Amakhala Private Game Reserve

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is author of the Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa.

Amakhala is a well-stocked reserve with a good variety of animals including all of the Big Five. White rhino and elephant are regularly seen. Several antelope species can be spotted as well including kudu, red hartebeest, springbok and blesbok. The charismatic cheetah is one of the reserve’s flagship species. Two hippos have recently been introduced and there are plans to increase their number soon.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeCommon

HippoOccasional

BuffaloCommon

ZebraCommon

WildebeestCommon

White RhinoCommon

Black RhinoNone

LionCommon

LeopardVery Rare

CheetahOccasional

HyenaRare

Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

A river cruise on the Bushman's River provides a chance to see the rare Cape clawless otter. The reserve supports a good population of the endemic black wildebeest, which can often be seen together with the more common Burchell's zebras. Both lion and cheetah are likely to be seen over the course of a couple of days and lucky visitors might see brown hyena, but spotted hyena is absent.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Although always good, wildlife viewing is marginally better during the drier months of June to September. This is when animals search out permanent water sources and congregate around them.