Night game drives and stargazing in East Africa

After sunset, leopards, hyenas and lions become more active, and animals that are rarely seen by day come out, including aardvarks, porcupines, genets, bush babies and civets. A night drive is a worthwhile addition to a safari, but it is not allowed everywhere.

Why night drives are restricted

In most national parks and reserves in East Africa, vehicles must be back in camp or out of the park by dusk. This protects wildlife and keeps the parks safe. Night drives are therefore mostly offered on private land, in conservancies, and in a few parks that run their own guided night drives.

Where you can do a night drive

Kenya

• The Maasai Mara conservancies, such as Mara North, Olare Motorogi and Naboisho, where camps run night drives for their guests. See our guide to the Mara conservancies and the main reserve.
• Laikipia, including Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the private ranches of the Laikipia plateau.
• Other private conservancies, including several around Tsavo and Amboseli.

Tanzania

Night drives are restricted inside most of Tanzania’s national parks. A few lodges hold special permission to run them, and lodges on private or community land bordering the parks, such as around Tarangire, offer them to their guests.

Uganda

Night drives are offered in Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, run with Uganda Wildlife Authority guides.

Rwanda

Akagera National Park runs guided night drives, which give you the chance to see the park’s nocturnal wildlife.

What to expect

A night drive usually lasts one to two hours after an evening sundowner. The guide uses a spotlight, often with a red filter so the animals’ eyes are not dazzled, and sweeps it across the bush looking for eye-shine. Bring a warm layer: it gets cold quickly after dark.

Stargazing on safari

Away from city lights, the night skies in East Africa are very clear. Close to the equator, you can see stars and constellations from both hemispheres, and on a clear night the Milky Way stretches from one horizon to the other.

• Amboseli and the Chyulu Hills, with some of the clearest skies in Kenya.
• Laikipia and Samburu, dry and high, with very little light pollution.
• The Serengeti, where remote camps have almost no artificial light.

Some camps have star beds, open-air platforms where you can sleep under the sky with a mosquito net and a guard nearby. The best nights are around the new moon, when the sky is darkest.

Adding it to your trip

Night drives depend on where you stay, so they need to be planned into the itinerary rather than added on the day. Tell us you would like one, and we will plan your route around a camp that offers it.