Night Game Drive in Serengeti National Park

Night game drives in Serengeti National Park.

Night game drive in Serengeti National Park is one of the best dream experience any one can ever wish to do, second to the Balloon safari. Unfortunately, Night game drives in Serengeti National Park are not allowed at all, and if one gets caught your are penalized for that.

The most commonly seen wildlife at night are the nocturnal animals like Bush Babies, which got their name from their carrying style like newborn babies, Civets, which are in the group of cats but move and hunt mostly at night, Aardvarks among others, birds like wood owls, night jars, and others.

There is a lot of action at night, which can be experienced when these animals go hunting, and a majority like fresh meat and blood; you will be hearing songs of the night birds as they compete from different angles of Serengeti National Park.

The Night game drive in the park, though not permitted, can be done at the outskirts of Serengeti National Park, and they are mostly organized by the world-class lodges around the park. These game drives take only two to three hours, starting from 8 pm to around 11 pm, but within a few kilometers away from the lodge compound. The Night game drives in Serengeti National Park are also done from the outside part of the park around the Ikoma area but have much to offer since most animals move around the area.

These lodges have taken advantage that the park is not fenced, hence no boundaries, and this has helped them satisfy the needs of their guests. Night game drives in the park cannot be booked in advance; instead, it’s an arrangement the guest or tour guide can arrange with the camp on that very day. These game drives are always determined by the weather of the day; if it has rained too much, they will not be arranged, and they are mostly done during the dry season of the year from June to October.

During the Night game drive in Serengeti National Park, the bushes are generally different with reflections of the Stars and moon, seeing the eyes of the animals reflect the car light Gold or reflector. Night game drives can be done in Lake Manyara, as one of the only parks in Tanzania where the park Authorities allow night game drives. The activity gives one the lifetime experience of the complete park, as one gets a chance to explore both day and night, seeing different animal species.

Lake Manyara night game drives start after your dinner, mostly from 8:00 pm, with a briefing from the park rangers who will be your guides. Park regulations are clearly read to the guests on the “dos” and “don’ts” at the time of the game drive.

Guests are supposed to give maximum cooperation during this night game drive since that is the calmest time of nature; most of the daytime animals are resting and relaxing while the nocturnal animals are on the search for food and water.

Lake Manyara has the best moon-reflecting moments in Africa; the game drive lasts for only 2 hours and starts from the main gate, where your driver will drop and wait for you after the game drive. Sometimes they use Lake Manyara Serena Hotel as an assembly point for pick-up and drop then the driver-guide of the guest picks you up from there.

The game drive is very rewarding since you are led by a team of experts, only rangers of the park which has experience; they know all the corners of the park and where to find which animal. The most common animals are Shy Genet, civet, Porcupines, lions, Hippos, Bush babies, Aardvarks, leopards, and others.

For the guest to do a night game drive in Lake Manyara, the following must be observed:

The guest must pay the park entry fee during the daytime, which expires in 24 hours
The guest pays an extra fee for the night game drive, which caters for the ranger and car for the game drive. Please note that only the park safari vans are allowed to be used during the game drive
Guests are collected from the main gate after clearing with the park authorities, and no driver-guide is allowed to go for the night game drive unless he pays.

In case of any other arrangement for pick-up, the guests can be picked up from Lake Manyara Serena Lodge and be brought back to the same point after the game drive.