Botswana 2023 Trip Report

For those looking at travelling to Africa, you should know that Botswana is the crown jewel for photography. The abundance of wildlife and game reserves make this the ultimate safari destination hands down. But with that comes a heavy heavy price tag, so the exclusivity comes at a cost. That is why I decided to visit in the low or "green" season to Botswana, which was probably the only way I was ever going to find myself making a trip there. This was partially to save on costs so that I could visit this amazing country, but also so that I could try a different style of photography rather than the usual brown and tans of East Africa.

As an aspiring wildlife photographer, I finally realized that it was time to up my game and learn from the professionals if I really wanted to grow in this field. For that reason, I decided to book a trip through Pangolin Photo Safaris so that I could learn from the very best photographers in the world. If you've watched their YouTube videos, you know that they're fantastic teachers for all levels of photography. In many ways the Pangolin Chobe Hotel is like a Mecca for wildlife photography, and so I just had to find an excuse to get out there.

Pangolin really is like a pilgrimage destination for wildlife photographers.

I began my Botswana trip in a rather stressful way, having to sprint through the airport in Johannesburg due to a delayed flight from Paris. If I missed that flight from Johannesburg to Kasane, there wouldn't be one until the following day. My gate had technically already closed, but the kind gate attendants bussed me out to my plane on the tarmac just 15 minutes before it was scheduled to take off. If nothing else, I can say that Air Link is the greatest airline in the world due to that one kind act alone.

After a short flight, I finally arrived at Kasane and then a short 15 minute drive later to the Pangolin Chobe Hotel. Having seen the hotel frequently in YouTube videos, it was like wildlife photography Disneyland for me. After a badly needed shower, I headed downstairs for tea time before our afternoon game drive and met the other guests at the lodge and my soon to be photo host, Sabine Stohls. I tried not to fangirl too hard, but wow it was like meeting one of my wildlife heroes and so surreal to see her in person after watching her on my screen for years.

We then drove out to the Chobe River, where Pangolin's specialized photo boats were waiting for us. These boats are so low to the water, and fitted with gimbals and soft railing that is perfect for any photographic scenario.

Just an incredible setup by Pangolin for photographers.

It became apparent to me that here on the Chobe we weren't going to be searching around for hours looking for specific subjects to photograph, but rather we would just wade down the river and if something good popped up then we would stop and shoot. Whether that was a giant hippo or a tiny kingfisher, there was never really a moment where we didn't stop at a sighting. That did drive some of the guests who definitely weren't into bird photography crazy, but I feel like it still led me to take some of my best photos even if I wasn't that interested at every sighting.

Pied Kingfisher on the hunt. Birds were a huge focus on the Chobe.

Wildlife on the Chobe River was very different than the plains of East Africa, and I it was fascinating to see how animals that I had photographed previously interacted in this different environment. Elephants would splash and play in the channels between islands, hippos would be out grazing even during the daylight, and crocodiles would slink past as if they were floating logs.

I had never taken any solid hippo photos until this trip, and boy were they fun to watch!

Elephants playing in the water is one of the highlights of Chobe.

Sometimes you barely even notice crocodiles swimming right next to you.

Most days were spent on the photo boats, but we did take a few game drives in Chobe National Park as well. Outside of one morning with a fantastically posed lioness, these weren't the most productive from a photography point of view, but it was still a fun experience being out in the bush and seeing all the greenery at this time of year.

Gorgeous lioness, the only big cat sighting I had in Chobe National Park.

After a few days in Chobe, I ventured off for a day trip to Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls. Kasane is only an hour or two away from the falls, so you almost have to visit considering that you're already in that part of the world. I had already seen Mt. Kilimanjaro before, so Victoria Falls was the last big African natural wonder that I still had on my bucket list.

The drive into Zimbabwe was through nothing but wilderness, and while my driver said there would be plenty of wildlife that could cross the road at any minute, ironically we barely saw anything outside of a few antelopes. Finally when we arrived to the park entrance, I was set loose to explore the multiple vista points at my own pace. Victoria Falls is so vast that viewing it from different angles is a unique experience even if it's still the same landmark.

Unfortunately I wasn't exactly dressed for success, and my t shirt and shorts got absolutely drenched with the mist that came from the falls. It was like it was perpetually raining, even if the sun was out. But it was totally worth it, and Victoria Falls is an absolutely magical place that I hope to visit again in my lifetime.

Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders.

After crossing back into Botswana, I readied myself for the last evening boat safari in Chobe. There is a point along the river called Elephant Bay, where large herds of elephants come down to drink, and thus far we hadn't been particularly successful with sightings there. But of course Chobe saved the best for last, and we were treated to several bull elephants that came down and splashed about in the water like children. It was such a special moment, and I just had to put my camera down and enjoy it with my eyes which is something that so many of us photographers forget to do sometimes.

Elephants playing in the water is captured best here at Chobe.

The following day it was time to say goodbye to the friends I had made at Pangolin, as I was off to my next solo destination for the week: The Okavango Delta. The Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is the undisputed pearl of African wildlife.

It was my first time taking a small bush plane between destinations, but in Botswana that really is the best way to get to some of these remote camps. It was amazing to see the Chobe River from above when I had just been on its banks earlier that day, and even more amazing to see it transform into the channels and islands that make up the Okavango Delta.

The bumpy ride from Kasane into the heart of the Okavango Delta.

When I touched down into the Delta I couldn't help but I have a grin on my face. Unfortunately I was greeted by a torrential downpour of rain, but that only lasted briefly before beginning my first afternoon game drive.

I was staying at a private concession in the northwest panhandle of the Delta, which was I had selected for the best game viewing experience. I chose this area for one subject and one subject only: African Wild Dogs.

Wild dogs had been my white whale, and I had spent years searching for them in East Africa with no luck. The Okavango Delta is one of their last strongholds as Africa's most endangered large predator, and this camp just so happened to have a resident pack nearby.

On our first game drive we had very little game activity, outside of a few rather aggressive elephants and a herd of endangered sable antelope. Wild dogs eluded me, but I wasn't expecting to see them on day 1.

The following morning however, we came across another vehicle that had seen the pack devouring an impala the prior evening, and so the hunt was on for us to track them and find out where they were hiding. After hours upon hours of searching, we stumbled upon an old carcass that a lone hyena was feeding on. We heard a strange dog-like barking sound from a bush, and realized that the entire pack was laying right there!

Eye contact with a wild dog is like a spiritual encounter..

Years of searching had finally ended, and I had found my wild dogs. It's as close as I've ever come to crying on safari, but I just cannot emphasize enough how special this moment was for me. The pack were clearly very full from their last meal and weren't too active, but we promised to come back later that evening to see what they were up to.

We headed back to camp to grab a bite and freshen up, when out of nowhere my tracker spotted a leopard in a dead tree out in the distance. How he saw it I have no idea, but it was a young female that leapt down and began marking territory around the area. Being in a private concession, there wasn't a single other vehicle around, so we could maneuver into different positions for the best shots. Finally a herd of elephants spotted her and chased her into a thick bush, where she would disappear and we wouldn't see her again.

This perfectly hidden leopard in a dead tree.

Later that evening, we checked back in with the wild dogs, and they finally made their way to a watering hole where they drank and played together until the sun when down. I got so many amazing portrait shots of them, and if the trip had ended just on that day then I would have been happy.

Nervous puppies worrying about what might be lurking in the water hole.

Wild dogs are just as derpy as our own domestic dogs.

One of the most beautiful animals on earth.

The next day was again all about the dogs, but these animals can move such vast distances that you can lose them in the span of a few hours and they won't appear again for weeks. We came across them again late morning, and they crossed onto an island while trying to hunt some lechwe. Eventually it got too hot in the day and they decided to sleep, but later that evening they would be off on the hunt again. When you see wild dogs hunting in action, you realize just how far they can go. We were dodging branches and driving through bushes just trying to keep up with them, and while they wouldn't catch anything that night it made for a very exciting game drive nonetheless. Unfortunately that would be our last time seeing the dogs, as they would disappear most likely in search of prey elsewhere in the Delta.

Even though we would end up losing out on the dogs, the Delta had plenty of other game around. Giraffes, zebra, and red lechwe were everywhere, and you just knew behind any bush there could be a predator watching you. Later that morning, we came across a young male leopard on the hunt, who clearly was inexperienced and very hungry. He managed to pose on termite mounds, in the bushes prowling, and even eye to eye with us. I managed to score some of my best leopard photos ever at that sighting, which I never would have been able to do had I not been at a private concession in the Delta.

Perhaps my favorite leopard photo I've ever taken of the male on the hunt.

The next day had very little activity, with the exception of a large herd of elephants that walked up against my tent during the night. I prayed they wouldn't notice me in there and end up trampling me, but thankfully they only wanted to eat and left me be.

That evening however, we came across a different young female leopard that was trying to avoid wet grass and made her way up to a termite mound. She posed just fantastically, and it was proving again just how great that Okavango Delta had been for wildlife photography.

Princess of the Delta.

Finally she came down and looked up at a tree nearby, so I knew she was on her way to climb it. She made her way over and leaped up to the tree, but unfortunately my shots of her weren't in focus. Regardless, she peered over her perch across the plains and treated me to even more great shots, before coming down as the light began to fade and escaping into some bushes.

The Lookout.

That night for the first time, we finally heard lions roaring off in the distance. Oddly we hadn't yet seen lions, despite them being the most common predator in the Delta. How funny that I had leopard and wild dog photos than lion ones!

We headed out that morning in search of the lions, when we finally found 3 large males lounging in the tall grass. Clearly these were the resident dominant males of this area, and they were letting their presence known by roaring that night. They zig zagged around the bush marking territory as they went, before doing what most lions do by finding some shade and taking a cat nap.

Two of the male lions sharing their bond.

As with most cat sightings, we left them once it became apparent that they were done being active for the day, and would check in again later in the evening. When we did, they still were laying under the same bush from earlier. What was about to follow though, was the single most incredible wildlife encounter of my life.

We noticed some odd movement behind the lions, and it appeared as if there was a small animal coming closer. It was then we realized what it was...PANGOLIN! Pangolins are one of the most endangered animals in the world, so much in fact they you just wouldn't expect to see them in the wild on safari. In addition to that, they're nocturnal, so you really wouldn't be seeing them under any circumstances.

One of the lions took notice of the pangolin's movement, and got up and began to paw at it like a cat with a ball of string. The pangolin curled up into a defensive position, and eventually the lion gave up and let the pangolin be. Clearly distressed now, the pangolin began to move away from the lions quite quickly. In only a brief movement, in came out of the tall grass and looked directly at me as if to beg for me to save it from the lions. It is hands down the luckiest photo I've ever taken, and I will likely never see a pangolin again in my life.

One in a million.

The pangolin would escape to a nearby burrow, and with that my time in the Okavango Delta would come to an end. It was truly an incredible destination, and the private aspect of it is probably why it led to some of my best photo work to date. Obviously that comes at a price, but it was money well spent in my opinion.

I saw a pangolin on a Pangolin Photo Safari. What more can you ask for right?