Mischievous Meerkats, gangsters in disguise

It’s not always the Big Five that are pivotal to a safari; sometimes it’s the small animals that steal the show – like these delightful and very busy meerkats.

A group of Meerkats is called a MOB or a CLAN. This immediately sets them in the naughty zone and for good reason.

Within their clans, younger meerkats often play-fight, pounce, and steal food from older siblings. They’ll even pretend to have found food just to lure others over — a sneaky trick to grab attention or assert dominance. They legitimately snack on scorpions and are immune to their venom.

These curious rule breakers will investigate anything new — shoes, backpacks, GoPros, and vehicles included. Their fearless curiosity can make them look naughty, but it’s actually a survival skill that helps them learn about their environment.

Meerkats love to dig, and they’ll happily tunnel into places they shouldn’t — including the sandy areas around lodge decks or even into tent foundations! Their curiosity often gets them into trouble with rangers who have to fill in their surprise “renovations.”

If you leave food unattended during bush breakfasts, a meerkat may boldly sneak in for a taste. Their sharp noses can detect insects, eggs, or crumbs from metres away.

At habituated colonies in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans, meerkats have been known to clamber up tourists’ shoulders or perch on camera lenses to get a better lookout spot — utterly confident and cheeky about it.

To add to their gangster appeal, they have built in sunglasses as the dark patches around their eyes reduces glare from the sun and improves long distance vision.

I mean, can you get more OG than that?

Best Places to See Meerkats in Africa

Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana

– The most famous spot for habituated meerkat encounters.

Kalahari Desert, South Africa

– The arid terrain of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Tswalu Kalahari Reserve are classic meerkat country — dramatic dunes, red sands, and wide-open views for spotting sentinels on duty.

Namib Desert, Namibia

– Meerkats thrive near the edge of this ancient desert. Stay at lodges like Kulala Desert Lodge or Wolwedans for the chance to see them silhouetted against the dunes.

Etosha Region, Namibia

– In the mopane scrublands on the park’s fringes, small meerkat colonies are occasionally seen darting between burrows.

Southern Zimbabwe and the Northern Cape, South Africa

– Lesser-known but rewarding areas, with wild mobs that can sometimes be spotted foraging near dry riverbeds and termite mounds.