Everyone wants to See a Kruger lion on a trip to the game reserve, but it’s not guaranteed! Even though there are between 1,620 and 1,750 lions in Kruger National Park, you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for their light yellow-brown colour, especially as they blend into the grass so well and are often sleeping in it!
You might be lucky though and come across a group of cars turned this way and that, trying to get the best view of a pride of lions.
Even if the lions are sleeping under a tree, you might need to ask someone what they’re looking at. It might not be apparent, even after several glances because they can be so well hidden!
One of the attractions of seeing wildlife is watching the various things that they do. A lion might be:
- Just sleeping under a tree
- Drinking from a waterhole near other animals
- With cubs
If you’re really lucky, you may see the great African predator in action! If you see a kill, you’ll probably feel sorry for the victim, but you’ll come to appreciate that this is just the circle of life in the bush.
On one safari, we came across a kill that had just taken place. A pride of lions, including several little cubs, were feasting on a zebra. It was incredible to see, especially watching the cubs playing like little domestic kittens.
While driving through the park, keep a lookout for vultures circling above. This is a good sign that there may be a carcass below with predators nearby.
Use binoculars to scan the bush below the vultures. Sometimes you can spot lions, but you’ll probably need a clear view and to be an experienced game viewer to see them.
If you’d like to see a video of lions in action, they’re one of the animals featured in the Battle at Kruger Park video. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a nature clip well worth watching, if you’re nerves don’t get to you!
The lions of Kruger are one of the big 5 animals along with elephants, buffalos, rhinos and leopards. This makes them one of the most sought after animals in the park.
| Quick lion facts | |
| Latin name | Panthera leo |
| Famous for | Being the king of the jungle |
| Diet | Carnivore, eats up to 7kg (15lb) per day |
| Weight | 120-250kg (265-551lb) |
| Shoulder height | 91-123cm (3-4ft) |
| Gestation period | 110 days producing one to four cubs |
If you’d like to know where lions have been seen recently, there are wildlife sighting boards at most of the rest camps, picnic spots and park entrance gates. Rangers and tourists put markers on a map where they’ve seen animals, including lions.
When you stop at a rest camp or picnic site for a break or lunch, have a look on the sighting board there for where people have spotted lions. If it’s close by or en route, remember the location and keep an eye out for a Kruger Park African lion!