PHOTOGRAPHY IN BOTSWANA
What can one photograph in Botswana
by Phil Muller (all photos copyrighted to Phil Muller)
When Susan and I decided to travel to Botswana for the first time in August this year, we contacted some friends who had been there and also had a look on the net to see what others have to say. We travel to see and experience places and I take some (about 5000) memory shots, unless there is something worthwhile in decent light that can be used in our Camera Club competitions (usually about 0.1%). Salons don’t feature as they were a means to an end, and don’t thrill me a great deal. I probably still bear the scars of my first few failures.
Apparently travel broadens one’s horizon – Bots provides some very broad horizons! What they forget to add is that it can also flatten the wallet. One Pula costs R1.45 thanks to those who work so hard at keeping the rand just above useless (useless – use less?) Bloggers on the net provided some good travel tips and confirms the diversity of man. Some go to Botswana for the 4×4 experience (like getting stuck in deep sand which allows you to justify your vehicle’s purchase to your wife and hungry kids); some go to get away from people (no problem – the same people are probably grateful for your absence); some go to tick their bucket list (some buckets have other purposes in the wild…); you get those that sommer go ‘cos it’s a lekker jol… There are a miriad other reasons, but these days most travellers take photos, using anything that will produce pictures that they can use to bore family and friends with. My travel photos come in very handy when dinner guests overstay their welcome…
Everyone advised against not booking and going alone, not because of danger (as it is certainly not like RSA), but if you get stranded you might spend Christmas in the bush. So, on 10th August 2017 we entered Botswana via the very busy Martin’s Drift border post on our own and without any bookings to have a look at the north-eastern part of Botswana. We towed our off-road Aloe Ferox caravan and camped. Some camps had electricity, some had cold water, some had deep sand in the camping area and some had a restaurant on site. (I can provide more details on specific questions at mulphil@gmail.com)
We drove to Francistown and stayed at Woodlands Lodge where they had one campsite left (some places had less than that, but somehow we managed). From there it was on to Elephant Sands, Kasane, Chobe, Victoria Falls, Senyati and finally Tuli Block.
Most main roads are tarred while some roads have roadblocks of a different kind.
Some roads have mobile offices like these grass harvesters.
At Elephant Sands the ellies share your space …
… and you share theirs …
You might get in the way if you turn your back …
… or you might get stuck in Chobe just watching one.
We were told that there are about 70 000 elephants in the country and it felt as though we saw most of them at least once…
We visited Chobe National Park (above) and went for a cruise on the Chobe River
where we rubbed shoulders with the pros
and got very close to the animals and some lovely birds.
At sunset one can get some decent angles …
… while back in camp some birds wait patiently to be immortalised.
From Kasane we travelled the 80km to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
Once you’ve confirmed that all the photos that you’ve seen of the falls are true and getting a little soaked, you can watch lunatics jump off the historic bridge (in Zambia) with no more than a piece of elastic to save them.
You can also photograph a very old tree.
Back in Botswana we were lucky to secure 2 days camping at a very special place near Kasane called Senyati, where a fresh water supply attracts elephants, buffaloes, kudus, warthogs, baboons, etc.
The owners have put up a light,…
… dug a tunnel …
and built an underground photographic hide where one can reach out and polish the toe-nails of passing elephants.
A Gauteng blonde struggled down the ladder and into the hide with an enormous lens like the one below:
… but couldn’t fit it through the port hole! She will probably post some serious close-ups of parts of an elephant’s eye…
One can get a great angle from ground level
and if you are lucky, a framed shot, albeit a bit tight!
If you drive around in the area, some interesting shots are also possible.
Our last day was spent at a remote private camp, Molema in the Tuli Block next to the Limpopo river.
We found Botswana to be an extremely friendly, interesting country and would like to continue visiting it.
I believe every story should end with a sunset.
