Here is what you need to know about going on safari with me Botswana:
Connection to the Landscape
Part of the reason I can offer my Botswana photo safari for so much less than other comparable trips, is that we utilize mobile camps, rather than wildly overpriced lodges. You might think sleeping in tents is a disadvantage, but I consider it an unexpected bonus. The camps are comfortable (almost “glamping”), and they allow us a much greater connection with the landscape than any hotel or lodge. We wake up in the morning to the sound of birds and wildlife, not to a beeping alarm or the banging around of our hotel room neighbors.
I believe being immersed in our surroundings helps us make better images and better understand where we are. By living in it, we can find the stories that matter, and better comprehend own experience, and understand the ecosystem around us. It’s those stories that make compelling photographs, and experiences.
So there is that.
The Tents
But the bonus isn’t just philosophical: the mobile camps are nice! The sleeping tents, are large, sturdy, walk-in wall tents with real beds and an attached bathroom area. The bathroom is surrounded by a privacy/safety canvas wall, and is equipped with a hot bucket shower (more on that in a second), and an odorless pit toilet. Frankly, it’s better than home because you step out your door into the African bush and shower beneath the brightest stars you can imagine.
Mosquito mesh keeps you bug free while allowing the cool evening breeze to move through the tent. The beds have good mattresses and pillows for a comfortable night’s sleep. Additionally, each tent is equipped with a variety of oft-forgotten items like mosquito repellent, laundry and hand soap, a flashlight and other sundries.
I’ve rarely slept so well as I have on safari in Botswana. Listening to the cicadas, owls, and the hush of breeze through the tent is profoundly relaxing, (especially after a long day of watching and photographing the abundant wildlife).
The Bathroom Situation
The bathrooms on safari are probably cleaner than the one in your home (though you may have a less sandy floor). As I noted above, behind each tent is a canvas-walled area where you’ll find a private pit toilet and a bucket shower. The safari staff takes the extra step of covering the ground here with fabric to minimize thorns and keep sand from getting everywhere.
The shower is a fabric “bucket” with a shower head underneath. These are mounted on tall tripods so there is no crouching or sponging to get clean. Each evening as we return from our game drive, the staff fills the showers with hot water, with more available as needed. They are perfect for an afternoon cool-off, or a hot shower before dinner.
Dining and Food
The “dining room” on safari is a tall pavilion with removable walls (which can be set up if the wind picks up). Tables covered in table cloths are surrounded by chairs for eating and lounging, looking at images on our tablets or laptops, or simply hanging around in the shade.
The food is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the entire journey. It is all prepared by a trained camp chef and cooked over an open fire. To call it surprisingly good, would be a wild understatement. While breakfast is a simple affair with hot and cold cereals, fruit, coffee, and juice, lunch and dinner are multi-course extravaganzas. For days in camp, there will be a hot lunch, with a variety of fruits and salads, and on travel days, the picnic spreads are memorable with cold salads, sandwiches with fresh baked bread, fruit and drinks.
And dinner! Dinner starts off with delicious soups and breads or rolls baked in the fire with a dutch oven. Main courses are variable with some local specialties, but also familiar dishes cooked to please American and European palates. Deserts, coffee and tea round out every evening meal.
The chef can work with most dietary restrictions from gluten-free to vegetarians to food allergies.
Daily Routine
Each morning on safari begins the same way: in the pre-dawn darkness, the first birds will start to sing and within a few minutes the individual calls become a chorus. From outside the tent you’ll hear the sound of shuffling feet as one of the camp staff comes over and pours hot wash water into the basin on the front porch. “Good morning!” comes a friendly a call, “Hot water is here.” Rising from bed you can step outside and wash up as a buffet breakfast and coffee is laid out in the dining tent. It will still be mostly dark as we eat the morning meal, but the wildlife around us will be waking up and their sounds fill the air. Just before dawn, we’ll climb into the vehicle and head out to look for wildlife and photos.
We’ll be out for a few hours, hitting the local hotspots and relying on the local guide’s tracking skills to find the best wildlife. That may be a lion pride, African Spotted Dogs, a hyena den, or herds of zebra, wildebeest, impala, elephants, lechwe, reedbuck, waterbuck, hippos, or a dozen other species.
Mid-morning we’ll break for tea and coffee, which gives us a chance to stretch our legs and make some images of the landscape. On days when we aren’t moving camp, we’ll return by late morning, where we can have a few hours of relaxation during the heat of the day before heading out again the late afternoon for another game drive.
On moving days, we’ll essentially have an all-day game drive. While distances are not great, the rough and winding roads make travel slow, and at least two of the days we won’t arrive at camp until the late afternoon. There will be a picnic lunch in the shade somewhere on the way, and we’ll make lots of stops for wildlife (and bathroom breaks, as necessary).
Back in camp in the evening, there is always time for a shower before we sit down to dinner, or drinks around the fire.
Nightlife
Well, safari camps are not exactly party central. Nor should they be! But after our return from the evening drive, and after we’ve had a chance to shower and change, the campfire becomes the social area. Gin and tonics, wine, or soft drinks are served, and we can sit and listen to the fire crackle, and relive the day’s sightings and adventures. Those moments around the fire, as the sounds of nocturnal wildlife emerge from the bush, are some of my favorites.
Vehicles
The safari vehicles, which we use for game drives and moving between camps, are modified Toyota Landcruiser pickups. The bed area is home to three rows of comfortable seats, each row slightly higher than the one in front allowing everyone to see every direction. Overhead is a sunshade, and canvas walls can be rolled down if we get some rain. At most, 6 photographers will be in each vehicle so no one has to sit in the middle and everyone has good views wherever the wildlife appears.
What about dust? Some safari locations, particularly in East Africa are notorious for high-speed dirt roads that throw dust into the air and gets into every crevice (and camera). Fortunately, Botswana is a bit different. Almost all our travel will be either on paved roads (very little), or on sand tracks (the vast majority). Speeds are kept low due to the rough terrain so dust never really builds up.
The tracks are rough in places, and there is a fair amount of jostling and bouncing as the safari guide navigates our route. The two or three long transportation days can get tiring, but there is a steady stream of wildlife and good conversation to keep us occupied.
Also, each Land Cruiser is equipped with a refrigerator filled with an endless supply of cold soft drinks, water, and beer. Getting parched on a hot drive? Just pop open a cold beverage, there is always one nearby!
Electricity
Charging for laptops, cameras, and other electronics is available in the vehicles. Large batteries provide power which is run through an inverter (for AC power) and you can plug in your devices as long as you have the right converter (see the packing list).
Safety
Much like Alaska, Africa has a reputation for danger. There is a constant barrage of stories of lion, elephant, and even hippopotamus attacks. And don’t get me wrong, those things are real concerns, and that is why we take precautions while on safari in Botswana. But with those precautions taken, safari is really no more dangerous than any other type of travel.
Almost all our wildlife viewing is done from the safety of the safari vehicles. As long as we stay in them, even the large predators like lions and leopards will not recognize us as anything other than a benign part of the landscape. We only get out of the vehicle when we know there is nothing dangerous around. Additionally, the safari guides are knowledgeable of animal behavior and know how close we can get to big animals like elephants and hippos without posing a risk.
In camp, we will not venture far away from the campsite on foot, and certainly not at night or without the safari guide. After dark, there is a fire burning in camp until we all head to bed. Once we turn in for the day, we simply stay put until morning. With the enclosed bathroom area of each tent, there is really no need to wander outside. Each tent is also equipped with an air horn which can be sounded in the case of an emergency. The camp staff and guides are never far away and will come running if something happens.
Our safety is ultimately our own responsibility. We need to remember where we are at all times, be aware of our surroundings and not push ourselves beyond our limitations. Also, we never drink to excess on safari. A couple of gin and tonics around the fire at night is a great way to round out the day, but becoming incapacitated by alcohol puts everyone at risk.
On the first day of safari, the local guides will discuss safety with us and answer all the questions not covered here.
Join me in Africa!
If you’ve got questions, about any of this or would like more information about the trip, please free to contact me. You can do that right HERE.
Interested in joining me? It’s a great and affordable 13-day, all-inclusive trip starting and ending in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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