The Chobe river is the east section of the northern border between Botswana and Namibia. The Chobe river starts at the south east section of Lake Liambezi flows to Ngoma and on to Kasane. The so-called “Chobe riverfront” spans from Ngoma in the west to the rapids below Kasane town. From the rapids, the Chobe river flows a further eight kilometres past Impalila island before it joins the mighty Zambezi river at Kazungula. We normally only venture higher up river from Kasane to Serondela because of time and fuel limitations. Up river from Kasane, the Chobe splits into two channels one on each side of Sedudu island. We usually travel up river in the southern channel and return via the northern channel. We travel up river along the southern channel for about two kilometres to Pygmy Geese bend after which the river joins and we travel for about five or six kilometres up to Elephant Valley and then on to Puku flats. Serondela is another seven to eight kilometres further up river. The amount and variety of wildlife along this stretch of river is astounding and keeps us occupied with our cameras for hours and days.

“Shallow ecology is anthropocentric, or human-centred. It views humans as above or outside nature, as the source of all value, and ascribes only instrumental, or ‘use’, value to nature. Deep ecology does not separate humans – or anything else – from the natural environment. It does see the world not as a collection of isolated objects but as a network of phenomena that are fundamentally interconnected and interdependent. Deep ecology recognizes the intrinsic value of all human beings and views humans as just one particular strand in the web of life.” ~ Fritjof Capra

I have been fortunate enough to have photographed with CNP Safaris on the Chobe river since 2009. I have only seen lions on three occasions. These two lionesses were just resting early in the morning on the river bank close to the water. We did not see any male lions or cubs.

One of the reasons for going to the Chobe in the summer is that it was hot. This caused major cumulus cloud build ups from early in the afternoon. The storm clouds provided wonderful moody backgrounds.

Jacana ally is one of our favourite spots to stop early in the morning because there is usually plenty of Jacana activity on the rafts of water lily and pond weed. This protected inlet is also home to many other waders such as herons, moorhens and the secretive Black crakes. There are also various ducks species and Pygmy geese in the ally.

“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity?” ~ EO Wilson

We usually find Pygmy geese at Pygmy Geese corner, hence the name. There are lots of reeds and water grass to feed on and they roost in the large Jackalberry trees on the river bank. The male Pygmy goose is more glamorously coloured that than female.

A white water lily flower which opens with the sunlight during the day and closes at night. When open it is a magnet for insects which attracts the Jacanas when there is a raft of water lily pads and flowers.

Afternoon skies over the Chobe river. This was the start of the Water cart river loop, a sand track along the river. We have seen everything from elephants and buffalo to lions at this bend in the river bank.

“A rainbow is the product of physics working for your appreciation of beauty.” ~ Kyle Hill

You have to be ready because when Pygmy geese take off from the water they are fast, so much so that we call them “pocket rockets”. Usually the female takes off first but in this instance the male was the “early riser”.

In the afternoons on the boat, the rain filled skies would darken the background while the sun illuminated the river in the foreground creating that mood of expectation.

A Little bee-eater warming itself in the early morning sun in Jacana ally.

This bull elephant is immersed in the reed beds foraging happily on his own. Although the Chobe is full of large Nile crocodiles they know better than to tangle with one of these giants. The White Cattle egrets benefit from all the insects which are disturbed by the elephant’s movement in the reeds.

Looking down river from just below Elephant Valley. A beautiful rainbow rising from the Kasane ridge.

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” ~ Lord Byron

A pair of Wire-tailed swallows on a dead tree trunk at the entrance to the main channel leading up river. The male on the left of the image had been trying to mate with the female but she was having none of it.

A White-browed coucal in the Chobe Safari Lodge grounds at the water’s edge. The white eyebrow is distinctive. Its black head and nape are clearly marked with white streaks.

The reason for the presence of the adult White-browed coucal was this juvenile White-browed coucal in the thick vegetation next to the river.

An adult Fish eagle landed on the bank on Sedudu island and was calling its mate with the distinctive throwing back of its head while it was calling. It does this whether on the ground or flying. The African fish eagle is probably the most recognised and vocal eagle in Africa, with its evocative “weeah-kyow-koy-koy-koy” call.

The Chacma baboon troops are an endless source of entertainment and photographic opportunities. The youngsters are always playing and when one or two are being scolded they let the whole troop know with their screeches.

“The human family has invaluable friends and irreplaceable allies in the plant and animal worlds. We cannot continue to tug at the web of life without tearing a hole in the very fabric of our earthly existence – and eventually falling through that hole ourselves.” ~ Van Jones

A Pied kingfisher with its sizeable meal that it had just caught by diving into the water from above. This kingfisher will beat the fish to death on the dead tree trunk. Once dead it will manoeuvre the fish and swallow it whole and head first so that the sharp spines on its dorsal fin do not get caught in its throat.

We always make a point of stopping at the eastern most part of Sedudu island to photograph the iconic three Jackalberry trees at sunset. The colours and mood of the sunsets vary enormously and always create a sense of wonder and enormity.

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” ~ John Muir

Some of the sunsets looking west over Namibia were so vivid that the sky looked like it was on fire. We were on the Chobe in early April which is the end of the rainy season but there were still dramatic cloud formations.

I have been to the Chobe river to photograph wildlife more than twenty times. You might ask why the same place. The answer is that the mood of river, the skies and the wildlife we see have never been the same. We very seldom see the same thing in the same place. One afternoon we will see a herd of Sable antelope drinking at Elephant valley and then never see them there again on that trip. We could see many White-fronted bee-eaters along a particular section of the river one day and they will gone the next never to return to that spot.

“Perhaps the most poignant image of our time is that of Earth as seen by the space voyagers: a blue sphere, shimmering with life and light, alone and unique in the cosmos. From this perspective, the maps of geopolitics vanish, and the underlying interconnectedness of all the components of this extraordinary living system – animal, plant, water, land, and atmosphere – becomes strikingly evident.” ~ Richard Benedick

My photobuddy and long standing friend, Elana Erasmus, was our guide on the CNP photographic boat. Thank you Elana, your knowledge, patience and love of wildlife and photography added enormously to the enjoyment and productivity on the trip. I am looking forward to our next trip in March 2024.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike