Most people who visit Africa for a photo safari focus on finding the Big Five or Super-Seven, but the Elusive-Eleven of Africa are just as exciting and much harder to find. They are mainly nocturnal animals that are rarely seen in African national parks and game reserves.

Here are the Elusive Eleven in alphabetical order …

1. Aardvark

The anteater is a medium-sized African mammal and its name comes from the Afrikaans / Dutch for “land pig” because early European settlers thought it looked like a pig. Anteaters are nocturnal, usually waiting until dusk before emerging from their burrows to feed on ants and termites.

2. Aardwolf

The anteater is a small mammal that looks like a striped hyena and is found in eastern and southern Africa. The name means “land wolf” in Afrikaans / Dutch. Unlike other hyenas, the anteater’s diet consists of termites, which it feeds on at night.

3. African civet

In our first ten years of visiting the various African game reserves, we did not see civets. Then, starting in 2007, we had around seven civet sightings, all at the Punda Maria camp at night while we were having a braai (barbecue).

4. African wild cat

We have seen African wild cats mainly in Kgalagadi and Etosha: 2 sightings in Etosha and 2 in Kgalagadi. One lived under our dune cabin at Kielie Krankie Wild Camp and we saw her almost every day. We would return from our safari to meet her on our doorstep!

5. Wild pig

The Bushpig is a member of the pig family and is found in eastern and southern Africa. Wild pigs are primarily nocturnal and are therefore rarely seen during the day.

6. Caracal

We have only had two sightings of caracals: one at Kruger Park near Satara Camp during the day and the other at Kielie Krankie Wild Camp in Kgalagadi at night.

7. Honey Badger

During our first 10 years of visiting African national parks, we didn’t see honey badgers, but then we did see the first one in Kruger Park near Olifants camp. Since then, we have had 3 other sightings in the Kruger, one near Punda Maria and two closer to Olifants. We have also seen them at Halali’s camp in Etosha.

8. Pangolin

Pangolins are very rare sightings and in our sixteen years of visiting African national parks we have not seen one. In recent years there have been a few sightings of these elusive creatures in Kruger Park, one near Skukuza in the morning and another at Punda Maria camp at night.

9. Porcupine

We have only seen three porcupines in all the years we have been visiting game reserves. We saw the first at the Tamboti camp in the Kruger park, the second at the Halali waterhole in Etosha, and the third at the Kielie Krankie wild camp in the Kalahari.

10. Serval

The serval is a small spotted cat that some people mistake for a cheetah. However, the serval is much smaller than the cheetah and is predominantly nocturnal.

11. Side Striped Jackal

The side-striped jackal can be confused with the more common black-backed jackal, but the side-striped jackal does not have a silver / black back. We have seen three of these side-striped jackals, one in Pilanesberg and the other two in Kruger Park. This animal is the only one of the elusive eleven that is not nocturnal.

So keep an eye out for the Elusive Eleven of Africa on your next overnight trip or even at your campsite and if you can see one or more of them, you’ve been blessed!