Game Night Drives

Night drives are essentially game drives that operate after dark, with the assistance of a very powerful spotlight. The primary advantage of night drives is that they provide access to nocturnal species that are rarely seen during the day, such as civets, genets, and aardvarks. In some areas, the large cats (particularly lion and leopard) are more active after dark, and there is a greater probability of seeing them hunt.

Over the last week we have done two night drives in order to get a better idea of what nocturnal species inhabit the reserve. On both drives we have seen a variety of owl species, which is great to know they are nesting in the area. We even saw a Speckled Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) hunt a snake and return to its nest (we think to feed young as they would normally eat prey whole as soon as caught). We have our fingers and toes crossed that we might catch a glimpse of the resident leopards on one of the night drives!