Essential Botswana Wildlife Photo Safari

Arrival in Chobe

On arrival in South Africa, board a direct flight to the town of Kasane. On arrival you will be met by a member of the Pangolin team and transferred to your award-winning hotel overlooking the Chobe River and Caprivi floodplains.

Check in to your en suite air-conditioned room. Each room is equipped with lots of storage and desk space including an abundance of charging points. All the rooms have a private balcony to relax and enjoy the view. Settle in and later you will meet your photo host who will be taking care of you and your land and water-based photographic safari activities while in Chobe. *If you do not have a good quality camera, lens or memory cards, the hotel will be able to lend you these free of charge for the duration of your stay in Chobe.

After enjoying something to eat and drink you will head out into the Chobe National Park for a 3 to 4-hour photographic game drive in our 8-seater photo-equipped open 4x4 vehicle or a photographic boat cruise on the Chobe River. The Chobe National Park boundary is a few hundred meters away meaning that with our proximity to the gate we are usually the first vehicle through the gate for game drives. Our boats are moored on the river directly below the Hotel and it is a quick five- minute transfer to get to them for our boat cruises.

You will return to the hotel after sunset and freshen up before dinner is served.

In the front of the hotel is the open deck where most meals are served, which in turn leads to the sunken fire pit surrounded by our eco pool. The fire pit is large enough to seat a full house of guests and is a firm favourite before and after dinner. Overlooking the deck is the Pangolin Bar with arguably one of the best views of the Chobe River and Caprivi Floodplains in the region.

Full day Chobe Photographic Safari

Rise early the next morning and enjoy a light breakfast before you head out on your first 3- hour morning boat cruise or game drive. During the safari activities we stop for another tea/coffee break and rusks – which is best described as an African biscotti.

The Chobe River offers up different subject matter during different times of the year, but there is always something to photograph. In the (African) summer months between November and April you will see amazing birdlife as the migrants take up their annual residency. Large mammals such as elephant, buffalo and hippo as well as resident crocs and antelope will be around with lots of bright green backgrounds and baby animals everywhere. The (African) winter months between May and October will see larger herds of elephants and other mammals as the water becomes scarcer inland and all the animals flock to the river.

We return to the hotel mid-morning where a hearty brunch is served.
In-between game activities there will be hosted image review and group editing sessions in the editing room. For this to be truly effective you will need to have your own laptop with you with the latest version of an editing programme installed and updated to the latest version. Our software of choice is Adobe Lightroom and we have a free online course you can start before your arrival so that you are familiar with its functions if you haven’t used it before.

Later in the afternoon a high tea is served with sweet and savoury offerings along with liquid refreshments, where after you head out on another afternoon photographic safari.When you return to the hotel after your sundowner we invite you to freshen up and join your fellow travellers in The Pangolin Bar , or the sunken fire pit, for a cocktail or glass of wine and await the “cow bell” which signals dinner is ready. Whenever possible we like to have dinner out on the pool deck under the African night sky. The menu and style of food varies from night to night with plated dishes, a braai (barbecue) and even on occasion a gourmet pizza night cooked in our mopane wood fired oven!

Experience Chobe or Victoria Falls

On day three of your stay there is the option to visit Victoria Falls for the entire day. If you choose to do so you will be collected in the morning from the hotel in an air-conditioned minivan and driven across the border into Zimbabwe and onwards to the Rainforest, which is the entry-point to the Falls. The journey will take approximately 90 minutes.

While in Victoria Falls you will have time to tour the Falls and all of the 16 viewpoints, enjoy some lunch, perhaps take a helicopter flight over the Falls and quickly stop off at one of the many craft art stalls before heading back to Chobe.

If you choose not to visit Victoria Falls you will be able to do the same morning and afternoon photographic safari activities at the hotel as you did on the previous day.

Explore Chobe Further

Rise early the next morning and enjoy a light breakfast before you head out on your first 3- hour morning boat cruise or game drive. During the safari activities we stop for another tea/coffee break and rusks – which is best described as an African biscotti.

The Chobe River offers up different subject matter during different times of the year, but there is always something to photograph. In the (African) summer months between November and April you will see amazing birdlife as the migrants take up their annual residency. Large mammals such as elephant, buffalo and hippo as well as resident crocs and antelope will be around with lots of bright green backgrounds and baby animals everywhere. The (African) winter months between May and October will see larger herds of elephants and other mammals as the water becomes scarcer inland and all the animals flock to the river.

We return to the hotel mid-morning where a hearty brunch is served.
In-between game activities there will be hosted image review and group editing sessions in the editing room. For this to be truly effective you will need to have your own laptop with you with the latest version of an editing programme installed and updated to the latest version. Our software of choice is Adobe Lightroom and we have a free online course you can start before your arrival so that you are familiar with its functions if you haven’t used it before.

Later in the afternoon a high tea is served with sweet and savoury offerings along with liquid refreshments, where after you head out on another afternoon photographic safari.

When you return to the hotel after your sundowner we invite you to freshen up and join your fellow travellers in The Pangolin Bar , or the sunken fire pit, for a cocktail or glass of wine and await the “cow bell” which signals dinner is ready. Whenever possible we like to have dinner out on the pool deck under the African night sky. The menu and style of food varies from night to night with plated dishes, a braai (barbecue) and even on occasion a gourmet pizza night cooked in our mopane wood fired oven!

Arrive in the Okavango Delta

After your last morning safari activity and breakfast, check out and make your way back to Kasane Airport to meet your charter flight into the Okavango Delta. The flights usually depart at around 11AM. The network of islands and channels is ever changing depending on the season and the water levels and is home to every photographic subject you could hope to capture.

Your plane will land in the prolific Vumbura wildlife concession within the Okavango Delta, only a few kilometers from the community-owned and intimate Bushman Plains Camp, a good old-fashioned, down to earth, honest bush camp in the Okavango Delta wilderness, shaded by giant ebony trees. The area is teeming with wildlife year-round and is blessed by permanent water channels so our guests enjoy a wide mix of land and water-based safari activities.

Upon arrival you will have time to settle in to your en-suite tent (only four tents available) before high tea is served. After this you will depart on your first game drive, with no more than four guests allowed per vehicle. Each vehicle is equipped with beanbag mounts for your photographic comfort.
The camp is also located within a 370,000-acre wilderness area, utilizing a prime wildlife area where you will not find crowds. Also, Bushman Plains camp boasts with some of the best passionate and enthusiastic guides and trackers in the business, making this a top game-viewing and wildlife photography experience. They love nothing more than finding iconic animals such as lions, leopard, cheetah and wild dog and will get you as close as possible to them. Guests will also be educated on tracks and signs during the tracking activities, making it all about the wildlife here.

After an exciting afternoon you will return to camp to freshen up for dinner. The central area of the camp includes a mess tent with veranda for relaxed hanging out. Central to Bushman culture is the campfire area where we share ancient stories, and tales from today, under the stunning Botswana night sky. Our camp chefs produce delicious meals that are predominantly western in style but making best use of local ingredients with some options to include traditional fare if you desire.

Okavango Delta Wildlife Photography

Explore the Vumbura concession of the Okavango Delta during morning and afternoon photographic game drives with your guide and tracker team.

The camp is also located within a 370,000-acre wilderness area, utilizing a prime wildlife area where you will not find crowds. Also, Bushman Plains camp boasts with some of the best passionate and enthusiastic guides and trackers in the business, making this a top game-viewing and wildlife photography experience. They love nothing more than finding iconic animals such as lions, leopard, cheetah and wild dog and will get you as close as possible to them. Guests will also be educated on tracks and signs during the tracking activities, making it all about the wildlife here.

During the day you will enjoy breakfast around the campfire, a buffet-style lunch and three-course sit-down dinner, with the family-style mess tent at the center of all meals and relaxation time.
In-between game drives enjoy some time to relax in this beautiful wilderness or pop into the editing tent for some post-production time.

This area of the Okavango Delta offers some of the brightest night skies in Africa, and you can even try your hand at photographing the night sky.

Explore The Okavango Delta Further

Explore the Vumbura concession of the Okavango Delta during morning and afternoon photographic game drives with your guide and tracker team.

The camp is also located within a 370,000-acre wilderness area, utilizing a prime wildlife area where you will not find crowds. Also, Bushman Plains camp boasts with some of the best passionate and enthusiastic guides and trackers in the business, making this a top game-viewing and wildlife photography experience. They love nothing more than finding iconic animals such as lions, leopard, cheetah and wild dog and will get you as close as possible to them. Guests will also be educated on tracks and signs during the tracking activities, making it all about the wildlife here.

During the day you will enjoy breakfast around the campfire, a buffet-style lunch and three-course sit-down dinner, with the family-style mess tent at the center of all meals and relaxation time.
In-between game drives enjoy some time to relax in this beautiful wilderness or pop into the editing tent for some post-production time.

This area of the Okavango Delta offers some of the brightest night skies in Africa, and you can even try your hand at photographing the night sky.

Travel to the desert-like Central Kalahari

After your last morning safari activity and breakfast, check out and make your way back to the airstrip for your charter flight south to Dinaka Camp, situated in the drier Central Kalahari region.

After a week of early starts and over excitement, the Kalahari is a slightly more relaxed environment and the perfect last destination for this photographic safari. Here the environment is completely different than what you have experienced in the Chobe and Delta. The bush is drier, but thicker and thornier, with different wildlife species found here, including the impressive black-maned lions, brown hyena, cheetah, jackal, oryx and springbok.

In this desert-like region, the animals tend to congregate more around the waterholes which makes it the perfect location for some hide-based photography. Dinaka has an excellent waterhole-based hide for this purpose. This luxurious 5-star camp offers true pampering with elevated and spacious en-suite tented rooms plus private verandahs offering views onto a popular permanent waterhole.

On arrival, check in and after settling in enjoy a light lunch or afternoon snacks and drinks. Soon after you will depart on your first afternoon game drive with only four guests allowed per vehicle. Beanbag mounts on each vehicle makes for a much more pleasurable wildlife photography experience. Afternoon game drives regularly continue into the evening.

Return to the camp after dark and freshen up before enjoying dinner under the clear African night sky. A Star-gazing activity is also the perfect way to end the day.

Explore the Central Kalahari

Explore the Central Kalahari during a full day photographic safari.

The focus of activities at Dinaka is exploring the Kalahari experience with wildlife ranging from giraffe to antelope, small mammals like the honey badger, bat-eared fox and porcupine to predators including the Kalahari black-maned lion, cheetah, leopard and brown hyena.

Daily activities include morning and afternoon game drives in open safari vehicles, with afternoon game drives often continuing into the evening. We also recommend daily bush walks with the resident bushman guides where you will learn about their traditional subsistence way of life, fire making techniques and enjoy some story telling as the sun sets. Birding is also spectacular here as Dinaka hosts over 200 bird species.

Year-round waterholes result in spectacular photographic opportunities either from the vehicle, on foot or one of the several underground hides/bunkers. The bunker-type hides can seat up to eight photographers but is normally only use by four at a time. You will be photographing at water level as the animals arrive to quench their thirst right in front of you. This is a special place to be for wildlife photography.

Again during the day there will be time between meals and activities to have some downtime by the pool or a snooze on the deck…with your camera close at hand in case something appears at the camp waterhole.

Last Day In Central Kalahari

Explore the Central Kalahari during a full day photographic safari today. The camp is flexible in terms of timings of activities and their duration, so please discuss this with your host at camp.

The focus of activities at Dinaka is exploring the Kalahari experience with wildlife ranging from giraffe to antelope, small mammals like the honey badger, bat-eared fox and porcupine to predators including the Kalahari black-maned lion, cheetah, leopard and brown hyena. This is also one of the most popular off-the-beaten track African safari destinations for photographers, especially for sunset, desert landscape and night sky photography.

Daily activities include morning and afternoon game drives in open safari vehicles, with afternoon game drives often continuing into the evening. We also recommend daily bush walks with the resident bushman guides where you will learn about their traditional subsistence way of life, fire making techniques and enjoy some story telling as the sun sets. Birding is also spectacular here as Dinaka hosts over 200 bird species.

Year-round waterholes result in spectacular photographic opportunities either from the vehicle, on foot or one of the several underground hides/bunkers. The bunker-type hides can seat up to eight photographers but is normally only use by four at a time. You will be photographing at water level as the animals arrive to quench their thirst right in front of you. This is a special place to be for wildlife photography.

Again during the day there will be time between meals and activities to have some downtime by the pool or a snooze on the deck…with your camera close at hand in case something appears at the camp waterhole.

Departure

After your last morning safari activity, either a game drive or another hide-session, you will enjoy a lazy breakfast. From here you will fly to Maun Airport where we bid you farewell for your onward journey. From Maun you can fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town.