What is Botswana Known For?
Photo by David W. Shaw
If you’ve never traveled to Botswana, you might wonder what it’s primary features and attractions are.
For photographers, this incredible country has many highlights that make it an ideal place to tour with your camera.
From breathtaking landscapes to an incredible diversity of wildlife, there is no lack of subject matter for photo-taking.
So, what is Botswana best known for? Let’s find out…
Botswana is Known for Elephants
Photo by David W. Shaw
If it’s elephants you want to photograph, Botswana is your destination.
With the largest population of elephants in Africa, there are many different locations in this country where you can observe and photograph these massive beasts.
One of the best locations to see elephants is along the Chobe River. Along with many of Africa’s other wildlife, elephants frequent the river to drink and cool off from the heat of the African sun.
Photo by David W. Shaw
Additionally, the Okavango Delta (more on that later) is a prime area to photograph elephants, which line up along the shore to drink the cool water.
Botswana Photography Tip: When photographing elephants as they drink and cool off in the river, try doing so from a boat. The on-the-water perspective can often help you create images that are more compelling and interesting to view. In particular, a boat trip up the Chobe River will give you opportunities to photograph many other animals, including cape buffalo, crocodiles, hippos, ungulates, and many types of wading birds. Learn more about how you can photograph elephants and other wildlife in Botswana.
Botswana is Known for Chobe National Park
Photo by David W. Shaw
A fun fact about Botswana is that about 17 percent of its land is dedicated to national parks. One of the crown jewels of Botswana’s park system is Chobe National Park.
Prior to becoming a national park, the area was trophy hunting grounds as well as a source of teak wood for the timber industry. Today, both activities are outlawed and the area is a sanctuary.
Photo by David W. Shaw
Like many other areas of Botswana, Chobe National Park is brimming with wildlife. In fact, of Africa’s Big Five (lion, leopard, cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino), the rhino is the only one not present in the park.
Botswana Photography Tip: This area has a large bird population and is therefore an ideal place to better your bird photography skills. Try photographing birds set against the setting sun for some spectacular imagery of silhouetted birds.
Botswana is Known for the Okavango Delta
Photo by David W. Shaw
One of the most impressive areas of Botswana is the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Delta is created by the Okavango River, which runs through the middle of the Kalahari. It is one of the largest inland river deltas in the world, a lush area ripe with wildlife that contrasts beautifully with the arid landscape of the desert surrounding it.
The abundance of wildlife is attributed to the sprawling grassy plains where many animals migrate to partake of the food sources that are available there. This includes many different species of birds, including Malachite Kingfisher, African Hoopoe, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, and Tawny Eagle.
Photo by David W. Shaw
When visiting the Delta, a stay in the Khwai Community Preserve is a must. From waterfront campsites, you can observe innumerable animals as they swarm the area by the thousands to enjoy the riches of the Delta.
Botswana Photography Tip: Be sure to tour the Delta via mokoro canoes, a pole-driven craft that is the traditional mode of transport in this area. Doing so offers you a completely different perspective on the landscape of the Delta than you get from a safari vehicle on land.
Botswana is Known for the Moremi Game Reserve
Photo by David W. Shaw
If Khwai doesn’t whet your appetite for the Okavango enough, you can venture further into the Delta and explore the Moremi Game Reserve.
This area is home to some of the densest populations of wildlife in the world, so photographic opportunities are abundant. You’ll see crocodiles, hippos, birdlife, and other animals in and on the water, and on land, you’ll observe rhinos, lions, leopards, and other four-legged creatures.
This area is home to a diverse range of landscapes, including open savannah, forests, and seasonal lakes, so in addition to being a hot spot for developing your wildlife photography skills, you can also practice your hand at photographing many different types of landscapes.
Botswana Photography Tip: When presented with such an incredible array of sights and sounds, it’s tempting to speed up your workflow and start rapid-firing photos in every direction. Instead, practice patience and focus on quality images over quantity. Yes, you’ll have fewer images, but you’ll have better images because of it.
Photography Tours in Botswana
Photo by David W. Shaw
Given the immense beauty of Botswana, it is a hot-bed of photographic activities with many photography tours offered year-round by photographers and guide companies the world over.
When selecting a photography tour in Botswana, it’s important to base your selection not just on the expense and the itinerary, but also on the group size and group leader.
Photo by David W. Shaw
I recently got to know David W. Shaw, whose photos you see throughout this article, and who offers Botswana photography tours.
This guy is the real deal - a professional photographer and biologist whose love for photography is matched only by his knowledge of all things wild.
Photo by David W. Shaw
His Botswana tour takes you to each of the locations outlined above and then some. Over the course of 13 days, you’ll be led from one breathtaking location to the next, learning new skills and honing old ones in the field as wildlife surrounds you. From boats and safari vehicles, you’ll explore the wilds of Botswana all the while getting plenty of one-on-one instruction from Dave in a small group setting.
You’ll also visit off-the-beaten-path locations where you can truly connect with nature without the distraction of hundreds of tourists and other photographers.
Sounds great, right?
For more details about exploring Botswana with your camera, visit Dave’s website. You can also learn more about Botswana in Dave’s free ebook, Into Botswana, the Guide to Real-World Outdoor Photography.