The Night Game Drive

No. Night drives are not permitted in the Serengeti or on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, and any operator promising one is either misleading you or planning to break the rules. Where they do run legally is in private concessions bordering Tarangire, inside Lake Manyara, and across Ruaha and Nyerere in the south.

Reliably: genet, civet, white-tailed mongoose, springhare, bushbaby and various nightjars. Frequently: porcupine, honey badger, hyena and owls. Occasionally: lion or leopard hunting, which is the sighting everyone hopes for and nobody can promise. The small nocturnals are the genuine value here.

White light temporarily blinds nocturnal animals and disrupts their hunting, which is both cruel and counterproductive. Red light is far less disturbing and lets the animal carry on behaving normally, which is what you came to watch. Operators using unfiltered white spotlights are prioritising your photograph over the animal.

With difficulty. Flash is not permitted, so you're relying on a fast lens, high ISO and the spotlight. Serious photographers get usable images; most people are better off putting the camera down and watching. That sounds like a disappointment and it usually turns out to be a relief.

Colder than you'd expect. An open vehicle moving after dark, especially at altitude in Tarangire or the Ngorongoro highlands, can feel close to freezing. We provide blankets, but bring a proper fleece, long trousers, closed shoes and a hat. People who dress for the daytime regret it within twenty minutes.

From about eight, provided they'll stay quiet and sit still for two hours in the dark and the cold. Some children find it thrilling and some find it long. If in doubt, it's often better with older children or teenagers, who tend to engage with the spotting.