Umlani Trailcam

During our recent July 2026 safari at Umlani Bushcamp in South Africa’s Timbavati, I set up my trail camera outside my room to see what was moving around during the night. We always hear nocturnal wildlife without knowing what is going on. We don’t recommend wandering throughout the night!

So, what did my Umlani Trailcam detect? A porcupine, a genet and a spotted hyena.

I enjoy setting the cameras up and reviewing the footage afterwards. It is a useful and simple bit of fieldwork, but you never quite know what you are going to find.

The camera I use is a GardePro E8 2.0 Pro. It has Wi-Fi, a rechargeable battery and a no-glow infrared sensor. It is reasonably priced, which is just as well because I regularly strap trail cameras to trees and leave them outside, where elephants, hyenas, lions may do their worst. I sometimes coat it in dry elephant dung to mask the scent! Understandably, I am reluctant to spend a fortune on them. It may not be the best trailcam in terms of visual acuity, but that isn’t really what I need it for.

The important thing is that it can record what is happening in pitch black darkness. I’m not looking for award winning images from it. I simply want to know what is passing through while I’m asleep and provide our photography safari guests with another interesting experience. As this footage from Umlani shows, there can be quite a lot going on.