Please can anyone tell me if it is worth going on a NIGHT game drive when I visit Kenya in May? What animals can I expect to see that I would not see during a day-time game drive? Will the vehicle head lights and the lamp disturb the animals? If so, how are night game drives done? I can see there are many very experienced people on this forum. So any information or personal experience will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Original von Jason
Please can anyone tell me if it is worth going on a NIGHT game drive when I visit Kenya in May? What animals can I expect to see that I would not see during a day-time game drive? Will the vehicle head lights and the lamp disturb the animals? If so, how are night game drives done? I can see there are many very experienced people on this forum. So any information or personal experience will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Jason

I hope many find your thread as it's uploaded under "African music" [twinkle]

Anyway:

Any game drives vehicle should be equipped for red or green filter for their spotloghts as the normal spotlights blind particularly gazelles and by shining onto them cats/predators get easily aware and by accident the spotlight will lead to an easy hunt as these gazelles are blinded/immobilized!
So when duóing night drives you should carefully watch your guide so that he switches off the lights when seeing gazelles, using coloured filters and never shine the spotlight directly onto any animal. Some guides simply don't know.

Now to the animals - you only see nocturnal animals which are hiding during dayloght:

Jenet (belongs to the family of mongoose)
Bush baby
Owl
Civet (cat family)
African wildcat
maybe an aardvark (which I haven't seen yet and I have been on safari at least 40 times)
As mentioned above gazelles
Leopard
Lion

the latter in hunting mood.

There are lots of nocturnal animals and some night drives are really rewarding.

Just give it a try where offered.

Happy travels!

PS

I would like to know about your itinerary - and maybe a trip report [twinkle] despite I owe the community one about my Feb trip to TAZ/KEN which will come soon

Ciao Jason,

Night game drives is a very different experience and it is all down to the guide / driver who knows how to act and look aftwer the wildlife. At night there is a lot more activity as grazers are out, even the massive hippos, cats hunt as well but you have to take care as Pippa said with the spot light.
If you can - go for it and of course with a good company!
Will be good to read how you get along.
When will you be going?

Cody

Pippa and Cody

Thank you very much for your information. I tried googling "night game drive" and "Kenya" and only came up with two operations, both in Ngutuni Sanctuary:

Top Africa Safaris

http://topafricasafaris.com/index.php/20090519268/Safaris/Kenya-road-safaris/TAS-07.-2-DAYS-TSAVO-EAST-NATIONAL-PARK-NIGHT-SAFARI.html

F. King’s Tours and Safaris Kenya Limited

http://fkingssafaris.com/NgutuniGameSanctuary.htm

Both companies web descriptions said: "It is only in Ngutuni Sanctuary, in the whole of Tsavo East National Park, where one can do a night game drive conveniently and spot a lot of animals including many big cats at very close range."

I was a bit sceptical of the "many big cats" as I had also read that scientists in Kenya are saying that lions will be extinct there in 10 years from now. I also asked about the type of lights they use on night game drives.

Well, only one company has answered my questions and they completely avoided the question of how many big cats there are in Ngutuni. They said: "You can sight animals very close to the van, that is the closest sight you can see." They said they use "Spotlights" and did not mention anything about filters. They didn\'t give much information at all really despite having an enquiry form on their web page. The tone of the reply did not give me any confidence that they knew what they were talking about.

Since then I read Cody\'s article on the "open zoo" of Amboseli and all the vehicles rushing to the lion in the "New bushdrummer has questions that need answers" topic in the "Eco-tourism in practice" section. Also Pippa, in the same place writing "Safari vehicles interfere with hunts following the cats and making prey aware of their presence"

I wanted to go to Africa to see wild animals in their natural habitat behaving naturally. But if there are so many tourist vehicles driving so close to them, then they must be very habituated to the vehicles and it will just be the "open zoo" that Cody described. I might as well stay home and go to the zoo. Anyway, if lions are going extinct, I don\'t want to feel that I helped in their extinction by interfering with their hunts.

You said to go with a good guide and a good company. But how many of the companies and guides are good in terms of not interfering with the animals? If most of them are not good, then it does not make any difference to the animals if one or two are good.

Hi Jason

All of what you stated makes sense.

I really appreciate how much effort you dedicate to the whole topic. Not just making it a successful and enjoyable experience for yourself - but also for those who you are going to encounter!

Let me stress some general things:

- you better do game drives with the vehicles from lodges/camps. These guides know the area and where to search for the animals.
When you choose a safari carried out by vehicle (from Nairobi or Mombasa for example and just sleeping at lodges and camps) try to make crystal clear that you expect a knowledgable guide. Even ask for the guides certification! It doesn't make sense to get a taxi driver which too often the case. Even big companies like Abercrombie + Kent hire drivers who don't have any certification!

- State clearly towards you guide that you don't like when cars interfere with any wildlife action. That means when cheetah start hunting the cars should not follow or even get close as that makes the prey aware and so the cheetah often looses their hunts because of human interference.

- The company mentiones "Van". So most likely they are speaking of a minibus with pop-up roof. I personally would not encourage you to drive in those. You get a much better feeling for the bush when driving in a open Land Rover or Land Cruise which the camps and lodges use.

- Getting as close to the animals is also depending on to the guide. Most guides who work at camps know animal behaviour and don't interfere. But of course animals have right of way and they might approach a car or just passing by closely. That's the real sense of a safari. And of course it's thrilling - particularly for the first time.

As for night drives:

Besides in the private concessions within reserves or adjoining reserves night drives are not allowed!
National Reserves and National Parks don't allow people to leave the tracks (well, n the Massai Mara you can do that within reason) and don't allow night drives; every vehicle must get back to camp by sunset!
That's the reason the company you contacted were sounding a bit "weird".

As Cody stated night drives can be very exciting as yiou see all those nocturnal animals plus lion and leopard hunting. If you are luck enough you might watch a hunt! Take that as a bonus!

Standing besides a coalition of lions when they start roaring in the pitch dark savannah is so special - you should not miss that! The earth/car is shaking then................
Watching a leopard stalking and hunting is extraordinary. I am sure you would like to experience that.
Those are the memories which last forever!

And yes the car density can be quite hight during peak season which is July-Oct because of holidays in Europe and also the annual migration taking place in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

But for example I returned from the Massai Mara in late Feb (which is still high season but not PEAK!) where I was staying in an camp in the reserve. 4 cars in leopard sighting and with lions/kill was the maximum.

In the conservancies adjoining the Massai Mara we were always on our own - just our car.

By choosing the season you lay the perimeters of what to experience.

Just send some more details regarding your planned trip incl. budget, lenght of safari, interests etc etc.
We could then give you much more detailled info also on reliable tour operators/outfitters.

Jason: I am quite sure that night game drives are not allowed at all in the parks. They may be allowed n private reserves/ranches. The rule of thumb in the parks such as Amboseli and Tsavo are that you and your vehicle MUST be back to your lodge/tented camp before dark, otherwise you will be subjected to a stiff fine from KWS. I've been in Samburu Reserve three times and no night game drives were offered back then.

Ngutuni Lodge is not in the park in Tsavo East. It is about a 15 minute drive away from the park. There may be private land nearby where night drives are allowed.

The Mara may allow night drives since they are no longer considered a park and are not under the control of KWS. Rukinga Ranch or Taita Ranch near Tsavo may also allow them.

Hope this helps.

Jan
- Edited by Jan on 25.03.2010, 19:13 -