I will never forget seeing an elephant’s trunk move through the Chobe River, with the rest of its body completely submerged! I shrieked with excitement as our guide casually explained that elephants swim across the river all the time. That was more than twenty years ago, when I was simply passing through Botswana and jumped aboard a pontoon boat for an afternoon cruise. I had no idea that those few hours would leave such a lasting impression. It took me nearly a decade to return, but the Chobe River has since become one of my favorite places in Africa and, in my view, one of the world’s most unique wildlife experiences.
When I first learned about the specially designed photographic boats on the Chobe River, I knew I had to return. These boats are a photographer’s dream, with comfortable swivel seats and full gimbal rigs that let you rotate 360 degrees and follow the action without ever repositioning your equipment. Their shallow draft lets us explore areas inaccessible to larger boats, drifting almost silently toward wildlife and creating incredible eye-level perspectives that are hard to achieve on land.
Even better was discovering the exclusive houseboat, where we could pull right up alongside the deck and step off at the end of the day. No long transfers back to a lodge, just the pleasure of returning to our floating home, surrounded by the sounds and activity of the river. It was an entirely different way to experience the Chobe, and I was hooked.
Then last year, the simple old houseboat was replaced with a beautifully designed luxury houseboat, transforming an experience I already loved into something truly exceptional. Elegant accommodations, beautiful spaces to relax overlooking the river, and a dedicated photography room for reviewing and editing images brought an entirely new level of comfort to our days on the Chobe, without losing the intimacy and adventure of living right on the river.
It is also a bird photographer’s paradise, with an extraordinary diversity of species along its banks and waterways. From brilliantly colored malachite kingfishers and African fish eagles to bee-eaters, herons, and jacanas walking across floating lilies, there is always something to photograph. The beauty of working from the boats is how close we can get at water level, often with clean backgrounds and beautiful reflections. With so much birdlife and activity along the river, even the quietest moments can produce extraordinary photographic opportunities.
For elephant lovers, the Chobe River is simply paradise! During the dry season, enormous herds gather along the riverbanks, and watching elephants swim across the river is an experience I never tire of. Once they reach the opposite bank, they often cover themselves in dust, sending beautiful clouds into the air as the afternoon light catches every particle. From the low perspective of our photographic boats, these moments offer some of the most extraordinary opportunities to photograph elephants anywhere in Africa.
And then there are the baboons, who provide endless entertainment along the riverbanks! There is always something happening, from youngsters chasing and wrestling with one another to mothers carrying tiny infants and the inevitable squabbles that erupt within the troop. I can spend hours watching their antics, especially when the little ones get into mischief. Their expressive faces, playful behavior, and constant interactions offer wonderful opportunities for storytelling through photography, and often some of the most amusing moments of the day.
During the dry season, the Chobe River becomes a magnet for wildlife as animals gather along its banks to drink, feed, and escape the heat. Over the years, we have had some incredible encounters with the big cats, from lions making their way down to the water to leopards appearing quietly along the riverbanks.
The low perspective allows us to be more artistic with our images, playing with reflections, soft foregrounds, beautiful backgrounds, and creative compositions that capture the light, atmosphere, and beauty of the Chobe River.
I am thrilled to have secured the luxury houseboat and this extraordinary Chobe River experience again for 2028! Even more exciting, I have paired it with an exceptional photographic hide experience, bringing together two of my favorite ways to photograph Africa from an entirely different perspective. FULL DETAILS