Guests are invited on a nocturnal game drive, led by our knowledgeable guides. This evening drive in the Okonjima Nature Reserve allows you a chance to spot the many nocturnal game species you would not usually see during the day. This drive departs after dinner.
Guests staying at the Okonjima African Villa and Private Bush Suite can observe the nightlife from their own flood-lit watering holes.
All Okonjima guests are welcome to join a nocturnal safari game-drive, but please note that the Nocturnal Game Drive is weather-dependent and cannot be guaranteed or pre-booked.
Here's some additional information about the nocturnal wildlife you might encounter on this nighttime drive:
As the sun sets and temperatures drop, the African bush comes alive once again. Bat-eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis) roam the landscape, the very rare aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) hunt for insects, owls perch high, and leopard and brown hyaena go out in search of unsuspecting prey.
The aardwolf is an insectivorous species of hyena, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means “earth-wolf” in Afrikaans. Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. It eats insects and their larvae, mainly termites; one aardwolf can lap up as many as 300,000 termites during a single night using its long, sticky tongue. The aardwolf’s tongue has adapted to be tough enough to withstand the strong bite of termites.
The bat-eared fox is a species of fox found on the African savanna. It is named for its large ears, which have a role in thermoregulation. It is the only extant species of the genus Otocyon and considered a canid species. Canidae is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans. Bat-eared foxes are considered the only truly insectivorous canid, with a marked preference for harvester termites (Hodotermes mossambicus), which can constitute 80–90% of its diet.
The crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The porcupine is the prickliest of rodents, though its Latin name means ‘quill pig. There are more than two dozen porcupine species, and all boast a coat of needle-like quills to give predators a sharp reminder that this animal is no easy meal. Some quills, like those of Africa’s crested porcupine, are nearly a foot long.
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the ‘ratel’ in Afrikaans, is a mammal widely distributed in Africa. Honey badgers are related to skunks, otters, ferrets, and other badgers. These voracious omnivores get their name from their fondness for feeding on honey and honeybee larvae. They also eat insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, as well as roots, bulbs, berries, and fruits. Though they hunt for their own food most of the time, they’ll happily steal from other carnivores or scavenge the kills of bigger animals when the opportunity arises. Their prominent, sharp teeth, long foreclaws, and stocky build allow them to easily rip meat from bone.
