Night Game Drive at Lake Manyara

Who comes out at night

After dark the park becomes a different place. Hippos leave the water to graze, genets and civets hunt along the forest edge, bushbabies leap between branches and porcupines and spring hares appear on the tracks. Leopards are more active at night, and while sightings are never guaranteed, the chance adds real excitement. You travel in an open vehicle with a guide and a spotter using a red-filtered or white spotlight, keeping a respectful distance and moving slowly. The groundwater forest and the lakeshore make for very different night scenes, and the stars over the Rift Valley wall are a sight in themselves. Drives are run under park rules and must be booked in advance.