Combining The Best of The Chobe safari with the Okavango Delta really is the chance to see the Best of Botswana.

The North Western sector of The Chobe, where the mobile camp is situated, offers fantastic viewing of predators and plains game with the middle three days spent on the river for an overload of elephants, hippos, water birds and Fish eagles. The safari ends off with three nights in the pristine Okavango Delta hosted at our partner property Bushman Plains on a private concession.

You will be accompanied throughout by a Pangolin Photo Host who will be on hand to help you get the best photographs possible with our equipment or your own

Day 1 – 4    Your Safari adventure begins in Chobe

The mobile camp is hosted by one of our Pangolin Photo Hosts who will supply you with a camera and telephoto lens and show you how to make the most of every photo opportunity on the morning and afternoon game drives. The same photo host will be with you throughout this safari and the intention is that you will be a far better photographer at the end with an “armoury” of new photographic skills at your disposal.

This safari starts with a game drive through the national park in our custom 8-seater (everyone has a window seat) Landcruiser to the Pangolin Mobile Camp which is based in the North Westerly sector of the park. We make use of private campsites deep in the bush reserved exclusively for our camp. There are five large walk-in tents sleeping a maximum of eight guests (room for a couple of singles) with a dining tent that doubles as an editing area.

Each of the tents has twin (proper) beds with quality linen and a private ensuite bathroom behind. This comprises a toilet, basin and a bucket shower that can be filled to the brim with warm water straight from the campfire when needed. This is “glamping”!

Our chefs are masters at producing delicious meals from the nearby bush kitchen and the support vehicle has enough cold storage to make sure the drinks are always chilled. After dinner, there is time to sit around the campfire and enjoy this true wilderness experience.

The animals of The Chobe are generally very relaxed, which is one of the main reason why photography is so good, and you will often have herds of herbivores like elephants, zebra and buffalo wandering past the camp during the day.

On the fourth day, we will pack up the vehicles and head East towards the Pangolin Chobe Hotel.

Day 4 – 7   Pangolin Chobe Hotel

The Pangolin Chobe Hotel sits on the plateau overlooking the Chobe River and the Caprivi Floodplains below. Completed in 2018 the hotel has 14 rooms and is designed around a wildlife photography gallery featuring inspiring images from Africa and beyond.

With its proximity to the Chobe river, the majority of the game activities are done on the Pangolin Photo Boats with the same photo host who accompanied you on the first part of the trip.

By this time you will have improved your photography and will be feeling confident shooting on the manual camera settings. This will allow you more creative control over your images and we spend more time on the boats perfecting various techniques.

The boats seat 8 people all in a row down the middle with room for everyone to rotate 360 degrees. Each seat is has a custom camera gimbal on which we mount your camera and lens. We tend to use bigger telephoto lenses (150-600mm) on the river than on the game drives (100-400mm) as you don’t need to hand hold the cameras on the boat.

We do twice daily game activities on the river and also one or two game drives on a very productive part of the Chobe that we could not get to from the mobile camp.

In between the activities you can relax at the eco-pool or make use of our air-conditioned editing room at the end of the gallery. Your photo host will be on hand during the day to help you with post-production. Access to computers is limited in the Chobe so we suggest that you perhaps bring a laptop with you for image review sessions. Otherwise, we will give you plenty of memory cards to fill throughout the safari to take your images home with you.

Meals are taken as often as possible out on the deck or the interleading dining room with our fabulous chefs dishing out wholesome meals with locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. The evening meals vary from Braai (Barbeque) Nights to gourmet pizzas cooked in our woodfired oven. Most dietary needs can be catered for.

The Pangolin bar on the upper floor has spectacular views and the best cocktails in Kasane and is a great place to relax after dinner with your fellow travellers. Alternatively, the sunken fire pit is always a hit!

Day 7 – 10   Okavango Delta

On the seventh day it’s time to make our way the short distance to Kasane airport to board our charter flight to The Okavango Delta and the next destination Bushman Plains.

The flight time is normally just over an hour and flies along the border due West from the Chobe along the Selinda. You will be accompanied by your photo host who will be with you for the remainder of the safari.

Bushman Plains, like Pangolin, is owner managed and charming traditional bush camp in one of the most game filled and photographically productive parts of Botswana. The Bushmen who own and manage the camp are, as you would expect, amazing guides and trackers and know their homeland better than anyone else.

The camp comprises five tents and a communal dining lounge area. There are plans to extend the camp to also have a dedicated photo editing area at the beginning of 2020. The spacious tents each have a covered area at the front to relax and an ensuite bathroom at the rear. There is electricity in the rooms and hot water at all times. Don’t expect to find all the fancy add ons like private plunge pools and outdoor showers here. This camp is all about the wildlife experience and not the “extras”.

The camp has two vehicles (with four clients each) and is driven by a guide who is accompanied by a tracker perched on the seat at the front. This combination is a real advantage as the team works tirelessly to decipher the tracks and sign to seek out amazing sightings and photo opportunities. The Pangolin Photo Host at this stage will rotate between the vehicles on each activity spending equal time on each. The vehicles are in radio contact and tend to explore the same area of the concession on each drive. There are only three other camps on this vast concession, so we very rarely come across other vehicles.

We have been working with the guides to understand the needs of wildlife photographers as far as light and positioning is concerned but the real value is their experience and understanding of animal behaviour which means more often than not, we are in exactly the right spot with the right light at the sighting.

One extra activity that’s on offer at Bushman Plains is a walk with one of the guides, dressed in traditional garments, through the bushveld. The guide explains more about Bushman culture and the uses for the plants and trees that are found in the area. This is not to be missed – it’s fascinating and a real insight to a simpler more natural life.

In between game drives there is more time for image review with the Pangolin Photo Host but equally it’s time to enjoy the camp looking out over the plains and seeing what comes by.

The food at Bushman Plains is great with simple delicious fare. Sometimes meals are taken around the fire instead of the dining table with optional cutlery! This is the essence of Bushman Plains. It’s a wonderfully relaxing place to be with no airs and graces and an exceptional wildlife experience.

On the final day we head back over to the Kadizora airstrip for onward charter flights either home or onwards to other destinations detailed in the add-ons section of this page.

At the end of this safari we can guarantee that you will leave a much better photographer than when you arrived with a fistful of memory cards filled with beautiful images that you will treasure forever!

This 7 day Photo safari offers a comprehensive Chobe photographic experience on land as well as the river in one simple and great value itinerary. Three nights at the Pangolin Mobile Camp and then three more at the Pangolin Chobe Hotel.

These safaris are offered on set departure dates of no more than eight clients accompanied by a Pangolin Photo Host throughout. You are also supplied with cameras and telephoto lenses to use for the duration should you require.

Chobe National Park is one of the best year-round wildlife photography destinations in Africa – with endless opportunities of amazing photographs. You have the option not only to photograph from land, but also from custom photo boats on water.

Along with the largest elephant population in Africa along, great predator sightings and spectacular birdlife, there is almost everything that you might want to see and photograph on a safari.

Chobe’s location between two other iconic destinations (Victoria Falls and The Okavango Delta) means incorporating our home into extended safari itineraries is also very easy and something we as a company specialise in.

Day 1 – 4   Your photo safari adventure begins

The mobile camp is hosted by one of our Pangolin Photo Hosts who will supply you with a camera and telephoto lens and show you how to make the most of every photo opportunity on the morning and afternoon game drives. The same photo host will be with you throughout this safari and the intention is that you will be a far better photographer at the end with an “armoury” of new photographic skills at your disposal.

This safari starts with a game drive through the national park in our custom 8-seater (everyone has a window seat) Landcruiser to the Pangolin Mobile Camp which is based in the North Westerly sector of the park. We make use of private campsites deep in the bush reserved exclusively for our camp. There are five large walk-in tents sleeping a maximum of eight guests (room for a couple of singles) with a dining tent that doubles as an editing area.

Each of the tents has twin (proper) beds with quality linen and a private ensuite bathroom behind. This comprises a toilet, basin and a bucket shower that can be filled to the brim with warm water straight from the campfire when needed. This is “glamping”!

Our chefs are masters at producing delicious meals from the nearby bush kitchen and the support vehicle has enough cold storage to make sure the drinks are always chilled. After dinner, there is time to sit around the campfire and enjoy this true wilderness experience.

The animals of The Chobe are generally very relaxed, which is one of the main reason why photography is so good, and you will often have herds of herbivores like elephants, zebra and buffalo wandering past the camp during the day.

On the fourth day, we will pack up the vehicles and head East towards the Pangolin Chobe Hotel.

Day 4 – 7     Pangolin Chobe Hotel 

The Pangolin Chobe Hotel sits on the plateau overlooking the Chobe River and the Caprivi Floodplains below. Completed in 2018 the hotel has 14 guide rooms and is designed around a wildlife photography gallery featuring inspiring images from Africa and beyond.

With its proximity to the Chobe river, the majority of the game activities are done on the Pangolin Photo Boats with the same photo host who accompanied you on the first part of the trip.

By this time you will have improved your photography and will be feeling confident shooting on the manual camera settings. This will allow you more creative control over your images and we spend more time on the boats perfecting various techniques.

The boats seat 8 people all in a row down the middle with room for everyone to rotate 360 degrees. Each seat is has a custom camera gimbal on which we mount your camera and lens. We tend to use bigger telephoto lenses (150-600mm) on the river than on the game drives (100-400mm) as you don’t need to hand hold the cameras on the boat.

We do twice daily game activities on the river and also one or two game drives on a very productive part of the Chobe that we could not get to from the mobile camp.

In between the activities you can relax at the eco-pool or make use of our air-conditioned editing room at the end of the gallery. Your photo host will be on hand during the day to help you with post-production. Access to computers is limited in the Chobe so we suggest that you perhaps bring a laptop with you for image review sessions. Otherwise, we will give you plenty of memory cards to fill throughout the safari to take your images home with you.

Meals are taken as often as possible out on the deck or the interleading dining room with our fabulous chefs dishing out wholesome meals with locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. The evening meals vary from Braai (Barbeque) Nights to gourmet pizzas cooked in our woodfired oven. Most dietary needs can be catered for.

The Pangolin bar on the upper floor has spectacular views and the best cocktails in Kasane and is a great place to relax after dinner with your fellow travellers. Alternatively, the sunken fire pit is always a hit!

On the final day we will either transfer you to the airport if you are heading home or we can arrange extensions at any of our partner properties in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Please chat to your safari planner about options.

A stay on-board Zambezi Queen is a different kind of safari. It’s the kind where you get to decide if you want to be up with the birds, or prefer to laze all morning watching game from the comfort of your bed. Our itinerary is flexible so while we have a range of activities on offer, you can choose just how much you want to pack into your holiday or how relaxed you want to be.

Don’t think of your time on Zambezi Queen as a river cruise. Instead, think of it as a floating boutique hotel that departs and returns to the same point, navigating roughly 25km of the Chobe River weather permitting. You’ll first arrive at the Zambezi Queen via a short tender boat ride from the Kasane Immigration Office. We offer staggered transfer times on the hour between 13:00 and 16:00, so you can arrive at your own pace and don’t have to worry about missing the boat.

Day 1    Arrival Zambezi Queen

PLEASE NOTE THIS IMPORTANT TRAVEL INFORMATION:

• Make sure that you get your passport stamped at the airport when you enter Botswana
• You’ll then be met by a representative at the airport who will help with your luggage and transfer you to the Kasane Immigration Office (KIO)in an air-conditioned vehicle
• Once you arrive at KIO, a Zambezi Queen Collection staff member will meet you and help with formalities at passport control as you exit Botswana
• You’ll then be transferred by a smaller tender boat with a Zambezi Queen Collection staff member to the Namibian Immigration Office
• You then need to get your passport stamped at the Namibian Immigration Office.Please wear comfortable shoes, as there is a short walk to the immigration office

If you arrive with the 13:00 and 14:00 transfers, you’ll be served lunch, while if you’re transferred at 15:00 or 16:00 you’ll be served a snack before the sunset cruise by tender boat starts. Once all our guests have boarded in the late afternoon, after a safety breathing and if the weather permits, we’ll go in search of some big game by tender boat. This is the perfect time of day to make the most of that golden glow of the African sunset by getting some iconic shots of the animals as they gravitate towards the river before night falls.

Return back to the Zambezi Queen and freshen up before meeting your host on the upper deck with a welcome drink. After taking in the spectacular scenery, you’ll make your way to the dining room where you’ll be served a delectable three-course dinner along with an excellent choice of paired wines. Finish off with an espresso or nightcap at the bar before retiring to the night sounds of Africa in the distance.

Day 2

We know that some guests like to watch the sunrise as they sip on their coffee while others like to take a more leisurely approach. That’s why we let you choose your morning activities, depending on the type of holiday you’re searching for. Perhaps you want to enjoy a water-based safari or a village tour on the Namibian side of the river?

Or perhaps you’d prefer a spot of bird watching or fishing instead? You may even decide to simply remain on board as the luxurious Zambezi Queen glides its way along the banks of the Chobe River.

After your morning activities, enjoy lunch on board while using your unique vantage point to spot wild animals and drink in the expansive views. Join our guide in the afternoon for a water-based safari on a tender boat where you can get up close to an array of wildlife, including some of the 120 000 elephants for which the Chobe is well known. After a delicious dinner, settle down for a restful and tranquil night in your luxurious suite.

Day 3

You’ve made a wise choice – you have a whole extra day to enjoy the delights of Zambezi Queen.
After a hearty breakfast, head off to experience those activities you didn’t manage to fit in yesterday: enjoy a water-based river safari by tender boat, go bird watching or go fishing for tiger or bream. Return for lunch on board and some relaxation time before the afternoon activities start. Again, you have the choice between tiger or bream fishing, game viewing by tender boat or bird watching. In the evening, you’re in for a treat. Enjoy our traditional African dinner, served with festive African singing and dancing. You can even join in the festivities if you feel like it!

Day 4

Enjoy a morning cruise during breakfast as you do your last bit of animal spotting and take some memorable pictures. Bid our crew a reluctant farewell and then make your way via boat to the Namibian Immigration Office. Once you’ve had your documents stamped you’ll be transferred via boat to the Kasane Immigration Office where you’ll have your documents stamped once again before entering Botswana.

GET A NIGHT ON US!

 – Valid for travel between 1 November 2019 and 31 March 2020 –

Take advantage of our pay stay special and get a night on us when you book for 3 or 4 nights. Choose from the luxurious Zambezi Queen, her three Chobe Princess houseboats or the secluded Ichingo Chobe River Lodge on Impalila Island.

Our all-inclusive package takes care of every detail from accommodation to delicious dining including all meals, local drinks, and refreshments. Join in a number of other exciting activities including scenic photographic and birding safaris, game viewing and a cultural village tour – all included in your stay!

Ichingo Chobe River Lodge welcomes guests for arrival any day of the week.

Please note that set arrival and departure dates apply for the Zambezi Queen and Chobe Princess:

4 night sailing– Arrive: Monday | Depart: Friday (3 night sailing rate applies)