Where to See Leopards in the Greater Kruger
The leopard is the hardest of the Big 5 to find. Here is where, when and how guides around Hoedspruit find them, and how to give yourself the best chance.
By Wild About Hoedspruit · Updated 5 October 2026
The short answer
Leopards are solitary and mostly active at night, so the best chance is a guided game drive in a private reserve of the Greater Kruger, where guides can follow a leopard off road. Go at first light or the last hour of the day, in the dry season from May to October, and look in trees and along rivers. Leopards are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
- Best chance
- A guided drive in a private reserve
- Best time
- First light and dusk
- Best season
- May to October
- IUCN status
- Vulnerable (2023)
Of the Big 5, the leopard is the one people most often leave without seeing, and the one they talk about most when they do. Here is how to give yourself the best chance from Hoedspruit. For the leopard's biology and behaviour, read our full guide to leopards in Kruger National Park.
Where to see leopards
The private reserves
Your best chance. In most private reserves of the Greater Kruger, guides can leave the road to follow a leopard within the reserve's rules, and leopards that see vehicles every day become relaxed around them. The Sabi Sand, south of Hoedspruit, is famous for this; the Timbavati, Klaserie, Balule, Kapama and Thornybush around Hoedspruit all have leopard too.
The Kruger National Park
Leopards live throughout the park, but you must stay on the roads, so a sighting depends more on luck. Look along rivers and in large trees near water.
When to look
- First light and the last hour of the day, when leopards move and hunt. Night drives in private reserves add more chances.
- The dry season, May to October, when the bush is thin and you can see further into it.
How guides find leopards
- Tracks: round pugmarks without claw marks in the sand of the road.
- Alarm calls: baboons barking, impala snorting, francolins and squirrels scolding.
- Kills in trees: leopards drag prey into trees, away from lions and hyenas, and come back to feed.
- Information: guides share sightings, which is why a guided drive finds more leopards than driving yourself.
Leopard or cheetah?
A leopard is stockier, with rosettes (spots in rings) and no black lines on its face; it climbs trees. A cheetah is slender and long-legged, with solid round spots and a black "tear line" from each eye to its mouth, and hunts by day in open country. Read our cheetah guide.
Are leopards endangered?
Leopards are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN (2023 assessment), with habitat loss, loss of prey and illegal killing the main threats across their range.
Plan your leopard days
Book an Evening Big 5 Safari, which runs into the evening when leopards start to move, and a Morning Safari at first light. Or stay in a private reserve: see game lodges. More on all five in the Big 5 guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to see a leopard near Hoedspruit?
On a guided game drive in a private reserve of the Greater Kruger, such as the Timbavati, Klaserie, Balule, Kapama or Thornybush, where guides can follow a leopard off road. The Sabi Sand, south of Hoedspruit, is famous for relaxed leopards.
Are leopards easy to see in the Kruger?
Not usually. They are solitary and mostly active at night, and in the national park you must stay on the roads. Look in trees and along rivers at first light and dusk.
What is the difference between a leopard and a cheetah?
A leopard is stockier, with rosettes and no face lines, and climbs trees. A cheetah is slender, with solid spots and black tear lines from its eyes, and hunts by day in the open.
Are leopards endangered?
They are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, under its 2023 assessment.
More on wildlife
Planning a trip to Hoedspruit?
Tell the local team what you are after, or put the days together yourself and send them over.