What it's really like to go on a photographic safari

Award-winning travel writer Bella Falk went on the journey of a lifetime In Botswana (Picture: Bella Falk) The cormorant has bitten off considerably more than it can chew. It stands on a rock in the middle of the river, a huge catfish clamped in its beak, its red eyes agape with the incredulity of a lottery winner whose numbers have finally come up. From our boat about fifty metres away, we watch as the victorious bird flips its massive meal into the air, trying to manoeuvre so it can swallow its prize without being impaled on a spiny fin. It manages a partial gulp, then realises the angle is wrong and coughs it back out, while I peer through my viewfinder, freezing every frame of this breakfast battle. ‘Set your shutter speed to at least 1/2500 for the action,’ our host Pusetso Nteta advises. ‘Exposure compensation around +⅔ to bring up the dark bird against the bright water. Aperture f/8 so both subjects are sharp. Enjoy the moment!’ I’m on a photographic safari on the Chobe River, a calm, 200-metre-wide waterway that forms a natural border between north Botswana and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. Home for the week. Not too shabby (Picture: Bella Falk) On the north bank are the green floodplains of rural Namibia, where locals graze cattle or cast fishing nets from dugout canoes, while on the opposite side is Botswana’s Chobe National Park, 11,700km2 of protected wilderness, packed with lions, leopards, and the world’s largest population of elephants. In between, the river is as crowded as Oxford Street in December. Buffalo jostle and glare like impatient shoppers. Statuesque herons pose like Selfridges’ mannequins. Impalas cautiously tiptoe in to drink like tourists fearful of phone-snatchers. Sunlight sparkles on the water like nature’s version of Christmas lights. Just two of the wondrous creatures Bella snapped along the way (Picture: Bella Falk) This abundant diversity makes Chobe one of the most popular safari destinations in Africa. However, unlike a regular safari, my trip with Pangolin Photo Safaris is not just about seeing wildlife, but photographing it. Every excursion is guided by a professional wildlife photographer who dishes out composition tips and technical advice. Specialist photo boats sit low on the water for that intimate eye-level angle, with 360-degree swivel seats and gimbal mounts for heavy lenses. Each excursion is guided by a skilled photographer like Pusetso, who shares the secrets of her craft (Picture: Bella Falk) For even better access to the wildlife, I’m staying on the Pangolin Voyager II, Africa’s first custom-built, solar-powered, fully-electric houseboat, which was launched in July as an add-on to Pangolin’s existing hotel in Kasane, the gateway to Chobe National Park. More boutique floating lodge than cruise ship, the Voyager is the African Queen for the 21st century, blending modern technology with the luxuries of a traditional riverboat: comfortable en-suite cabins, a lounge and dining area where chefs serve us three-course dinners, and a sundeck where I watch the landscapes glide past with an Okavango gin in one hand and my camera in the other. Just in case. (Credits: Bella Falk) (Credits: Bella Falk) (Credits: Bella Falk) (Credits: Bella Falk) LessMore Solar panels on the roof feed four electric motors, which power us between moorings at a serene 5 km/h. Without the roar of a diesel engine, the river curates its own playlist for our journey: the chirp of a pied kingfisher, the grunting of an irritated hippo, papyrus stems rustling in the breeze. We cross the border into Namibian waters, away from the bustle of Kasane. The morning commute (Picture: Bella Falk) We visit ‘Lily Land’, named for its floating meadow of white and purple waterlilies, where we watch African jacanas, or ‘Jesus birds’, appear to walk on water as they hop from pad to pad hunting for insects. ‘What I love about the houseboat is that we can travel into areas no one else goes,’ Pusetso explains. ‘The land-based boats can only go a short distance before they have to turn back. Up here, we have the river to ourselves.’ The next afternoon, we have a private audience with a family of baboons and stay until the light fades, enchanted by four infants who tumble over each other while the adults supervise with weary impatience. One baby is fascinated by an eagle feather until a cousin steals it; the image I captured of his crestfallen disbelief as his toy is snatched is one of my photo highlights of the week. The kind of holiday picture your family won’t mind seeing (Picture: Bella Falk) You don’t have to be an experienced photographer to go on a photo safari: the trip is aimed at all levels, and guests can borrow top-end cameras and lenses if they don’t have their own. Our seven-person group is a mix of regular safari-goers, intermediate photographers and newbies on their very first trip to Africa – and surprisingly, we are six women and one man, proving that photography is fast-moving away from the old boys’ club it once was. Perhaps the best example of this is our guide Pusetso, who, in an industry historically dominated by men, is Botswana’s first home-grown female photography guide. Alina Alonso and Joan Kaywell, retired friends from Florida, have never been to Africa before and arrived with only their smartphones. ‘I wasn’t interested in photography,’ Joan confesses. ‘I only came because Alina needed a plus one and it sounded like an adventure.’ Quiet moments immortalised (Picture: Bella Falk) For the first few days, she fumbles quietly with her borrowed mirrorless camera and flinches every time we pass a hippo – but by the end of the week, she’s tracking herons in flight like an expert and shopping online for lenses. ‘Many people come because they want to learn or improve,’ explains Toby Jermyn, Pangolin’s co-founder. ‘In the past year, 40% of guests arrived without a professional camera, and used ours. But people also love the wildlife photography opportunities, the photo-centric itineraries, and of course, the chance to meet other like-minded photographers.’ Once in a lifetime (Picture: Bella Falk) From the photo boat, whether beginners or experts, we all nail crisp, sharp shots of the cormorant as it finally manages to swallow its meal. As we cruise away in search of our next subject, we leave it exhausted and bulging, in a fishy food coma. After a week of delicious meals, and with a hard drive groaning with 10,000 images which I need to digest, I share its bloated, slightly stunned satisfaction. How to go on a photo safari Bella was hosted on Pangolin Photo Safaris’ 7-day Best of The Chobe tour, which runs on select dates between April and November. Prices start from £4,250 per person sharing, and include three nights aboard the Pangolin Voyager II, three nights in the Pangolin Chobe Hotel, all activities with expert guides, meals and drinks, and loan of camera gear if required. Private group bookings are also available, as are extensions to other regional destinations, including Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta.