Action after dark.

Night drives “into the middle of nowhere” are an amazing experience—a rare opportunity to be surrounded by the infinite darkness of the African bush. Don’t say a word, but simply gaze up at the stars and listen to the sounds. Animals are out on the prowl—scuffling, howling and, if you are lucky, emitting the occasional deep-throated roar.

While you won’t see as much as on a day-time drive, the atmosphere is intense. A filtered spotlight on the vehicle may pick out two shining eyes, which your guide will immediately identify as a nocturnal spring hare, an impala, a lesser-spotted ginet, a civet or, perhaps, a larger cat. Birds, too, are visible in the trees, poised to attack their prey. An owl here, a nightjar there: the wealth of animals that emerges under cloak of darkness is truly breathtaking.