Uyaphi.com
African Safaris and Tours
Botswana Photo Gallery
Botswana Through Our Lens: 20 Years of Safari Snapshots
These are our own photographs, taken by the Uyaphi team on safari in Botswana: hornbills and jacanas, baboons and the elephant herds of the Chobe River, sunsets over the Okavango Delta and the view down from a light aircraft on the way to camp.
Botswana is a joy to photograph when travelling through Botswana, and each way of getting about gives you a different picture. A game drive puts you level with elephants at the roadside, a boat or mokoro drops you to water level among the reeds, and a light-aircraft transfer turns the Delta into a map of channels and islands. Our camera and lens advice is in the questions further down this page.
Seen something here you'd like to see for yourself? Browse our Botswana safaris, or tell us what's on your list and we'll build an itinerary around it. Uyaphi has been arranging safaris since 1999.
All images are copyright Uyaphi.com and may not be used without permission.
Captivating Wildlife and Scenic Beauty: A Visual Journey Through Botswana
Botswana Bird Pictures
Starting with the southern yellow-billed hornbill on this card, these are birds our team has photographed on safari around Botswana. For what you can realistically expect to see, and the local specials worth looking for, see our Botswana bird list.
Botswana Aerial Pictures
Shot through the windows of the light aircraft that carry guests between camps, sometimes from the seat beside the pilot, and a few from the airstrip alongside. If your Botswana safari includes flying between camps, this is the view you'll get.
Okavango Delta Pictures
The Okavango Delta as our team at Uyaphi.com has photographed it: from a boat, from a mokoro, from a game-drive vehicle and on foot, among the channels, floodplains and tree-lined islands.
Botswana Wildlife Pictures
A hand-picked selection of the wildlife our team has photographed across Botswana, starting with the chacma baboon on this card. For which animals you're likely to see, and where, see our Botswana mammal guide.
Botswana Scenery Pictures
No mountains, no canyons: Botswana's landscapes are mostly flat and open, and all about the sky, the water and the light at either end of the day. These are the scenes that had our team reaching for the camera.
Chobe River Pictures
The Chobe River forms the northern boundary of Chobe National Park, and seeing it from a boat puts you at water level with the wildlife and birdlife on the banks. These photographs were taken on and beside the river.
Botswana Safari Photography: Your Questions Answered
What camera should I bring on a Botswana safari?
Any camera with a decent zoom will do, but for wildlife a mirrorless or DSLR body with interchangeable lenses gives you the most room to work. Bridge cameras, with a long zoom built in, are a lighter compromise. Phones are fine for landscapes, camp and the people you travel with; animals at a distance are another matter.
Which lens is best for safari photography in Botswana?
For wildlife, we find a zoom reaching roughly 300–400mm the most useful, especially for birds and animals that keep their distance. Plenty happens closer, though: elephants beside the vehicle, mokoro trips, camp life, the view from a light aircraft. A wider zoom covers those, so two lenses serve you better than one long one.
Do I need a tripod or a beanbag?
A beanbag, nearly always. Resting on a door, rail or roll bar, it steadies a long lens in seconds, while a tripod gets in the way in a shared vehicle and is no use in a mokoro or boat. Pack it empty and fill it with rice or dried beans once you arrive.
How do I protect my camera from dust and water?
Pack a dry bag for boat and mokoro trips, and a blower and cloth for the dust thrown up by sandy tracks. Change lenses inside the vehicle with your back to the wind, or don't change them on a drive at all. A padded bag protects everything on bumpy roads and light-aircraft hops.
Can I charge camera batteries at safari camps?
Usually, yes, but how and where you charge varies between camps, so check before you travel. Bring at least two spare batteries, a spare charging cable and more memory cards than you think you'll need, and ask us what each camp on your itinerary offers.
How do I photograph from a light aircraft?
Keep a fast shutter speed and put the lens close to the window without touching it; that cuts reflections and engine vibration. A mid-range zoom handles far better in a small cabin than a big telephoto. Wings and struts block the view from some seats, so ask the pilot before take-off.
Can I use the photos in this gallery?
All images in our Botswana galleries are copyright Uyaphi.com and may not be used without permission. If you would like to use one of our photographs for a talk, publication or website, contact us with the image and how you plan to use it.
Map of Lodges in and around Botswana
Botswana Travel Topics
10 Reasons To Visit Botswana
Ten reasons, from the Okavango's flood and Chobe's elephant herds to the Makgadikgadi salt pans, Kalahari lions and San trackers, wild dogs in the Linyanti, mokoro trips, and a low-volume tourism policy that keeps vehicle numbers down.
Best Botswana Safari Lodges
Our pick of Botswana's safari lodges, region by region: Mombo and Xigera in the Delta, Chobe Game Lodge on the river, Jack's Camp on the pans and Savute Elephant Lodge, plus how to choose between them.
Botswana Chobe National Park
A practical guide to Chobe: getting there from Kasane, river cruises versus game drives, where the elephants come down to drink, the lodges we use, and how to add Victoria Falls on the way in or out.
The Perfect Okavango Delta Honeymoon Safari
Planning a honeymoon in the Okavango Delta: the camps that suit couples, from Camp Okavango to Mombo, with sunrise boat cruises, mokoro trips, and private dinners and helicopter flights where the camp offers them.
10 Reasons To Visit The Savuti
Ten reasons to put Savuti on your route: bull elephants, big lion prides, wild dogs, the Savuti Marsh, San rock art in the Gubatsa Hills, and a channel with a habit of drying up for years at a time.
5 Best Lodges In The Chobe National Park
Five lodges in and around Chobe National Park that we would happily send you to: Chobe Game Lodge with its all-female guiding team, Ngoma, Muchenje, Chobe Chilwero, and &Beyond Chobe Under Canvas, which moves camp to follow the game.
How Much Does It Cost to Go on a Safari in Botswana?
What a Botswana safari actually costs, and why: camping versus mobile versus lodge, the season you travel, flights between camps, park fees and tips, and where a few honest savings can be made.
10 Best Lodges In Okavango Delta
Ten Okavango Delta camps we rate, from Eagle Island and Xigera to Jao, Jacana and Duba Plains, with what each does best, from mokoro trips on the water to family suites and walking safaris.