Chobe Photo Safari – 7 Nights | Chobe Princess & Chobe Game Lodge

Signature Photo Safari series

A seven-night Botswana photo safari hosted by Eric van Staden, combining three nights on the Chobe Princess with four nights at Chobe Game Lodge for a beautifully varied Chobe River and Chobe National Park photographic safari experience.

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9 – 16 April 2027

Overview of This Chobe Photo Safari

7 Nights
Chobe
Botswana
From $9,350
pps
6 Guests
1 Photo Host

This seven-night Chobe Photo Safari is a premium Signature Series departure hosted by Eric van Staden and designed for a maximum of six guests. Starting and ending in Kasane, Botswana, the safari combines two distinctive Chobe experiences: three nights aboard the Chobe Princess and four nights at Chobe Game Lodge.

That combination gives the safari a broader photographic rhythm than a single-property stay. On the Chobe Princess, the emphasis is on river life, water-based wildlife moments, birdlife, sunsets, reflections, and the calm atmosphere of being out on the water. At Chobe Game Lodge, the focus shifts to the game-rich Chobe riverfront and direct access into Chobe National Park, where land- and water-based safari activities create outstanding opportunities for wildlife photography. Chobe Game Lodge describes itself as the only permanent lodge inside Chobe National Park, which gives guests a genuine positional advantage for early and late safari access.

This safari is ideal for guests who want a Botswana wildlife photography experience with variety, comfort, and a strong sense of place. It combines the stillness and perspective of the river with the energy and abundance of one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife regions.

The Photo Safari Experience in Chobe

This safari is designed around the richness and variety of the Chobe region, where water and wildlife are inseparable. It is the kind of safari that rewards photographers who enjoy contrast: big elephant herds on the riverbanks, dramatic crossings, birdlife, hippos, buffalo, and the softer, more atmospheric moments that unfold on the water at first and last light.

The split stay between Chobe Princess and Chobe Game Lodge gives this journey a particularly strong flow. The houseboat section introduces guests to Chobe from a quieter, more immersive river perspective, while the lodge portion adds the strength of a land-based safari inside the national park. Chobe Game Lodge highlights its fleet of solar-powered boats and electric vehicles, as well as its privileged location inside the park, which makes it especially appealing for photographers wanting both river and game-drive opportunities.

Hosted by Eric van Staden, this safari is designed to help guests make the most of Chobe photographically, whether that means wildlife portraiture, birdlife, behaviour, river scenes, or the more layered storytelling that comes from experiencing the region from both water and land.

Limited to just 6 guests, this hosted Signature Series safari is designed for travellers who want the best of Chobe across both river and lodge-based safari experiences.

Secure your place with a deposit. Flexible payment options are available.
Your place is confirmed once your deposit is received.
View full booking terms.

Secure Your Place

Who This Safari Is Designed For

Photography Experience

All skill levels.
Beginner to advanced photographers welcome

Pace & Activity Level

Balanced photo safari.
Walking, trekking,drives and
downtime

Travel Style

Small group experience.
Shared wildlife encounters with expert hosting

Comfort Level

High-quality safari lodges.
Well-positioned accommodation across the route

Eric Van Staden, professional photographer, holds a telephoto lens on an African photo safari.
Meet Your Photography Expert

Your Photo Host On This Safari

Eric van Staden is a professional wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and safari host whose deep connection to Africa was shaped from an early life spent in Zimbabwe’s wild landscapes. As Co-Founder of Photo Safari Company, Eric brings over two decades of experience in wildlife photography, guiding, and safari design, blending creative vision with an intuitive understanding of animal behaviour and the rhythm of the bush.

Calm and quietly perceptive in the field, Eric’s approach centres on helping guests slow down, anticipate moments, and capture imagery that reflects both emotion and atmosphere. His mentorship elevates the photographic experience beyond technique, creating space for thoughtful storytelling and meaningful connection with Africa’s extraordinary wildlife.

More about ERIC
Impala herd drinking at water's edge in Mana Pools; African photo safari. Image by Nick Wigmore - Photo Safari Company

About the Signature Photo Safari Series

Our Signature Series safaris are built around classic photographic safari destinations that consistently deliver rewarding wildlife experiences. These departures combine quality accommodation, strong guiding, and a carefully considered photographic approach, making them ideal for guests who want a premium safari without losing the authenticity and excitement of time in the field.

For Chobe, that approach works exceptionally well. This safari blends two complementary properties into one seamless itinerary, giving guests the benefit of a more varied photographic experience while still maintaining a smooth and comfortable overall journey. It is a strong fit for travellers who want classic Botswana wildlife photography with more depth and variety than a single-base safari.

Learn aBOUT Signature series

Why Travel With Photo Safari Company

Travel with confidence on professionally hosted safaris designed for small groups and exceptional wildlife experiences. As members of ATTA, we partner with carefully selected camps and lodges, provide expert photographic support in the field, and offer transparent pricing with clear booking protection, so you can focus entirely on the experience.

  • ATTA membership
  • Small group guarantee
  • Professional hosts
  • Curated camps & lodges
  • Price protection
Explore all Scheduled photo Safaris
Woman on African photo safari taking pictures of deer in a golden field at sunset.

Secure your place with a deposit. Flexible payment options are available.
Your place is confirmed once your deposit is received.
View full booking terms.

Secure Your Place

The Photo Safari Experience

Twice Daily Safari Activities

Guided Nature Experiences

Small Group Experience

Hand Picked Safari Camps

Photographic
Support

Time To Unwind

Balanced Safari Pace

Transparent Pricing

Photographic Opportunities

This safari offers exceptional photographic variety across wildlife, birdlife, river scenes, and classic Chobe National Park experiences.

  • Elephant photography along the Chobe River
  • Boat-based wildlife and bird photography
  • Big game and riverfront scenes in Chobe National Park
  • Hippos, buffalo, crocodiles, antelope, and birdlife
  • Wildlife portraits, behaviour, and environmental storytelling
  • Reflections, sunsets, river atmosphere, and water-based composition
  • A varied Botswana portfolio across two distinct safari styles

Photo Safari Information

Photo Safari Information Summary

7 Night Photo Safari

safari Cost

From US$9,350
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Destination/s Visited

Chobe
Botswana

6 Guests

US$3,500 Deposit

Safari Starts In:

Kasane (BBK)

Safari Ends In:

Kasane (BBK)

Safari Plan & Details

Chobe Photo Safari Overview

This safari is designed for travellers who want a rewarding and well-rounded wildlife photography experience in Botswana. Rather than staying in a single camp throughout, this itinerary combines two complementary safari styles, giving guests a much broader sense of the Chobe region and a more varied photographic journey overall.

The first part of the safari is spent aboard the Chobe Princess, where the emphasis is on life along the river, birdlife, water-based wildlife moments, reflections, sunsets, and the slower atmosphere that makes river safaris so appealing. The second part of the safari shifts to Chobe Game Lodge, where the focus broadens into Chobe National Park and its famous riverfront, known for elephants, buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, and prolific birdlife. Chobe Game Lodge also highlights its solar-powered boats and electric safari vehicles, which add another distinctive element to the safari experience.

Photographically, this is what makes the itinerary so strong. Guests can work with river scenes, wildlife from the water, classic game viewing, portraiture, behaviour, and environmental storytelling, all within one smoothly paced Botswana safari. It is ideal for guests who want the Chobe experience to feel layered, immersive, and varied from beginning to end.

Photo Safari Cost

Occupancy

sharing

SOLO

Price

*US$ 9,350

*US$ 12,620

Small Group Pricing

*This safari is priced on 6 guests sharing a room.
**Minimum of 4 guests required.
***If fewer than 6 guests travel, a small group adjustment of $1,550 per person applies to cover vehicle, guiding, photographic hosting, and logistical costs being shared across fewer guests.

Important Information

Safari booking Terms

What’s Included & What’s Not

Included

  • Accommodation
  • All meals
  • All camp transfers
  • Twice daily activities
  • Professional photo host
  • Drinks (house wines, local brand spirits, beers and soft drinks)
  • Refreshments on game drives
  • Wifi
  • Laundry
  • Conservation levies & Parks fees
  • Tax

Excluded

  • International flights
  • Visa’s
  • Travel insurance
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Staff and Guide gratuities
  • Single supplement
  • Aircraft landing and departure fees, if applicable
  • Passenger Taxes, if applicable
  • Anything not mentioned in the Included section

Secure your place with a deposit. Flexible payment options are available.
Your place is confirmed once your deposit is received.
View full booking terms.

Secure Your Place

This Photo Safari Itinerary

Please note: This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, logistics, or wildlife conditions. Your guides will adapt daily plans to maximise photographic opportunities and guest comfort.

This seven-night Chobe photo safari is designed as a beautifully paced Botswana journey that combines the atmosphere of a river-based safari with the strength of a lodge stay inside Chobe National Park. Starting and ending in Kasane, the itinerary is built around wildlife photography, riverfront experiences, game viewing, and the rich diversity that makes Chobe such an iconic safari destination.

Short boat transfer from land to Chobe Princess House Boat.

Arrive in Kasane, where your Chobe photo safari begins. From here, transfer through to the Chobe Princess, your home for the first three nights of the journey. Once settled in, guests can take time to relax, get acquainted with life on the river, and prepare for the first photographic session of the safari. The opening day is all about arriving smoothly and easing into the slower, more atmospheric rhythm of the water.

Your first full day begins with time on the river, when the light is soft and the Chobe landscape feels especially alive. These opening days aboard the Chobe Princess are about taking in the atmosphere, watching wildlife along the banks, photographing birdlife, and beginning to build a portfolio shaped by reflections, water, and the unique pace of river-based safari life.

By now, the rhythm of the river starts to feel natural. This part of the safari offers a very different photographic feel from a lodge-based game drive experience, with more emphasis on mood, environmental storytelling, life along the water, and the quieter moments that help make a Botswana portfolio feel complete. It is also a wonderful chance to settle into the safari before transitioning to the park-based section of the itinerary.

Today the safari shifts from the Chobe Princess to Chobe Game Lodge for the next four nights. This change in pace broadens the experience beautifully, moving from the intimacy of the river to the stronger game-viewing rhythm of the lodge and park environment. From here, the safari takes on a more classic Chobe feel, with riverfront wildlife, game drives, and land-and-water-based photographic opportunities.

Your first full day at the lodge introduces the next layer of the safari. Chobe is famous for its elephants, buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, birdlife, and rich riverfront wildlife scenes, and this portion of the itinerary is designed to make the most of those opportunities. With Eric van Staden hosting throughout, guests can continue refining their photographic approach while enjoying one of Botswana’s most iconic wildlife areas.

By now, the safari has shifted fully into its Chobe Game Lodge rhythm. This is where the itinerary comes into its own as a broader photographic journey, combining the earlier river experience with more classic park-based safari opportunities. Guests can focus on wildlife behaviour, riverbank scenes, portraiture, birdlife, and the atmosphere that makes Chobe such a compelling photographic destination.

Another full day at Chobe Game Lodge allows for more time to enjoy the flow of sightings, weather, light, and activity choices. Some sessions may bring dramatic wildlife moments, while others offer quieter and more atmospheric opportunities. Both are equally valuable, and together they help create a stronger and more varied safari portfolio.

After breakfast, it is time to depart Chobe Game Lodge, bringing your seven-night photo safari to a close. The safari concludes back in Kasane, with guests leaving not only with a strong collection of wildlife images, but also the experience of having enjoyed Chobe from both the river and the national park.

If you would like to spend more time in Botswana, this safari can be extended with additional nights before or after the main departure. This is a great option for guests who want more time in the Delta, extra camp nights, or the chance to build a broader Botswana safari itinerary around this Signature Series departure.

This safari can also be paired exceptionally well with other safari destinations across Africa, making it a strong foundation for a longer photographic journey. It can be combined with destinations such as the Okavango Delta and Chobe in Botswana, Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, South Luangwa in Zambia, or Victoria Falls and South African safari regions. For guests wanting a broader itinerary, we can help tailor this departure into a more expansive multi-destination African photo safari experience.

For guests wanting a broader safari itinerary, we can help tailor this departure into a more expansive multi-destination African photo safari experience.

If you are interested in extending this safari or pairing it with another safari destination, please contact us. We would be happy to help tailor a longer itinerary to suit your travel plans, interests, and preferred style of safari.

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“Chobe was excellent for a photo safari, especially on the river. Being able to shoot from the boat gave us a completely different perspective, and we had some great sessions with elephants along the water’s edge. The light in the mornings was ideal, and we never felt rushed, which made it easy to focus on composition and timing.”

Ryan & Kate, Sydney Australia

A Glimpse Into This Photo Safari

This gallery offers a window into the extraordinary, from once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters to the elegant camps and lodges that redefine safari luxury.
 
While specific properties may vary by itinerary, each has been handpicked for its exceptional service, comfort, and immersive connection to the wild.

This Signature Series photo safari is designed for guests who want to experience Chobe in a way that feels varied, immersive, and beautifully well paced. By combining three nights on the Chobe Princess with four nights at Chobe Game Lodge, the safari brings together two very different perspectives on the same remarkable region.

The first part of the journey introduces the slower, more atmospheric side of Chobe, where river life, birdlife, reflections, and wildlife along the banks create a softer and more intimate photographic rhythm. The second part shifts into the classic strength of Chobe National Park, where larger concentrations of wildlife, broader game-viewing opportunities, and access to the riverfront combine to create one of Botswana’s most rewarding safari experiences. Chobe Game Lodge positions itself as the only permanent lodge inside Chobe National Park, which gives the safari a distinctive edge once guests transition from the river to the lodge stay.

Chobe Princess

The Chobe Princess offers a distinctive river-based safari experience, allowing guests to enjoy Chobe from a quieter and more atmospheric perspective. Life on the water brings a different pace to the safari and opens the door to beautifully composed wildlife, birdlife, and landscape images shaped by light, reflection, and the ever-changing mood of the river.

Chobe Game Lodge

Set directly on the Chobe River inside Chobe National Park, Chobe Game Lodge offers a classic and well-established Botswana safari experience with strong access to the wildlife-rich Chobe riverfront. The lodge also highlights its fleet of solar-powered boats and electric safari vehicles, which add another distinctive layer to the overall experience.

download fact sheet

Photo Safari Map

Kasane, Botswana – Chobe Princess & Chobe Game Lodge

Photo Safari Booking & Travel FAQs

Your place is confirmed once your deposit has been received. After completing your registration, you will be guided to a secure payment page to pay the required deposit and finalise your booking.

A deposit of $3,500 is required to confirm your place. The remaining balance is payable prior to departure, with full payment details provided after booking confirmation.

Our photo safaris are kept small and personal, with a maximum of 6 guests on this departure. This allows for a more comfortable experience in the field and more meaningful time with your professional photographer host.

This photo safari starts and ends in Kasane, Botswana. Full arrival and departure details will be provided as part of your booking confirmation and pre-departure information.

The safari price includes accommodation, safari transport, guiding, hosted photographic support, and the activities outlined in the itinerary. Full inclusion details will be provided at the time of booking.

International flights, visas where applicable, travel insurance, gratuities, personal expenses, and selected drinks are not included unless otherwise stated. A full list of exclusions will be provided before booking confirmation.

Yes. Solo travellers are very welcome on this photo safari. With only two guests on the departure, it is particularly well suited to travellers who value a more personal and highly curated safari experience.

Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is essential for all guests travelling on this safari and should be arranged before departure.

Yes. This safari is suitable for a range of photography experience levels, from enthusiastic beginners through to more experienced wildlife photographers. The hosted format allows guests to enjoy the safari while also receiving guidance in the field.

Yes. This safari can be extended with additional nights in Botswana or paired with other African safari destinations, including the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, South Luangwa in Zambia, Sabi Sand in South Africa, or additional Botswana safari areas. We would be happy to help tailor a broader itinerary around this departure.

Recommended equipment varies depending on destination and wildlife, but guidance is provided after booking to help you prepare the most suitable gear for your safari.

Book Your Chobe Photo Safari

This seven-night Chobe Photo Safari is designed for travellers who want a rewarding Botswana wildlife photography experience delivered in a premium and well-supported way. With Eric van Staden hosting, a maximum of six guests, and a safari structure that combines three nights on the Zambezi Princess with four nights at Chobe Game Lodge, this Signature Series departure brings together river life, big wildlife, and meaningful time in one of Africa’s most iconic safari regions.

If you are looking for a safari that combines the calm atmosphere of the river with the strength of classic Chobe game viewing, this is a compelling way to experience Botswana. With limited spaces available, we recommend registering your interest early.

Secure your place with a deposit. Flexible payment options are available.
Your place is confirmed once your deposit is received.
View full booking terms.

Secure Your Place