Canon PowerShot S51S
PHOTOGRAPHY: Wild Life
The most common tortoise species in the Kruger National Park (South Afica) is the leopard tortoise which got its name from its mottled shell. They are extremely common in the park and you can consider yourself unlucky if you don’t see one crossing the road at some stage during your stay, especially in summer when they are more active in the heat.

Another type of tortoise found in the Kruger National Park is the padloper or “road walker” which is flatter than the leopard tortoise. Tortoises can fully retract their heads and legs when they are threatened and they live on land, not in water like terrapins.

There is not really any specific camp or game viewing area that is best for tortoises, although I have seen more tortoises in the south of the park than in the north.

You may bump into a tortoise crossing the road anywhere in the park, so please drive slowly because they are easily killed by cars.