2020 Chobe National Park, Botswana – Land and Water

Destination: Chobe National Park, Botswana

Date: May 30-June 4, 2020

Group Size: 8

Cost: $3,595 sharing, $3,995 singles

Initial Deposit: $1,000

Instructors: Buddy Eleazer and/or Denise Silva of Road Runner Photo Tours

Safari Origination Point and Conclusion Point: This safari begins and ends in Johannesburg, South Africa

Each day during our time at Chobe National Park, we will have morning and evening game drives. During your stay, tThere will be a mix of shooting from specially designed photo boats and land based game drives.

We have selected a lodge designed for photographers. This lodge just won the prestigious “Africa’s Leading New Hotel 2019”. The heart of the Pangolin Chobe Lodge is the dining room, editing area, bar and pool terrace. The aim of the Pangolins Chobe Lodge is to have an inclusive elegant and relaxed atmosphere where you immediately feel like you are a part of a club. The walls are adorned with amazing wildlife images to inspire you, and there are plenty of places to relax and spend time with your fellow travelers. The lodge also has projection equipment to allow presentations and image sharing, and maybe most importantly, game-drive vehicles specifically designed for optimizing your photography.

The Months of May and June on the Chobe River

We have been to this region of Africa many times. For this special workshop, we have selected May for several reasons:

First and foremost, we want to be on the Chobe River during the dry season because this drives all wildlife to the river’s edge to find life sustaining water. This provides a higher density of wildlife which leads to great wildlife viewing and photography for you!
Despite being the dry season, the Chobe River is still at high flow. Chobe receives a lot of water from the Angola Highlands and these high-water levels create submerged islands of hippo grass. The elephants love to swim out to these submerged islands to graze and we love to photograph swimming elephants!
Optimizing the Victoria Falls Day Trip. The Chobe feeds the Zambezi River which in turn feeds Victoria Falls. In May the high flow at the Falls will show the true power of the river. Be prepared to be awe-struck!
Keeping the price low! – We’ve tracked flight costs to southern Africa for many years, and from this experience we know that airfares rise from mid-June until August. By picking May, we hope everyone can get good competitive airfares.

The Game-Drive Experience

What we expect to see – Chobe National Park is home to the largest population of elephants in the world. During the dry season, the waterfront supports over 50,000 elephants. There is more to Chobe than just these pachyderms, with more than 75 mammal species and 450 bird types, you will also encounter buffalos, impala, giraffe, zebras, impala, sable, waterbuck, puku, warthog and predators such as lions and leopards.
From the water, we will shoot from a specially designed photo boat. We have one eight-seater custom-built photo boat with fully rotating chairs and fitted with state-of-the-art camera mounts. Generally, we take this boat out at first light and again in the late afternoon for up to three hours each time. The Chobe river offers excellent photographic and game viewing opportunities from the famous Chobe elephants to smaller inhabitants like tiny Malachite Kingfishers that flit along the banks.
On land, the Unimog is a beast of a machine. Designed by the German military, it will go through any type of terrain without problems come rain or shine. We chose the Unimog as our photo platform because you’ll be able to photograph from either side of the vehicle at any particular sighting. You’ll have your own designated seat with its own bean bag and an additional bean bag to use on the opposite side of the vehicle which you simply move across to. With this arrangement, you’ll avoid the frustration of a fellow photographer blocking your shot at that crucial moment as in traditional game viewers.

We love shooting from both the land and the water. From the past, some clients prefer land and some prefer the boats; however, slightly more like shooting from the water so we will schedule for 2/3 of our outing to be from the photo boats and 1/3 of our game drives will be on land.

The Instruction

There is no better way to improve your wildlife photography than in the best classroom in the world – The African Bush. This package will appeal to photographers of all levels of experience and ability who want a more immersive safari experience at some of the best photo locations in Botswana. No matter how much you think you know there’s always something more to learn when it comes to wildlife photography. And our experienced photo group leaders will be on hand throughout this safari to help you do just that!

The Lodge

The Pangolin Chobe Lodge is situated on the hill above the town of Kasane, the gateway to the Chobe National Park. We are a three-minute drive from the newly rebuilt Kasane International Airport.

At the Pangolin Chobe Lodge, there are a total of 14 bedrooms and we have reserved 4 of them. If we have single supplement clients, we will work to secure additional rooms. The bedrooms are configured as either double beds or two singles and all en-suite with the toilet and shower. Each of the rooms has a private balcony with spectacular views across the Chobe floodplains. The rooms are all air-conditioned with plenty of plug points and places to store camera gear and luggage.

We have already mentioned the dining room, editing area, bar and pool terrace. But there is more! On the upper floor is the bar with a table dedicated to editing and workshops. On certain evenings, we like to have a braai (a South African barbecue).

My spouse/friend doesn’t shoot. What about non-photographers?

We openly admit that we’ve designed this Africa trip for photography. However, for the non-photographer, this trip will also be extremely entertaining and enjoyable. The wildlife is there for everyone and we will give you a front-row seat. In addition, our guides are expert at identifying the various species and also at answering any questions you might have related to the wildlife. We’ve taken many non-photographers to this destination and all have enjoyed the trip. By the way, if a non-photographer wants to try their hand at shooting, we will provide a camera and lens for you to give it a try!

What is Included:

One arrival night in Johannesburg
Four nights lodging in Botswana at Pangolin Chobe Lodge
All meals
Round trip airfare from Johannesburg (JNB) to Chobe National Park (BBK)
Relevant Park Fees (Chobe and Victoria Falls)
8 game drives within Chobe NP
Domestic beer and wines
Laundry Service
Tips for the guides and hotel staff while at Chobe (We know this is always a stress point for clients and we know the quality of service at this location, so we have handled it for you.)

What is NOT included:

International airfare between your home and Kasane, Botswana (BBK)
Personal purchases (including curios, spirits, telephone calls, etc.)

The Cost

The cost of this all-inclusive safari is $3,595 per person sharing. If a single, there is a supplemental charge that takes your price slightly upward to $3,995. The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography or just enjoying the beauty of nature. This fee includes airfare from Johannesburg to/from Chobe National Park, any ground transfers as well as hotel accommodation and all meals. There is an initial deposit of $1,000 for this trip.

Necessary Fine Print: Botswana and Zimbabwe are stable countries, but the world is changing and Africa is changing with it. We will attempt to adhere to this itinerary as much as possible. However, certain conditions (political, climatic, environmental, cultural, or wildlife migrations) may necessitate changes in the itinerary. We reserve the right to alter any itinerary at any time, if necessary. We will attempt to notify participants of changes as far in advance as possible. Costs incurred by such changes will be the responsibility of the participant.

What Do I Do Next?

This group size is small. Space is extremely limited. If this exciting trip fits you, and if you’re excited by the thought of seeing nature while taking your photography to the next level, then now is the time to register. Remember, there is limited space available for this trip. When they’re spoken for, that’s it. If you have any questions or wish to register, send us an e-mail with any inquiries to buddy.eleazer@gmail.com.