Botswana- You Beauty!!!
Date 2024/08/26 08:44:27 by Darren Donovan
I have just returned home from an incredible safari in Botswana. The 9-day adventure began with 4 days spent on boats on the Chobe River, followed by 5 days in the Mashatu Game Reserve.
The Chobe River delivered exceptional photographic opportunities, allowing us to capture the "usual suspects". Elephant, Buffalo, Hippo, Crocodile, and a diverse array of bird species - in wonderful natural settings. This region also provided the chance to experiment with different photographic techniques.
The real highlight of the Chobe leg was the rare and highly unusual sighting of a Pel's Fishing Owl. Encountering and photographing this elusive species was a magnificent addition to the beginning of the safari.
After the remarkable wildlife encounters in the Chobe region, I spent the next 5 days exploring the diverse Mashatu Game Reserve. This area proved to be another photographic goldmine, offering a wealth of subjects and experiences.
The primary focus of this leg of the safari was to seek out the iconic big cats of Mashatu. As expected, the leopards stole the show, granting us multiple opportunities to photograph these beautiful felines in a variety of settings. While the lions proved a bit more elusive, requiring more exploration of the reserve, one highlight was witnessing a mother cheetah with her four cubs making a kill on a Steenbok - a truly special sighting.
The biggest surprise, however, came on the final morning when we encountered two African wild dogs in the northern reaches of Mashatu. This rare glimpse of these enigmatic predators was undoubtedly a major highlight.
Beyond the big cats, Mashatu provided ample opportunities to capture stunning imagery of the region's elephant herds and diverse antelope species. Overall, this part of the safari offered an exceptional photographic experience, showcasing the incredible biodiversity that makes this reserve so renowned.
As always, the combination of these 2 destinations provided us with a magnificent photo safari, with plenty of images and experiences to last the guests until their next African safari.
Images and Blog by: Darren Donovan
