Botswana trip report - July 2009
Aug 4th, 2009, 05:38 PM
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Botswana trip report - July 2009
I am just back from a 4-camp trip to Botswana, and here are some quick highlights.
We started off the safari at Kwetsani in the Jao concession. The flood in the delta has given the Jao area a decent amount of water, but nothing that made the area challenging. We spent 3 nights at Kwetsani, and enjoyed taking over the entire camp for my safari group. We had a huge, male lion walk out on the floodplains on our first morning, just in front of camp. This guy was gorgeous, and didn't have much of anything in the way of scars on him. The water out in front of camp is about 6 inches deep, and deeper on the roads as they are lower than the surrounding grassland. We had an adult male leopard jump across the flooded road just in front of us. Probably 8 feet in front of the vehicle. For some reason I still had my 200-400mm lens ready to go, and totally missed a great opportunity to grab a nice shot.
We saw the male leopard again, and some in our group had some great photographs of our time with him. Great sightings of red lechwe on the flooded plains, as well as kingfishers and other aquatic bird species. Game drives also consisted of taking boats over to Hunda island for either half days or full days. Excellent general game at the moment on Hunda.
After 3 nights at Kwetsani we flew over to Savuti. There is a wild dog den in between Dumatau and Savuti, and we were able to make our way to see 13 puppies from 2 different mothers. What an amazing scene to see so many puppies all running around.
The Savuti channel is definitely filled up with water, and the last we had heard was that the water was at the cut line that separates the area from Chobe National Park. You can definitely cross over to the southern side of the channel from Savuti camp, but there are fewer crossings with the higher water. The absolute most amazing sights and photographs from Savuti are from elephants crossing the water. We had a large family of elephants cross the channel right in front of camp, and I counted more than 30 individuals. My 70-200mm lens was too much lens for many of my shots. Oh well. Next time I will remember to hang around the lounge area with a wide angle lens.
We also had excellent lions at Savuti, and we had no shortage of lion photos. We also spent some time with 2 adult male cheetahs.
Then we flew on to Chitabe, where the water is a bit lower but still present. I have to admit that I have a soft spot for camps that have some water to use as a backdrop for photographs. Chitabe had just enough water to make my photographs pop, and not too much where game drives were affected. The staff at Chitabe are extremely warm and friendly, and I know the group was sad to leave at the end. We felt the same about Savuti and Kwetsani. Great lions at Chitabe, as well as leopards.
A smaller group of us moved on the Mombo, and it didn’t disappoint with multiple sightings of Legadema. Last September I was feeling under the weather and had to sleep in one morning, and that was the only leopard sighting (Legadema) that our group had on that trip at Mombo. This time around we tracked and located her 4 times in 3 days, and the shots I have of her are some of my best leopard images yet. I was amazed at how my Nikon D3 worked at ISO 12,800 after the sun had set. Ah, technology that helps us instead of hurting us. I don’t miss the film days. We had heard that Legadema’s daughter, Pula, was caught by the Mombo staff sleeping on the couch in the lounge area only a few days before we arrived. I can only imagine the sight.
The weather on this trip was quite cold at the beginning of the safari, and near the end it started to warm up slightly. There was one morning where it was just brutally cold, and the wildlife just didn’t want to come out and play. Our typical days seemed to be between 40F and 65F. Some days it was near freezing in the morning, and near the end the temps actually made it into the 70’s. I much prefer cooler temps on my safaris, so I was right at home.
This was my most productive Botswana safari to-date from a photographic point of view, and I look forward to more trips to the delta and beyond.
We started off the safari at Kwetsani in the Jao concession. The flood in the delta has given the Jao area a decent amount of water, but nothing that made the area challenging. We spent 3 nights at Kwetsani, and enjoyed taking over the entire camp for my safari group. We had a huge, male lion walk out on the floodplains on our first morning, just in front of camp. This guy was gorgeous, and didn't have much of anything in the way of scars on him. The water out in front of camp is about 6 inches deep, and deeper on the roads as they are lower than the surrounding grassland. We had an adult male leopard jump across the flooded road just in front of us. Probably 8 feet in front of the vehicle. For some reason I still had my 200-400mm lens ready to go, and totally missed a great opportunity to grab a nice shot.
We saw the male leopard again, and some in our group had some great photographs of our time with him. Great sightings of red lechwe on the flooded plains, as well as kingfishers and other aquatic bird species. Game drives also consisted of taking boats over to Hunda island for either half days or full days. Excellent general game at the moment on Hunda.
After 3 nights at Kwetsani we flew over to Savuti. There is a wild dog den in between Dumatau and Savuti, and we were able to make our way to see 13 puppies from 2 different mothers. What an amazing scene to see so many puppies all running around.
The Savuti channel is definitely filled up with water, and the last we had heard was that the water was at the cut line that separates the area from Chobe National Park. You can definitely cross over to the southern side of the channel from Savuti camp, but there are fewer crossings with the higher water. The absolute most amazing sights and photographs from Savuti are from elephants crossing the water. We had a large family of elephants cross the channel right in front of camp, and I counted more than 30 individuals. My 70-200mm lens was too much lens for many of my shots. Oh well. Next time I will remember to hang around the lounge area with a wide angle lens.
We also had excellent lions at Savuti, and we had no shortage of lion photos. We also spent some time with 2 adult male cheetahs.
Then we flew on to Chitabe, where the water is a bit lower but still present. I have to admit that I have a soft spot for camps that have some water to use as a backdrop for photographs. Chitabe had just enough water to make my photographs pop, and not too much where game drives were affected. The staff at Chitabe are extremely warm and friendly, and I know the group was sad to leave at the end. We felt the same about Savuti and Kwetsani. Great lions at Chitabe, as well as leopards.
A smaller group of us moved on the Mombo, and it didn’t disappoint with multiple sightings of Legadema. Last September I was feeling under the weather and had to sleep in one morning, and that was the only leopard sighting (Legadema) that our group had on that trip at Mombo. This time around we tracked and located her 4 times in 3 days, and the shots I have of her are some of my best leopard images yet. I was amazed at how my Nikon D3 worked at ISO 12,800 after the sun had set. Ah, technology that helps us instead of hurting us. I don’t miss the film days. We had heard that Legadema’s daughter, Pula, was caught by the Mombo staff sleeping on the couch in the lounge area only a few days before we arrived. I can only imagine the sight.
The weather on this trip was quite cold at the beginning of the safari, and near the end it started to warm up slightly. There was one morning where it was just brutally cold, and the wildlife just didn’t want to come out and play. Our typical days seemed to be between 40F and 65F. Some days it was near freezing in the morning, and near the end the temps actually made it into the 70’s. I much prefer cooler temps on my safaris, so I was right at home.
This was my most productive Botswana safari to-date from a photographic point of view, and I look forward to more trips to the delta and beyond.
Aug 4th, 2009, 06:23 PM
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Thanks Andy, great report!
We'll be heading up to Savuti & Chobe with Masson's come Sept and will also look forward to putting my D3&500VR combo to work.
Did you use the 1.4tc with the 200-400/D3 at all, how did you find the reach with this combo?
Did you find large Ele herds with all the water still about?
Cheers
Marc
We'll be heading up to Savuti & Chobe with Masson's come Sept and will also look forward to putting my D3&500VR combo to work.
Did you use the 1.4tc with the 200-400/D3 at all, how did you find the reach with this combo?
Did you find large Ele herds with all the water still about?
Cheers
Marc
Aug 4th, 2009, 06:25 PM
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Hi Andy
That sounds as if the wildlife in Botswana didn't disappoint for this trip! It sounds as if you had photographic opportunities aplenty. I always wonder on those horribly cold or windy days where all the animals go - they had to be somewhere and yet they are never found - one of lifes many mysteries!
Kind regards
Kaye
That sounds as if the wildlife in Botswana didn't disappoint for this trip! It sounds as if you had photographic opportunities aplenty. I always wonder on those horribly cold or windy days where all the animals go - they had to be somewhere and yet they are never found - one of lifes many mysteries!
Kind regards
Kaye
Aug 4th, 2009, 07:20 PM
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Many thanks for your report Andy. I'd like to see some leopard shots after sunset, that has lost a lot of light (obviously) and I have a hard time imaging it. Not exactly like a night city shot after dark!!! And lighting by vehicle headlights doesn't count!!! Suppose you'll have some up on your web site, yes? Thanks again for your report.
regards - tom
regards - tom
Aug 4th, 2009, 11:38 PM
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Aug 5th, 2009, 12:03 AM
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Nice shot. Hmm, interesting Marc, light source is probably on camera flash? Catch light in eyes. I see little shadowy outlines. Could be bright moon? But ground is not evenly lit. Vehicle lights or spot light would not be that even. So I'm sticking with on camera flash. Right?
Here's one with on camera flash of leopard making kill at King Camp, 2007.
http://tinyurl.com/kpltsz
Not too bad considering. This was the Mangajan male that was shot this spring (not by Kings Camp).
I'm trying to imagine what Andy's would be just after sunset and using ISO 12,800. Leopard in tree, barely lit by last evening light, or by moon light, dark blue sky? Maybe moon low on the horizon, when it is still not bright? Leopard in tree, moon behind thin clouds? (Silhouettes don't count nor do B/W)
regards - tom
Here's one with on camera flash of leopard making kill at King Camp, 2007.
http://tinyurl.com/kpltsz
Not too bad considering. This was the Mangajan male that was shot this spring (not by Kings Camp).
I'm trying to imagine what Andy's would be just after sunset and using ISO 12,800. Leopard in tree, barely lit by last evening light, or by moon light, dark blue sky? Maybe moon low on the horizon, when it is still not bright? Leopard in tree, moon behind thin clouds? (Silhouettes don't count nor do B/W)
regards - tom
Aug 5th, 2009, 02:20 AM
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Tom's quote
"I'm trying to imagine what Andy's would be just after sunset and using ISO 12,800. Leopard in tree, barely lit by last evening light, or by moon light, dark blue sky? Maybe moon low on the horizon, when it is still not bright? Leopard in tree, moon behind thin clouds? (Silhouettes don't count nor do B/W)"
Gotcha Tom, apologies for the misunderstanding. ISO qualities @ 12,800. Yes, would like to see this also.
If you can wait a while, I'll see what I get when try this ISO on my D3 in Botswana ;-)
Cheers
Marc
"I'm trying to imagine what Andy's would be just after sunset and using ISO 12,800. Leopard in tree, barely lit by last evening light, or by moon light, dark blue sky? Maybe moon low on the horizon, when it is still not bright? Leopard in tree, moon behind thin clouds? (Silhouettes don't count nor do B/W)"
Gotcha Tom, apologies for the misunderstanding. ISO qualities @ 12,800. Yes, would like to see this also.
If you can wait a while, I'll see what I get when try this ISO on my D3 in Botswana ;-)
Cheers
Marc
Aug 5th, 2009, 03:14 AM
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Thanks for the report, Andy.
I was at Savuti this time last year, and all were amazed at how far the water had come by them -- and the channel in front of the camp was still bone dry as it had been for ??? years.
I was at Savuti this time last year, and all were amazed at how far the water had come by them -- and the channel in front of the camp was still bone dry as it had been for ??? years.
Aug 5th, 2009, 03:25 AM
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Marc-
I used the D3 or D3x with my 200-400mm and a 1.4x most of the time. Only rarely would I take the TC off. I didn't find that I needed any more focal length, but keep in mind that I am not a hard core birder. I am more of an opportunistic bird photographer, and prefer to shoot more 'animal in the landscape' kinds of shots. I hope you enjoy your Kiboko bag on your next safar!
Tom-
I have some Legadema shots at ISO 1600, 3200, 6400 and 12800 that are pretty darned nice. All after sunset. I will be sure to post them today on my blog, as many people have asked me just how good is the D3 in low light situations. I found myself not using my D3x on my long lens as much, and I mated it with my 70-200mm for more landscape types of shots. The after sunset shots are all of Legadema on the ground, and no sky is in sight.
Oh well, maybe next time she will do a dance for me on a limb.
I used the D3 or D3x with my 200-400mm and a 1.4x most of the time. Only rarely would I take the TC off. I didn't find that I needed any more focal length, but keep in mind that I am not a hard core birder. I am more of an opportunistic bird photographer, and prefer to shoot more 'animal in the landscape' kinds of shots. I hope you enjoy your Kiboko bag on your next safar!
Tom-
I have some Legadema shots at ISO 1600, 3200, 6400 and 12800 that are pretty darned nice. All after sunset. I will be sure to post them today on my blog, as many people have asked me just how good is the D3 in low light situations. I found myself not using my D3x on my long lens as much, and I mated it with my 70-200mm for more landscape types of shots. The after sunset shots are all of Legadema on the ground, and no sky is in sight.
Oh well, maybe next time she will do a dance for me on a limb.
Aug 5th, 2009, 06:19 PM
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Andy
I was just there (Chitabe, Kwetsani and Savuti) in May/June. I saw the wild dogs at Savuti, but no pups. Several looked as if they had just eaten (as we saw an impala skull not to far away, we assumed they had, or perhaps they were pregnant too. How young were the pups?
When I was at Chitabe, they were waiting to see what the water levels might be, so it is interesting to know that they arrived, or have begun to arrive.
Glad you had a great trip, as did I.
amy
I was just there (Chitabe, Kwetsani and Savuti) in May/June. I saw the wild dogs at Savuti, but no pups. Several looked as if they had just eaten (as we saw an impala skull not to far away, we assumed they had, or perhaps they were pregnant too. How young were the pups?
When I was at Chitabe, they were waiting to see what the water levels might be, so it is interesting to know that they arrived, or have begun to arrive.
Glad you had a great trip, as did I.
amy
Aug 5th, 2009, 07:49 PM
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Amy, Noko at Savuti mentioned in passing that the pups are about a month old. They restricted the area to any vehicle traffic, and had just opened the area up when we arrived. Great timing!
Aug 6th, 2009, 12:13 AM
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Hey Andy,
Seems you had great fun!
Your trip report comes in at the right time, now that we're having some good discussions on which WS camps are still good value for money.
Of course, value for money is something that is different for anyone. But even so, one can hopefully see some differences in game viewing when comparing WS lodges, and by doing so pick out the lodges that suit the best.
Jao is one of those areas for which I always thought; "not my cup of tea". Seems I was right, unless I misinterpret your trip report. Are you saying you only saw one lion and one leopard in three days there?
Thanks,
J.
Seems you had great fun!
Your trip report comes in at the right time, now that we're having some good discussions on which WS camps are still good value for money.
Of course, value for money is something that is different for anyone. But even so, one can hopefully see some differences in game viewing when comparing WS lodges, and by doing so pick out the lodges that suit the best.
Jao is one of those areas for which I always thought; "not my cup of tea". Seems I was right, unless I misinterpret your trip report. Are you saying you only saw one lion and one leopard in three days there?
Thanks,
J.
Aug 6th, 2009, 05:18 AM
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Jochen-
Jao may not be for everyone, but it is one of the more unique places in the delta to visit. Putting a wet camp into an itinerary is a pretty cool thing for those who have never been to the delta before.
Jao may not be for everyone, but it is one of the more unique places in the delta to visit. Putting a wet camp into an itinerary is a pretty cool thing for those who have never been to the delta before.
Aug 6th, 2009, 07:28 AM
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I will be working on them when I can over the next few weeks. It won't be easy, as we are dealing with a major health issue with my mother (breast cancer). I will try to process them when I can. The challenge is that I rarely process images on my laptop machine, but maybe this is one of those situations where it wouldn't be a bad idea.
