Find out who's out and about under cover of darkness!

You've finished your wonderful three-course dinner, had some amazing South African wine to complement it and it's time to lay your head on that soft, white pillow and snuggle down on your uber-comfortable bed in your wonderful, air-conditioned suite... Which is when the African night comes into its own, with all manner of creatures visiting our waterhole in front of the lodge and making night-time the right time to be on the move.

Our camera trap has captured some interesting after-dark guests taking advantage of the peace and quiet to grab a quick drink and indulge in the odd dip while most humans are sleeping soundly! Everything from hippo and hyena to zebra, buffalo and elephants frequent the waterhole after dark, which is interesting because aside from the hyena, you don't expect our mega fauna to be so mobile during the night.

Of course, we get the usual nocturnal animals we expect to spot on night drives - creatures like the African civet, spotted genet and honey badger - which all pay the camp regular visits, moving between the boma area, the lounge area and deck and the suites when we are cleaning up at night. 

Then there are the rarer sightings like the wonderful image of an aardvark having a drink. We sometimes get reports of aardvark being spotted in our area, and even the odd pangolin, which is wonderful to hear because these secretive creatures are so important for healthy eco-systems and not often seen.

Of course, lions, leopards and hyenas are all active at night and regularly move around the lodge on the prowl for prey. There's nothing more special that laying in bed and hearing lions roaring close to camp, or the rasping call of a leopard as it announces its presence. And the haunting, whooping howl of the spotted hyena is equally amazing to hear at close quarters. 

Seeing such a lot of elephant action at our waterhole after dark just reinforces how amazingly silent these gentle giants are. You'd expect a herd of elephants drinking to make a lot of noise but far from it. Thanks to their amazing, padded "pneumatic" feet they move with the minimum of noise and make sure not to get too vocal and draw attention to themselves, because lions will often hunt babies or young elephant at night.

When the camera trap snapped a hippo at the waterhole it highlighted what we all know about these night owls! They roam over incredible distances at night, far from the water they call home during the day, grazing on grasses as they go and grabbing power naps in soft undergrowth before returning to their dams before dawn. It's most likely that the hippo image shared here is one of the pod that has made a permanent home at Goya Dam, on its way to paint the bush red!

Finding a lone zebra taking a drink after dark is interesting, to say the least. These herd animals are staple prey for lion and for a single animal to take the risk of moving away from the relative safety that numbers provide is unusual. That's the beauty of the African wilderness - you never know what it's doing to dish up, no matter what time of day it is. Which is why a safari is so special and the reason that game drives never get boring! 

So next time you come on safari with us and you're getting into bed and switching off the lights, you'll be wondering who's out there in the dark and whether they'll still be around the next morning!