Top Lodges for Night Safaris in Africa

Night safaris can add an extra-special dimension to wildlife viewing in Africa. What happens in the hours of darkness, we often see as the aftermath at first light. Early game drives bear witness to the devastation of what occurred while we were safely tucked up in our lovely lodges!

The tussle between life and death is never more ferocious than in the darkness. So if a lodge offers night drives, we always recommend you take the opportunity to see this ‘otherworld’ first hand – to truly immerse yourself in Africa by night.

One of the most exciting elements of night drives is the chance of seeing cats at their most active. With the exception of cheetah, cats sleep during the day and only start to hunt before the sun comes up, or goes down. You can see a leopard stalking its prey, or the tactics a pride of lion implements to catch a buffalo. This can be tough to see – but often it’s the highlight of any trip.

Night drives also present the opportunity to see nocturnal animals, unique creatures such as genet, civet, bush baby, porcupine, elephant shrew, and the ferocious honey badger. This is just the start of the list – there are many more out there in the shadows, including Africa’s hardest-to-find animals like the aardvark.

And then there are the sounds! Africa by night is full of the calls and cries of animals, and your guide should be able to identify each one. A chorus that tells the story of what’s out there in the dark…

The lodges below have made it onto our Top 10 Night Drives list for a range of reasons, based on the Yellow Zebra team’s combined experience of night driving throughout Africa. Taken into account are the quality of the guiding (specifically at night), the landscapes that these nocturnal creatures inhabit, the equipment used by the camp, and the number of incredible sightings.

With regard to the best camps for night drives, we believe that the South Luangwa yields the best rewards and the stand-out properties are Tena Tena and Mchenja Bush Camp. You want a park that includes thick bush, as this provides protection for the smaller creature. Parks like the Serengeti, with its vast open plains, just can’t compete! Hwange (Zimbabwe) and parks of the Okavango Delta (Botswana) offer equally good experiences as the South Luangwa, with The Hide and Selinda Camp taking the crown, respectively. Check out the full list of top ten below:

1. Wilderness Mokete, Botswana

This property is uniquely located in a private concession between the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park, offering guests some of the most incredible predator–prey encounters we have ever seen. It’s pristine, remote, utterly wild – and only recently opened as an entirely new game area. Local guides have long known that the Mababe Marsh was a legendary wildlife region, its vast herds of buffalo in constant struggle with enormous prides of lion. And with such strong populations of big cats, this makes it one of the foremost camps for night driving. The lions here frequently hunt in daylight too! It really is an extraordinary place. The marsh fills in the summer season, fed by the Mababe river, and creates a wetland of some 2,600 hectares. During the dry season this water source is never fully depleted, which is why so many animals live here, with elephants also migrating in great numbers. Other fantastic wildlife includes wild dog, cheetah, jackal, bat-eared fox, African wild cat, and large hyena clans. Wilderness Mokete is a light-footprint camp of just nine elegant suites raised on decking, with air conditioning, outdoor showers, and a private lounge area with views across the plains. Its state-of-the-art tents have retractable roofs so you can stargaze from the comfort of your own bed. This is a property whose rich wildlife will delight and astound, and it’s one of the few places where, during night drives, thunderous action is always close by! This pioneering outpost promises understated luxury, alongside exhilarating big game encounters in a truly phenomenal setting.

2. Wilderness Ruckomechi, Zimbabwe

Mana Pools National Park has a reputation for being one of the best reserves in Africa. The volume of wildlife that congregates in this part of the Zambezi river is stunning, and Ruckomechi has an absolutely prime position on its banks. As it’s set in its own private reserve just to the west of Mana Pools, you’ll enjoy being away from the busier areas, while making the most of all the activities that are possible from the property’s location just outside the park boundaries – including fantastic night driving! Large herds of elephant and buffalo arrive here for water in the dry season, together with hyena, leopard, baboon, lion, and a host of herbivores such as eland, waterbuck, and zebra. And when heading out into the African night you can see bush babies, spring hares, civets, porcupines, and sometimes a larger predator on the hunt or with its kill. Ruckomechi has river views from your suite and from the decking of the main parts of camp, where fine cuisine is served to the backdrop of the Zambezi escarpment! There are ten tented suites, including one family room. All are beautifully appointed with en-suite, open-plan bathrooms featuring both indoor and outdoor showers, and each suite has a private veranda overlooking the river. It’s a wonderful property that gets consistently amazing reviews, and don’t forget to experience the ‘star-bed’ here if you fancy a night sleeping under the stars.

3. Phinda Mountain Lodge, South Africa

This is a slightly larger accommodation offering 23 rooms, but as it’s in the hands of the luxurious and always excellent &Beyond, it still feels like an intimate experience. Superb food, guiding, and service are a given with this company. There are also some large family units and plenty of activities for kids, making this a perfect, family-friendly lodge. The night safaris at Phinda Mountain Lodge, called the ‘Night Eye Experience’, are first rate and use state-of-the-art technology with infrared. The lodge also provides conservation activities through its active rhino programme, and you can even join the vet who may be working on a large tranquilised animal. It’s set in the Phinda Private Game Reserve of over 70,000 acres, including a wide range of landscapes (seven biomes if you’re counting!), and has a spectacular setting, perched atop a hill with panoramic views of the Ubombo Mountains. This is a Big Five destination, and the game is prolific. Many smaller predators are in residence too, such as hyena, wild dog, and cheetah. The lodge rooms are elegant and breezy with large windows, and have plenty of features, including a spacious veranda, an outdoor shower, and a private plunge pool. The main areas boast a large swimming pool, well-equipped gymnasium, spa, and yoga deck with stunning views. The dining is really quite something at Phinda, and there are pizza ovens as well as an interactive kitchen. With sleep-outs beneath the stars amongst the many things to do here, this is a great choice safari lodge that always delivers. If you’re looking for a smaller property in the same reserve, there are more boutique &Beyond options available – just chat with your safari consultant!

4. Old Mondoro, Zambia

This camp finds its way onto most of our lists at YZ. With brilliant canoeing on the Zambezi river and incredible wildlife populations, including large numbers of elephant, it is simply one of the finest lodges in Africa! With just five rooms, Old Mondoro is intimate, and luxurious too, while retaining all the earthiness of a proper bush camp – a harder trick to pull off than you might imagine. The chalets have reed walls, king-sized beds or twins (and one family room), and are rustic in style yet full of creature comforts, including plunge pools. The views and ambience are improved by waist-high front walls, although protective canvas covers can come down at night if you prefer. Lots of wildlife passes through camp, so don’t be surprised to see a baboon or baby elephant having a drink at your plunge pool! Old Mondoro is located in Lower Zambezi National Park and has beautiful river views. It is on the opposite (Zambian side) of the Zambezi river, but this is essentially the same prolific game area as Mana Pools and Ruckomechi (Zimbabwean side), discussed above. This whole region around the Zambezi river enjoys some of the best game viewing in Africa. Night drives here are superb and often involve amazing encounters. Due to the intimacy of the property and flexibility of the management and guides, if a leopard or lion is spotted during the evening near camp then an impromptu night drive might simply spring into action. With a host of other activities, including superb walking safaris, boating, and fishing on the Zambezi, this is a place of plenty where there is always something incredible happening. Old Mondoro is a camp that really brings you back to nature and effortlessly embraces its surroundings, making for a 5-star safari experience.

5. Wayo Manyara Green Camp, Tanzania

The most amazing thing about this excellent little property, often visited as the first stop on a classic North Tanzania safari, is that at night you have the park to yourself! Only two lodges have been given permission to build within the Lake Manyara National Park boundary, and one of these is Wayo Green. So by sunset, when the day trippers and those passing through have disappeared, the whole park is your playground. It’s the excellent eco-credentials of Wayo Green that have allowed them this privilege. The night drives here give you the opportunity to see them when they are most active! As well as lions, you can view porcupines, bush babies, civets, and other nocturnal creatures who come alive at night. Wayo Green Lake Manyara Camp has a fantastic location in the south of the park, overlooking a semi-dry riverbed and with views of the Rift Valley escarpment. A waterfall from the River Endabash is also your view from camp, as it roars over the rockface. It’s one of the few water sources for miles around, so plenty of wildlife heads to this area to drink. The property has eight specially designed ‘star tents’ with retractable roofs, wonderful guiding, and great food. Wayo Green is elegantly simple, and its super-light footprint is possible thanks to rainwater collection facilities and full solar power. It’s also remarkable value, given its fantastic position within the park.

6. Shinde Footsteps, Botswana

This intimate little camp of just four rooms, among them one larger family suite, offers some of the best value in the Okavango Delta. Shinde Footsteps shines as an authentic and rustic safari experience, with the main areas of the camp being sandy so you can go barefoot. The camp offers the full range of wet and dry activities, including great walking (as the name suggests) and very good night drives. It has a wonderful position on the edge of a busy lagoon, with a resident hippo pod and animals often wading past. The guest tents are Meru-style and raised on their own decking area with a shaded veranda and chairs – a delightful spot where the wildlife comes to you! The rooms are not showy, but everything is classically designed and comfortable. This is the type of property that’s often booked for exclusive use, its size making it excellent for small groups and families. Please note, there is a 12-year age limit for walking safaris, increasing to 16 years for longer and more challenging routes. But there’s also a great ‘Young Explorers’ programme and staff members are great at looking after children and giving them fun things to do. Located in the Shinde Concession, this area is home to fantastic game, including elephant, lion, wild dog, leopard, hyena, zebra, giraffe, and kudu, to name a few. This little camp is a real gem, as the majesty of the Delta is right there on your doorstep.

7. Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge, South Africa

This is a sophisticated property, located on the side of a gorge overlooking the Great Fish River in Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. Of the four lodges in this 220 square km reserve, Great Fish River Lodge has the best setting, with views from all of its nine suites overlooking the river. This is an outstanding game area, home to the Big Five – and as well as these big hitters, it’s a birder’s paradise. There are more than 300 species of birdlife in the reserve, including the Kori buzzard, crowned eagle, and ostrich. The lodge style is chic and elegant, and the lovely suites have huge French windows to make the most of the views. Each has a large veranda for enjoying your morning coffee overlooking the river, a private plunge pool, and an en-suite bathroom with twin washbasins, indoor and outdoor showers, and freestanding bathtubs. It’s all very comfortable, and the cuisine and service are first rate – the wine cellar too is definitely worthy of mention. The activity list is long – fishing, walking safaris (16 years minimum age), game drives, excellent night drives, conservation activities, and specific big game tracking and birding expeditions. This is a luxury lodge that does everything well and has an impressive list of species resident in the reserve. The list includes lion, elephant, black and white rhinos, giraffe, zebra, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, meerkat, and leopard, to name a few! Offering this rich game area, a beautiful wilderness setting, and 5-star treatment, Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge delivers a superb safari experience, and night times can be very exciting indeed!

8. El Karama, Kenya

El Karama is a quirky, charming, and fully functioning cattle ranch, with its owners Murray and Sophie Grant demonstrating how farming can co-exist with wildlife viewing! Located on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river, in a 14,000-acre private reserve in the Laikipia region of Kenya, it’s a family-owned and -run property that always provides a warm welcome. Experts in ecology, the Grants ensure they have as light a footprint as possible when it comes to managing the land. Rainwater is harvested and given to you in reusable bottles, and the swimming pool here is freshwater, cleaned by de-ionizing units rather than chlorine. This encourages local wildlife (especially tortoises!) to stop by for a drink from time to time. The list of activities here is extensive, including game drives, night drives (there are aardvarks in this region), walking safaris, sleep-outs beneath the stars, birdwatching, and farming. There’s also a ‘bush school’ for kids, keeping the young safarists entertained with such things as wildlife tracking, fishing, and baking – this makes it a great option for families. The accommodation also includes large cottages, which are perfect for groups. El Karama (the name means ‘answer to prayer’ or ‘treasured possession’ in Arabic) offers yoga and spa treatments available on request from local practitioners, hearty farm food, a fantastic welcome, and plenty to do in this beautiful and wildlife-rich part of Kenya.

9. Inyati Game Lodge, South Africa

This smart property is located in a 10,000 hectare private concession within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, famed for its concentrations of big cats, especially leopard and lion. Huge prides of females patrol the area here and they mostly hunt at night, making night drives at Inyati exciting. It’s fascinating to view all the little nocturnal animals who are specially adapted to darkness, and there is nothing quite as spectacular as witnessing a lion pride working by night as a ferocious team. Inyati Game Lodge is a Big Five destination, adjoining Kruger National Park and also perfectly placed overlooking the Sand river, which draws in wildlife from miles around. The lodge itself has been recently refurbished and has eleven chalets – three luxury family rooms and eight luxury standard chalets. The air-conditioned rooms are a bit more ‘hotel-style’ than options at some of the other properties on this list, but they are tastefully presented, very comfortable, and all boasting great views towards the Sand river. The food is excellent, and there’s a walk-in wine cellar showcasing some of the great wines of the region. There’s a well-equipped gym with air-con, free Wi-Fi, a large swimming pool with sunloungers, and a ‘Young Rangers’ programme, making the property perfect for families. The wide range of activities includes guided bush walks, game driving, night driving, and community visits – and this is one of the only places that provides guided fishing on the Sand river. Open year-round due to the prolific resident game, Inyati is a lovely lodge from which to explore Sabi Sands – and it’s also great value for the levels of luxury on offer!

10. The Hide Safari Camp, Zimbabwe

This multi-award winning property has legendary status in Hwange National Park. Owner-run since 1992, the unassuming camp is full of warmth and charm and (as the name suggests) has many fantastic hides from which to view wildlife in this game-rich region of Zimbabwe. It’s ringed by acacia trees and overlooks a busy waterhole, offering the perfect setting for wildlife to come to you! Visible from all ten of its rooms, the densities of game at the waterhole are impressive, including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, and lion arriving to drink. In the park as a whole, there are also hyena, cheetah, leopard, hippo, and various antelopes – this is a land of plenty, with Hwange being especially famous for its populations of elephant. The rooms are tented and fairly simple, but they’re also spacious. Each offers an indoor bath and an outdoor shower, as well as a veranda overlooking the waterhole. There are two family rooms and a honeymoon suite, which is larger and has some nice touches, like an outdoor bathtub. One of the tents is also wheelchair accessible. The main areas of camp again focus on views of the waterhole’s constant flow of wildlife. There’s a small library and a plunge pool too – ideal for freshening up in between the safari activities, which are centred mainly on game drives, night drives, and walking safaris. Night time around this waterhole can be quite frenetic, which is why The Hide has made our list! Also worthy of mention is their lovely treehouse, the ‘Dove’s Nest’, where you can sleep out beneath the stars – it’s also used as one of the well-positioned hides here. Consistently excellent in its reviews, authentic, and superbly guided, The Hide Safari Camp is a great choice for your safari.