From a Mara camp.
Best for conservancy stays: Mara North and Naboisho list night drives.
MARA · FROM CAMPNIGHT GAME DRIVES
THE EXPERIENCE / NIGHT GAME DRIVES
The bush
after dark.
Eyes in a red beam, the day's noise gone, the bush handed to other animals. A night drive is how you meet it.
Begin your journeyYOUR AFRICA, BEAUTIFULLY TOLD.Discover the experience ↓
THE AFTER-DARK CHAPTER
A second safari,
after sunset.
A guided outing after sunset, for animals that keep to the dark.
A guide from your camp or the park drives, scanning the grass with a light for eyeshine. Drives usually last two to two and a half hours and run only where the landowner or park allows: the Mara conservancies, Ol Pejeta and selected parks.
You need to sleep in a conservancy camp or in a park that allows night drives: Mara reserve tickets and Kenya's park gates end at 18:00.
A GUIDE
Camp or park guide leads
LOW LIGHT
Red filters, off for a hunt
A SET HOUR
A fixed return time
AN EVENING OUT
From dusk
into dark.
An evening outing from camp, with a briefing and a fixed return.
- BEFORE
A briefing and a layer.
Your guide sets out the rules. Nights turn cool, so bring a warm layer.
- DURING
Eyes in the beam.
A red beam sweeps the grass for eyeshine, pair by pair. Nothing is promised.
- AFTER
Back by ten.
Mara North's rules put you back in camp by 22:00.
THREE WAYS AFTER DARK
Choose how
you go out.
Night drives differ in a Mara camp, a shared Laikipia slot or a park.
A shared slot at Ol Pejeta.
Best for a fixed time: drives at 19:00 and 21:00, two hours each, in shared vehicles, with a four-person minimum.
LAIKIPIA · SHAREDInside a national park.
Best for park stays: Tanzania's 2023/24 tariff lists Tarangire, Ruaha and Nyerere; Uganda allows only in-park guests, with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide.
PARKS · TANZANIA · UGANDAFIND YOUR SETTING
Where the night
is at its best.
Night drives run all year; January, February and late June to October are usually drier.
KENYA / THE MARA CONSERVANCIESMara North Conservancy
Lists night drives, with written rules and a 22:00 return.
KENYA / LAIKIPIAOl Pejeta Conservancy
Night drives cost US$70 an adult and US$35 a child.
KENYANaboisho Conservancy
Mara Naboisho is a community-founded conservancy within the greater Maasai Mara ecosystem, known for high predator densities and strictly controlled vehicle numbers.
KENYAOlare Motorogi Conservancy
Olare Motorogi is a low-density private conservancy on the Maasai Mara's northern edge, known for resident lion prides, leopard viewing and open grassland.
KENYALaikipia
Laikipia is a highland mosaic of private and community conservancies north of Mount Kenya.
KENYAChyulu Hills
The Chyulu Hills rise in green volcanic folds between Amboseli and Tsavo, with cloud forest, lava tubes and spring-fed grassland beneath Kilimanjaro.A GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN
Ideas to make
your own.
Three Kenya journeys with conservancy nights, ready for a night drive.
THE DETAILS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
A little thought.
A better journey.
Four things to know before dusk.
Last checked: October 2026
Where, when and how long
Mara conservancies, Ol Pejeta and some parks, all year (drier late June to October and January to February), for about two hours.
Who it suits
Patient, quiet travellers; no special fitness. Not ideal before a dawn drive or for a sure sighting. Child rates apply from 5 (Tanzania) and 6 (Akagera); camps set minimum ages.
Cost
Often in a camp's rate. Otherwise US$30 to US$70 on top of entry: Ol Pejeta US$70, Kenya's parks US$50, Tanzania US$50 plus VAT (2023/24 tariff). Confirm for your dates.
Rules and ethics
Mara North: designated areas only, red filters, back by 22:00, lights off when a predator stalks, cubs only from four months.
BEFORE YOU GO
Good questions.
Straight answers.
Can you do a night game drive in a national park?
Yes, in some. Kenya Wildlife Service charges for them in "selected" parks without naming which; Tanzania lists Tarangire and Ruaha, Uganda lists Murchison, Kidepo and Lake Mburo, and Akagera in Rwanda runs its own.
Are there night game drives in the Maasai Mara or Serengeti?
Not in the Maasai Mara reserve, Serengeti National Park or Ngorongoro Crater. Mara North, Naboisho and the Grumeti reserves beside the Serengeti offer them.
What animals can you see on a night drive?
A drive may show genet, civet, porcupine, hyena, owls and nightjars, and sometimes a hunting lion or leopard. No species is promised.
Are night game drives dangerous?
Drives are guided, and Mara North's rules keep guests in the vehicle near wildlife. UK advice names parts of Laikipia for security operations; read it for your dates.
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