Night Game Drives?
 

We will be at the Mara Serena in Sept and have the option of a night game drive. How does that work? Do they give you those special night vision binocs? Or use a light on the animals?

SD

SD: they will use a spotlight to find animals, typically the eye shine of an animal will reveal its presence, even something as small as a chameleon. A good guide will keep the spotlight off the face of an animal once it has been spotlighted, keeping it to the side where the animal is illuminated for you to see but not interfering with the sight of the animal and putting it into danger. Also, common grazing animals are not spotlit because you can see them easily in the day and it could put them at a disadvantage. Typically it is predators and unusual nocturnal creatures that are the focus of the drive. It can be quiet so you need to be patient but often times you will see species that are very rarely ever seen during the day and thus it is a great activity to take advantage of. Also, if you are lucky you may find more active predators or hear them in the darkness.

Hi SD,

We did a night game drive at the Mara Serena last September. PB described very well how they handle the spotlight. As for other details, you would be going in a Serena vehicle with other guests and a Serena guide and spotter, regardless of whether you have your own guide and vehicle. The night drive lasts about an hour. We had a very good guide and saw a lot of animals (including some that we didn't see during the daytime) -- genets, bat-eared foxes, a black mamba, jackals, some nocturnal birds, mongooses, hyena, and some very active hippos out of the water. It's also just plain fun to be out driving around in the African night with the stars overhead. You never know what you might see, so I think it's worth doing a night game drive whenever possible.

In terms of photography, I'm sure more skilled people than myself could get great photos... but we didn't get very good shots on our night drives. We did, however, get some terrific video using the "nightshot" setting on our camcorder.

I find regular binocs work very well in further illuminating the animals on which the spotlights are shined. It seems odd to take binocs when it's dark, but I'd recommend it.

Predator gave a great detailed account of the night drive. Dress warm because it gets very cold when the sun goes down.

Just FYI

In South Africa & Bots night drives are every single day (the drive generally starts late afternoon and continues into the night). Go on safari down South and have an even better experience in a totally open vehicle...just my two cents worth!

How come, that Mara Serena is doing night drives? Are they done in the parc??
I thought, the camps and lodges in the parc are not allowed to do night drives...

Possible to join from another camp not allowed doing night drives?

Thank you,
Steff

I really enjoy night game drives and have done many in East Africa as well as Botswana. Although they add a whole new dimension to understanding the ecosystem, they are seldom great photo opps.. Just my opinion of course but I like to just sit back and enjoy the fantastic night skies and the creatures of the night, sans flash.
Chuck

Thanks everyone for your input, you talked us into it! We will take our binocs - just in case - don't want to miss any opps.

Jack - we plan to go to SA on our next trip - 2yrs is we can wait that long!

My husband is a big Cannon supporter with all the lenses and gadgets, so I am sure he will be taking it all!

SD

steffid,
Mara Serena is the only lodge/camp I'm aware of that offers night game drives inside the reserve. I'm not sure whether you could join if staying at another camp but I kind of doubt it since the Serena is located a long drive from most other camps (it's on the other side of the Mara river).

With the right gear used in combination with a Better Beamer flash
bracket extension, you can achieve some worthwhile images whilst on your night game drives.
Here are some I took last Sept whilst on our trip to the Sth Luangwa Nat Park- Zambia.
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=83800

and some others here:
http://africaddict.smugmug.com/galle...Q5Pm#203156227

Cheers
Marc

Nice work Marc, you make a great case for night flash. Thanks for the info on the Better Beamer settings and the RRS bracket. I see you are shooting Nikon. Allthough I now shoot Canon, I have always felt that Nikon flash had the edge. Once again, great use of your flash technique.
Cheers-Chuck