Pangolin Tracking

You will join a guide and pangolin guardian & tracker on a walking trail in the dark or late afternoon hours within the 20,000ha Okonjima Nature Reserve. Sightings are not guaranteed, as this complex, vulnerable species needs a gentle and respectful approach. Tracking on foot will be done in silence and maintaining a discreet distance.  Subject to availability.

Please be sure to bring a flashlight with a red-light option and wear appropriate walking shoes. 

Specialised Activity Additional Rate – weather permitting and at management discretion.

Activities at Okonjima are exclusively available to guests staying at one of our camps. We are unable to accommodate day visitors or outside bookings for activities at this time.

ACTIVITIES RATES SHEET
okonjima pangolin tracking

Participating in Pangolin tracking is a unique and specialized experience, and it’s important to note the following details: 

The choice of going with a researcher from the AfriCat Foundation or guide will be determined by circumstances, weather, and operational considerations.

Pangolin tracking is conducted both at night and during the late hours of the day, depending on the season. In the summer months (September- May), it generally occurs between 22:00 and 6:00 am, while in the winter months (June – August), it’s from 17:00 to 23:00 pm. These times align with the most active periods for these mostly, nocturnal animals.
Participation in Pangolin tracking is limited to a maximum of 6 people per trail. This allows you to gain valuable insight into the secretive life of the highly endangered Ground Pangolin.

Okonjima Nature Reserve (ONR), home of the AfriCat Foundation, is also called home for a wide range of interesting species, one little known resident is a scaly anteater known as the Temminck’s ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) or ground pangolin. They are one of eight pangolin species worldwide and one of four pangolin species which occur on the African continent, all of which are classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The other four species are found on the Asian continent, all of which are either classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN. These animals are predominantly nocturnal which makes studying them difficult, especially in areas with high concentrations of predators, this is why African pangolin species are highly under researched.