Night Game Drives
Night safaris in northern Tanzania
Most of a northern Tanzania safari happens in daylight, as night drives are not allowed in the Serengeti or the Ngorongoro Crater. Tarangire and Lake Manyara are the two national parks on the northern circuit where night game drives are allowed, and a few camps inside Tarangire run them from camp after dinner. This page explains where you can go out at night, which camps we use and what it adds to the cost of a safari.
Where
Where night game drives are allowed
Night drives are set by the park authorities rather than by tour operators. Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) lists a night game drive fee for Tarangire and Lake Manyara, while the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area have none. Outside the parks, some camps in the wildlife management areas, which are community conservation areas next to the parks, run their own night drives under separate rules.
| Area | Night drives | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Tarangire National Park | Yes | Run by camps inside the park, with a park night game drive fee for each guest. |
| Lake Manyara National Park | Yes | Arranged by a small number of lodges near the park, with the same park fee as Tarangire. |
| Wildlife management areas around Tarangire | Yes | Run by camps in community areas such as Randilen, under the area's own rules and fees. |
| Serengeti National Park | No | Night drives are not allowed inside the park. Some camps in the wildlife management areas on the western edge, such as Ikoma, offer night drives outside the park boundary. |
| Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including the crater and Ndutu | No | The NCAA tariff has no night game drive, so there are no night drives in the crater or at Ndutu. |
What a night game drive is like
A night drive goes out in an open safari vehicle with a guide and a spotter. While the guide drives slowly along the tracks, the spotter sweeps the bush with a filtered spotlight and looks for eyeshine, the light that reflects back from the eyes of most nocturnal animals. When the spotter finds something, the vehicle stops and the light is moved away from the animal's eyes as soon as you have had a look.
Drives usually last two to three hours. At Baobab Tented Camp, for example, guests have dinner at camp, join a short briefing and leave at about 9pm, returning at about 11pm. You stay seated in the vehicle throughout, and guests are asked to keep their voices low and their camera flash switched off.
Please note that sightings vary from night to night, and some drives are quiet. Even then, most guests enjoy the sounds of the bush and the night sky, as Tarangire has very little light pollution.
Wildlife
What you may see after dark
The animals below are the ones the Tarangire camps list for their night drives. Many of them are hard to see during the day, which is the main reason to add a night drive to a safari.
Lions and leopards
Big cats are often more active after dark, and with luck you may find one hunting.
Spotted hyenas
Usually heard before they are seen, moving in loose groups along the tracks.
Genets and civets
Small, spotted carnivores that are rarely seen during the day.
Bush babies
Small primates that leap between trees, picked out by their eyeshine.
Porcupines and honey badgers
Both are nocturnal and seldom seen on a day drive.
Owls and nightjars
Tarangire has a long bird list, and the night birds are a part of it most visitors miss.
Camps
Camps we use for night drives in Tarangire
These are the camps on our list that offer night game drives. We usually recommend a camp inside the park, because the drive then starts and ends at your tent.
Mawe Lodges
Baobab Tented Camp
Inside Tarangire National Park, on the Lake Burunge corridor
Leaves camp at about 9pm after dinner and returns at about 11pm, with a guide and a spotter. Shared seats are limited each night, and a private vehicle is available on request.
Minimum age for night drives: 12 and over
Our guide to Baobab Tented Camp
Nyikani Camps
Nyikani Tarangire Camp
Inside Tarangire National Park, near Kuro airstrip
About two to three hours from camp, shared or as a private vehicle, for a minimum of two guests.
Minimum age for night drives: 12 and over
Our guide to Nyikani Tarangire CampAng'ata Camps
Ang'ata Tarangire Camp
Inside Tarangire National Park, near Kuro airstrip
Night drives run in the evening between 6pm and 10pm.
Nimali Africa
Nimali Tarangire
Randilen Wildlife Management Area, next to the park
The camp runs night drives in the wildlife management area, where the area's own fees apply in place of the park fee.
Night drive fees
A night drive has two costs. TANAPA charges a night game drive fee for each guest, shown in the table below including VAT, and the camp charges separately for the vehicle, the guide and the spotter. Because the park entry permit is valid for 24 hours, the night drive does not need a second entry permit, although each night you sleep inside the park carries its own overnight fee.
| Park | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Tarangire National Park | $59.00 | $29.50 |
| Lake Manyara National Park | $59.00 | $29.50 |
In the wildlife management areas, the area's own fees apply in place of the TANAPA fee. Our quotes list the park fee and the camp's charge as separate lines, and the other park fees for Tarangire are on our park fees page.
Adding a night drive to your itinerary
Tarangire is about two hours by road from Arusha and is usually the first park on a northern circuit safari, so a night drive fits easily at the start of the trip. On our itineraries, guests drive from Arusha in the morning, game drive through the park to a camp inside Tarangire in the afternoon, and go out on the night drive after dinner. The next morning they continue towards the Ngorongoro highlands and the Serengeti.
If you have the time, we recommend two nights in Tarangire, as this gives you a full day in the park as well as the night drive, and the dry season from June to October is when wildlife gathers along the Tarangire River. Night drives run all year, and darker nights around the new moon usually give better spotlighting, so we are happy to check the moon phase for your dates.
If you are travelling with children, please let us know their ages when you enquire, as the camps we use take guests aged 12 and over on night drives.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about night safaris in Tanzania
Can you do a night safari in Tanzania?
Night safaris are possible in certain parks. In northern Tanzania, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) allows night game drives in Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks, and camps in some of the wildlife management areas next to the parks also run them. Night drives are not allowed inside Serengeti National Park or the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Are night game drives allowed in the Serengeti?
Night drives are not allowed inside Serengeti National Park, and the park tariff has no night game drive fee for it. If a night drive matters to you, we plan it in Tarangire, which most northern itineraries visit on the way to the Serengeti.
Can you do a night drive in the Ngorongoro Crater?
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which includes the crater and the Ndutu area, has no night game drive on its tariff, so the nearest night drives are in Tarangire and Lake Manyara.
How much does a night game drive in Tarangire cost?
There are two parts to the cost. TANAPA charges a night game drive fee of $59.00 per adult and $29.50 per child, and the camp charges separately for the vehicle, guide and spotter. Both go into our quotes as separate lines, so you can see what each one costs.
Do I need to stay inside the park for a night drive?
In Tarangire, night drives are run by the camps inside the park, so in practice you need to stay at one of them. In the wildlife management areas next to the park, the camps run their own night drives outside the park boundary.
Can children join a night game drive?
Both Baobab Tented Camp and Nyikani Tarangire Camp take guests aged 12 and over on night drives. Younger children can stay at the camps and join the day drives. TANAPA's night drive fee has a lower child rate.
Is a night game drive safe?
Night drives are run by trained teams, and you stay inside the vehicle throughout, with a trained guide and a spotter, and the vehicle carries a radio. Guests are asked to stay seated, keep their arms inside the vehicle, keep their voices low and switch off their camera flash.
What should I bring on a night drive?
Nights in Tarangire cool down quickly, even after a hot day, so bring a fleece or a warm jacket. A camera that handles low light and a pair of binoculars are useful, and insect repellent helps in the early evening. Please leave torches and phone lights off, as the spotter controls the lighting.
Related pages
Tarangire National Park
Elephants, baobabs and the best time to visit the park.
Baobab Tented Camp
Our guide to the Mawe Lodges camp inside Tarangire.
Nyikani Tarangire Camp
Our guide to the Nyikani camp near Kuro airstrip.
Tanzania park fees 2026
Entry and overnight fees for Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Serengeti.
Sources and Maintenance
Where these figures come from
Night drive rules and fees are set by the park authorities, and camp arrangements can change from season to season. The details on this page were checked against the sources below on the date shown.
- Tanzania National Parks tariffs 2023/2024, night game drive fee (still the current published tariff, checked 31 October 2026)
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority tariffs (no night game drive listed, checked 27 October 2026)
- Night Game Drive in Tarangire, Mawe Lodges (timings, animals, minimum age, checked 31 October 2026)
- Nyikani Camp Tarangire, Nyikani Camps (checked 31 October 2026)
- Camp activity lists and factsheets sent to us by our partner camps (operator observation, 2026)
Would you like a night drive on your safari?
Send us your travel dates and we will plan a private itinerary with a night in Tarangire, with the night drive and every park fee listed in the quote.