Night drives are vastly different from day drives for several reasons. The first being that, well, it's a night. No 5 am starts, although you do arrive back late, around 8pm. The second difference is that because there is no sunlight, you can't see anything without the help of your spotter. The spotter is extremely important in your experience. They sit on the hood (bonnet) of the car, or standing front of their chair, while holding a very powerful spotlight. They scan side to side looking for the glint of an animal eye or a patch of fur that doesn't quite belong. And they are darn good at their job! The first night, our spotter found a leopard within the first 10 minutes after dark. We got to watch the leopard stalk away as the baboons cried out their warning calls in the trees. It was incredible, being there and part of nature. I also enjoyed the game drive because it meant that you didn't have to be constantly on watch for animals. It it pitch black out in the park, and you just wait for the driver or spotter to pull over and tell you what they see. The stars are bright without light pollution, and when the truck is turned off to admire an animal, it is nearly silent with just a few animal sounds. Finally, we enjoyed the "Sundowners", a drink provided while the truck pulls over and you watch the sunset. All I could think during our two night drives is that it couldn't get better than this.
Now our first and second night drives were vastly different from each other. The first night was exhilarating, and at times a bit terrifying, but also one of the most memorable nights on this trip. The second night was calmer and more relaxing, and also absolutely worth it. So what happened on the first night, you ask? Well, join me in my 9-seater open sided safari vehicle...
The evening drive started at 4, with about 2 hours of sunlight left. After entering the park, we drove up right next to a large hippo, that had apparently been rejected from its herd and now had to live a solitary life. It had found this one, tiny, grimy puddle in which to spend the day. After we drove up, it got a bit annoyed at us and climbed out (we zoomed away as there is nothing worse than an angry hippo).
Following the hippo, we saw all the usual animals: giraffes, elephants, impala, birds, etc. Before we knew it, it was time for Sundowners. We pulled over next to the river and enjoyed the sunset. Now the fun would begin. As I mentioned earlier, our spotter found a leopard next to the road just after night had fallen.
After watching it a while, it wandered back into the tall grass. Just then, a hyena stalked angrily next to our vehicle. If I had reached out, I could have touched it! Once that was out of sight, we continued. Our driver chose to take the elephant loop road, and after a few kilometers we found out why it had that name. A gigantic herd of elephants were blocking the small dirt path that we were driving on. We waited for a bit, but they didn't seem keen to move. Then another car pulled up behind us, and we were trapped!
The car behind us turned off all their lights and revved their engine in hopes of scaring off the elephants. Easy for them to do, as they weren't sitting right in front of them! Elephants may look harmless, but when they are angry, frightened or agitated they will charge at you and can destroy an entire car with everything (or everyone) in it. And a gigantic bull just a few meters away from the car was stamping its feet and shaking its head; these are all very bad signs that mean you should turn and run. But we were still trapped. Our tour guide asked if anyone in the truck had a light, as the elephant was frightened because all it could see was the bright spotlight shining in its eyes. If it could see us, it would know we were harmless and move along. Being prepared, I had my iPhone with the flashlight on it. Not the strongest, but strong enough. I held it high and let the elephant see what was happening. He did eventually leave, running down the bank to cross the river. He was followed by a whole family of elephants, too many to count. We continued on and found even more elephants ahead. We wiggled our way through slowly, hoping to be left alone, when a huge elephant appeared suddenly to the right, next to my face, seemingly out of thin air. I gave a little cry of surprise as we sped up through the bushes. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I was glad to be out of the elephant loop. What we found when we emerged was worth it. A pride of lions, maybe 20 or more, were moving camp and walking next to, then across the road in front of us. Again, so close I could reach out and touch them. They didn't seem to notice us as they paced on to some unknown destination. They are beautiful and powerful, golden hair shining in the spotlights. I was in awe of being next to so many of them as they disappeared into the distance.
Now there were many other little creatures we saw, but the experiences above were the things that stood out the most. All in all, it was an adrenaline pumping night. Not every night drive is like this, of course. Our second night, much calmer, had us finding not one, but two leopards on branches near each other. Our guide guessed they were a mating couple, a male and female. We sat for quite a while just watching them. We also were hinted later that there was another leopard in the nearby trees. We searched and searched but to no avail. Finally, our driver turned off the truck and we sat listening to the growling of the leopard and the warning sounds of the baboons. I may not have been able to see it, but it was still incredible to listen. Finally, we found a hyena trying to cross a small, dry river up the other side. There it was surprised by a hippo. They challenged each other, and first the hippo turned away then (perhaps remembering its size?) turned back and ran at the hyena. After only a short charge by the hippo, the hyena gave up and crossed back over. The little nuances of nature are so interesting.
So there you have it, two nights in a game drive. What do you think? Is it something that would interest you? Or would you prefer to stay more than an arm's length from lions, hippos and hyenas?
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