngala Tented Camp

Phalaborwa

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 31 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Dining experiences

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 52,000 per night

Montusi Mountain Lodge

Drakensberg, Bergville

Plains Zebra recorded here · Grassland biome · 32 birds recorded · Bushbuck, Common eland · Spa, Horse riding

Supports Royal Drakensberg Education Trust

From R 6,800 per night

Qambathi Mountain Lodge

Nottingham Road

Plains Zebra recorded here · Grassland biome · 2 birds recorded · Bushbuck, Serval · Spa, Horse riding

From R 4,100 per night

Mdluli Safari Lodge

Hazyview

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 224 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Game drives

From R 10,670 per night

Mvuradona Safari Lodge

Marloth Park

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · Giraffe, Warthog · Safaris, Game drives

From R 2,473 per night

Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge

Hazyview

Plains Zebra recorded here · Savanna biome · 224 birds recorded · Leopard, Lion · Safaris, Scenic drives

Supports Endangered Wildlife Trust

From R 17,400 per night

Plan a trip around these stays

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Plains Zebra

When to go, park by park

Here all yearEasiest viewing

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

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

Kruger Addo Elephant

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

Phinda Sabi Sand Amakhala Gondwana Timbavati

IUCN Red List

Near Threatened

Species

Equus quagga

Records

9 066

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

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

More about the Plains Zebra

Plains zebra follow grass and water, which makes them one of the most widespread large animals in the country and a reliable sight almost everywhere there is open savanna or grassland: Kruger and the Lowveld reserves, the Waterberg, Madikwe and Pilanesberg, the Zululand parks and the Free State grasslands. They are almost always in mixed company, because zebra and wildebeest graze and travel together and each watches for what the other misses.

Season barely matters for finding them. It matters for what you see them doing: after summer rains the herds spread onto fresh grass with foals at foot, and in the dry winter they come to water in numbers, which is when the stallions fight and the dust and noise make it the best watching of the year.

A different animal, the Cape mountain zebra, lives in the Eastern and Western Cape mountains and was down to a few dozen animals in the 1930s. Mountain Zebra National Park outside Cradock exists for it, and seeing one there is a different trip from seeing plains zebra in the Lowveld. Pair zebra country with the Karoo, or with a Big Five reserve where they are the predators' main prey.

When is the best time to see zebra?

Any time of year. The dry winter concentrates herds at water, which is the best watching, and summer brings foals onto fresh grass. Zebra graze through the day, so timing within the day matters less than it does for predators.

What is the difference between plains zebra and Cape mountain zebra?