Okavango Delta, Savuti & Chobe River - May 2019

The weather was perfect and the light in Botswana at this time of year was just amazing.  Our flight from Maun, was met by our safari guides, Gee and Bate, at the Xakanaxa airstrip.  Our Moremi camp had a great location and as we arrived, we were greeted by a herd of elephants.  Some of our many highlights in Moremi included Tsessebe Antelope, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, and large herds of Elephant and Red Lechwe.

Our next private campsite was on one of the river channels in the Khwai Concession.  We had amazing photo opportunities with the birdlife, including a pair of endangered Wattled Cranes.  We saw leopards and lions on a number of occasions, one, when lions had caught and injured a small baby hippo.  The mother hippo kept the lions at bay by charging them on a number of occasions.

Our final stop on the mobile camping section was the drier Savuti area of the Chobe National Park.  We enjoyed photographing Botswana’s gorgeous sunrises and sunsets on most days.  Savuti also gave us two male cheetahs, something not commonly seen in Botswana.   We found two brothers leaving the open area of the Savute Marsh and heading into the bordering Mopani Thickets.  Marabou Pan was dominated by lions and elephants and as the dry season approaches, this water hole is certain to become very busy indeed.  Other highlights in Savuti were Ostrich, Giraffe, Greater Kudu and small Lion cubs.

Next stop - the beautiful, newly finished, Pangolin Chobe Hotel with its added feature of the specially modified Photo Boats on the Chobe River.  We had the private use of a boat and explored different areas of the river right up to Elephant Bay.  Photographing birds from the boat gets one really close to many different species.  We scored a bonus by photographing a Carmine Bee-eater - one of the last to migrate north.  In the afternoons, we photographed many species that came to drink.  Elephant herds were abundant, but we also photographed Cape Buffalo, Chacma Baboons, Greater Kudu, Impala, Hippos and a serious fight between two fully grown male Giraffe.

The Camp Staff Team who looked after us so well for our first 10 nights is superb!!  It is a mystery how these guys manage to achieve what they do.  Thank you KK for the amazing food!!  To Names and July - every aspect of our camp life was taken care of so that we could enjoy our experience to the fullest!

Without the guiding skills of both of our guides, Gee and Bate, we would never have been able to photograph all the animals we encountered.  It was a great pleasure to work with both of you.  Positioning a land vehicle for good photography is tricky, doing it with a boat is an incredible skill!!  Boat Captain Smart, you are the best!!  Many thanks to all the amazing staff at the new Pangolin Chobe Hotel.  You made our stay so welcoming and enjoyable, the location is awesome and the food is out of this world!

Finally, a huge thank you to a wonderful group of clients who made this trip possible.  Robert, Kate, Al L, Kathy, Al P and Sharon - a great trip, filled with many memories,  It was a pleasure to travel with you all. Enjoy some photos from the trip!  

Best wishes, Stu.