Night Game Drive

Most national parks close after dark, but night game drives are permitted in selected areas around Tarangire and Lake Manyara. At Manyara the drive lasts two hours, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.; the search is done with the vehicle's spotlights. What you get to see is what sleeps during the day: porcupines, civets, bushbabies and, with luck, hunting lions or a leopard. At night there are even fewer guarantees, but there is a soundscape you won't forget. It makes sense to stay overnight in the park or in Mto wa Mbu.