About ten to eleven kilometres up river from Kasane on Botswana’s northern border with Namibia flows the Chobe River on its way from Angola to meet the Zambezi at Kazungula. A favourite place to watch wildlife come down to drink water along the river is the Kalwisi Nkanga viewpoint which we fondly referred to as Elephant Valley. This is a place where you are likely to see family herds of elephants streaming down the shallow valley to the Chobe River water’s edge.

“I appreciate these moments where I can get away from life and focus on living” ~ TJ Thorne

The impala seemed to feel safer when one or two family herds of elephant were drinking at the water’s edge. If too many elephants come down to drink they are too disruptive and scare the impala away.

Along the river from Chobe Game lodge to Puku Flats there is a ridge with a steep bank down to the river. Elephant valley has a corridor which cuts through that ridge and opens up to a wide sand beach front. This is an ideal place for wildlife to come down to drink.

“In the presence of elephants, one cannot help but feel awe and wonder, a reminder of the beauty of creation.” ~ Lawrence Anthony

On the Chobe River, we photograph wildlife from CNP Safari’s specialised photographic boat. It is a boat with a shallow draft for access to shallow areas and is fitted with specialised rotating seats that have attached gimbal-fitted camera supports. This boat allows us to get close without disturbing the wildlife. It also means that we get to view the wildlife at eye level which is ideal. In general, wildlife seems more relaxed with boats than road vehicles. The exception is with hippos which readily show their displeasure if the boat get too close to their pod.

Elephant Valley attracts a variety of wildlife from herds of elephant to pods of hippos and many species of antelope including Sable antelope, Kudu and impala. Giraffe, buffalo, and antelope like Lechwe and Puku prefer the open flat grass lands on the river’s flood plain. The antelope are very wary when coming down into Elephant Valley to drink because there are ideal ambush positions on either side of the entrance and corridor, provided by large bushes. I have never seen lions or leopards at Elephant valley but this may be because of the time we arrive in the morning and leave in late afternoon. These predators probably come down to drink and hunt at night.

The youngsters are always kept in the middle of the herd for protection.

The red dust on their backs mixed with the white chalk from the cliff behind them and with their dark colour, once these elephants get wet, provides some wonderful shapes and colours to photograph.

“It is my intention to present -through the medium of photography- intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators “ ~ Ansel Adams

We often see troops of Chacma baboons on the beach at Elephant valley. They drink from the river but also forage through the elephant dung for seeds and berries. There is a white cliff on the left-hand side of Elephant Valley when looking from the water towards the land. The young baboons love play fighting on this steep cliff.

The white chalk-like soil attract elephants and antelope alike who seek the minerals provided by this soil and so doing exhibit behaviour called geophagy. Elephants engage in a form of geophagy to acquire essential minerals. These large mammals rely on the minerals from the soil as much as they depend on vegetation. The elephants actively dig into the white cliff with their tusks to break off smaller pieces. Soil analysis would probably reveal that these areas comprise significantly higher quantities of vital minerals, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and clay, compared to other soils in the area. The knowledge of these mineral rich locations is passed down through the generations and each “lick” is visited by many elephant herds. We have also regularly seen kudu and impala licking the lower section of the white cliff.

In the process of digging for minerals, the elephants have also dug holes at the base of the white cliff big enough for an adult elephant or two to three hippo. Inevitably, elephant and hippos cover themselves in white dust and mud which can provide interesting photographic opportunities.

“The more time you spend quietly watching wildlife, the more become aware of the subtle dynamics and influences that dictate mammals’ and birds’ behaviour. Understanding behaviour is fundamental to anticipation. Preparation and anticipation together create potential for unique wildlife images.” ~ Mike Haworth

When antelope such as Sable come down to drink, they prefer not to drink directly from the river because of the threat from crocodiles, but rather from small pools a metre or so from the water’s edge. The small pools are created by elephants’ footprints which are replenished by the lapping waves from the passing boats.

“Where your passion meets your talent, that’s the place you want to be.” ~ Roie Galitz

Nile crocodiles of all sizes lie in wait for unsuspecting prey coming down to drink at Elephant Valley. These reptiles reveal fascinating hunting behaviour. Small crocodiles lie in wait submerged at the water’s edge ready to launch themselves at guineafowl and doves which come down to drink. The larger crocodiles watch the water’s edge from a few metres out with only their eyes and nostrils above water. As soon as they see potential prey they submerge and move closer to the bank in an attempt to ambush prey like baboons and smaller antelope such as impala.

The light changes significantly at Elephant Valley because it is north facing. So early in the morning the white cliff is in shadow and the western side is illuminated with sunshine from the eastern morning sun. In the afternoon the white cliff is illuminated. This is the time when we photograph young baboons playing on the white cliff and white fronted bee-eaters nesting in the higher section.

Elephant Valley attracts a variety of birds. Helmeted guineafowl come down to drink in flocks. The whole flock does not drink at the same time but small groups drink from the river while one member of the group stands guard keeping an eye on the surrounds for any threat. This would be an ideal place for a Martial eagle to attack the flock, but I have never seen this at Elephant Valley.

We have seen Gabar goshawks hunting smaller birds foraging for seeds amongst the elephant dung. We have seen Red-billed spurfowl coming down to drink but usually only one or a pair at a time. Little egrets are often seen hunting along the water’s edge.

The elephant dung attracts insects, so we see wagtails, lapwings and plovers foraging at the water’s edge and amongst the dung. A variety of sandpipers, Pied wagtails and diminutive White-fronted plovers patrol the water’s edge for insects. Blacksmith and White-crowned lapwings forage through the dried elephant dung across the beach for insects.

“You learn to see by practice. It’s just like playing tennis, you get better the more you play. The more you look around at things, the more you see. The more you photograph, the more you realise what can be photographed and what can’t be photographed. You just have to keep doing it “ ~ Eliot Porter

An adult Wattled lapwing stretching its wings as it forages along the water’s edge for insects and molluscs. The Wattled and White crowned lapwings both have vivid yellow facial wattles. The Wattled lapwing also has a white forehead but no white crown and the base of its forehead has exposed red skin just above the beak. This lapwing is a light brown in colour and has a white neck with fine brown streaks.

A pair of Fish eagles are resident at Elephant valley. We usually see at least one Fish eagle watching the activity in Elephant Valley from the large trees at the top of the ridge. The Chobe river has many pairs of Fish eagles territorially spaced along the river from Kasane to Serondela.

As the name suggests, Elephant Valley is a perfect place to watch elephants drinking and swimming.

It was remarkable to see a family herd wait patiently for one and other to finish drinking. Their behaviour is orderly and respectful of each other. This says alot about the sentience of elephants and the respect they have for each others’ young which could get injured by the much larger adults and teenagers if there was too much jostling at the water’s edge.

On our last morning we went down to Elephant Valley which was quiet, so we travelled further up river towards Puku Flats. The ridge through which Elephant Valley cuts progressively flattens towards Puku Flats. We were privileged to see several family herds drinking together. The larger elephants walk deeper to access cleaner water. It was an impressive and serene sight. Once they had sated their thirst they all walked back over the ridge to continue foraging inland. We watched this scene for a magical fifteen minutes..

We traverse the Chobe river from the rapids next to Impalila Island which are about two kilometres down river from Kasane to Serondela which is about 20 kilometres up river. We do not go further than Serondela because of the time and fuel it takes to get there and back. It is not so much the distance but more that there is so much to see and photograph from wildlife to the scenery on the way .

“Travel is the best investment you can make in yourself. It teaches you that there are many ways to live a good, fulfilled life. It broadens your world’s view, yet makes you appreciate home all the more” ~ Joel Sartore

The level of the water in the Chobe river changes according to the time of the year. It is usually at peak flow in May-June and at its lowest around November. The changing level of the river means completely different areas are accessible by boat. When the river is in full flood we can cross Sedudu island by boat and see bird activity which do we would not see in summer. When the river is high we can get closer to the ridge on the southern bank which increases the potential for predator sightings. When the river level falls, islands reappear and with them new birds appear such as the endangered African Skimmers. I have been on the Chobe river many times and every time has been different.

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

Have fun, Mike