Olaitoriani Expeditions

Tanzania Night Game Drive

Night Game Drive in Tanzania

A safari at night is a thrilling and enlightening adventure, offering a unique layer of excitement. With limited vision, your remaining senses are piqued, cloaked as you are in the pitch-black night. Your guide uses a powerful spotlight, sweeping the beam over the surrounding bush, searching for the glint of an eye in the darkness.

The ‘Night Game Drives’ are organised in Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park, which are both ideal locations due to their diverse ecosystems. With the lake, the rift valley cliffs, ground water forest, Ngorongoro highlands, and the dry Tarangire system all close by, the region is a melting pot for all various kinds of animals and vegetation.

When out on a ‘Night game drive’, keep an eye out for genets, civet cats, porcupines, and enormous hippos grazing under shady trees and if you are lucky you might spot a lion or leopard!

Experience a completely different world

Not only do night game drives allow you to observe nocturnal animals such as porcupines, civet cats, and aardvarks, but they are also a fantastic way to see nocturnal predators and herbivores in their element. Big cats such as leopards and lions do much of their hunting after dark, while hippopotamuses trade their watery homes for grazing out on the plains.

A night game drive offers a unique opportunity to explore the Tanzanian wilderness after dark, revealing a whole new world of nocturnal wildlife activity. With the assistance of spotlights and the keen eyes of experienced rangers, our guests have the chance to spot elusive creatures such as lions, leopards, hyenas, genets, bushbabies, porcupines, hares, as well as owls, owlets, and nightjars, which emerge from their daytime hideouts to hunt or forage.

What is a Night Game Drive?

A night game drive offers a unique opportunity to explore the Tanzanian wilderness after dark, revealing a whole new world of nocturnal wildlife activity. With the assistance of spotlights and the keen eyes of experienced rangers, our guests have the chance to spot elusive creatures such as lions, leopards, hyenas, genets, bushbabies, porcupines, hares as well as owls, owlets, nightjars they emerge from their daytime hideouts to hunt or forage.

Exploring the park at night offers a completely different perspective compared to daytime game drives. There’s an undeniable thrill and sense of adventure that comes with traversing the wilderness at night. The anticipation of what might be lurking in the shadows adds an extra element of excitement to the safari experience

Exploring the park at night offers a completely different perspective compared to daytime game drives. There’s an undeniable thrill and sense of adventure that comes with traversing the wilderness at night. The anticipation of what might be lurking in the shadows adds an extra element of excitement to the safari experience

Where to experience a night game drive

Night game drives are an optional add-on that is conducted by third-party tour operators in specific parks. In Tanzania, night game drives can be arranged at Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park. Night game drives are not available in the Serengeti or Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Description of the Night Game Drive in Lake Manyara / Tarangire

At 8 p.m., after the sun has set and evening has fallen, the night game drive will begin.

The night game drive offers a unique and exciting opportunity to encounter nocturnal animals that are in hiding during the day. In total darkness, with only the light of the stars and the headlights of the safari vehicle lighting up the darkness, you will explore the bush….

You will be accompanied by an experienced guide who will take you to explore the wilderness at night. The guide will know how to identify different nocturnal animal sounds and will be able to tell you all about the local flora and fauna.

Why Choose a Night Game Drive?

  • Unique Nocturnal Wildlife Encounters: Experience Tanzania’s wildlife in a completely different light, spotting species that are active at night, such as leopards, hyenas, and bush babies, along with night birds and reptiles.
  • Thrilling and Rare Experience: Night game drives offer an exhilarating safari experience that contrasts with daytime drives. It’s a great chance to see predators on the hunt or witness nocturnal creatures as they emerge from their daytime shelters.
  • Starry Sky and Serenade of the Night: Enjoy a breathtaking view of the African night sky, free from light pollution, and listen to the sounds of the wild—the rustle of leaves, distant roars, and calls of nocturnal creatures.
  • Expert Guides: Africa Finest Adventures provides knowledgeable guides who specialize in nocturnal wildlife. Their expertise ensures a safe, exciting, and informative night safari experience.
  • Small Group Experiences: Night drives typically involve small groups, providing a more intimate and immersive encounter with the African bush.

Are those a pair of eyes that light up in the darkness? Who knows what animals you will encounter tonight….

You will return to the park entrance or accommodation around 10:30 pm.

Important: The night game drive in Tarangire is only possible if staying overnight in accommodation in the national park.