Botswana - Journey to the Wild - A Hackberry Farm nature photography workshop field report

“This is the best trip I’ve ever done,” she says, a little misty-eyed.  She’s one of the seven guests on this trip with whom we’ve divided into two Land Cruisers to explore the Tuli Block region on this nature photography workshop. “I never believed I’d see what we’ve seen on this trip.” I can see why she’s emotional.  To come to Africa, to come to Botswana; well, it does something to you.  For both men and women, the response to seeing big cats and other wildlife in the wild fills a variety of sentiments.  Emotional and primal are chief among them.

We sit in safari vehicles on the vast open Savannah of eastern Botswana.  To the west, the bright orange sun steadily dims as it sinks towards the horizon.  There’s not a sound permeating the scene save for the occasional lapwing angrily chattering at the band of cheetahs who lounge mere feet away from us.

https://youtu.be/YZMlySb79Vc

While Cheetahs are the underdogs (so to speak) of the big cat world, this female is doing well.  She’s raised four cubs into young adulthood, and all four are with her as they relax, post-meal, in the warm winter sun on the open plains.

While mom rests, her only daughter lies with her, cuddling and displaying the obvious bond the two females share.  The brothers roam about in proximity.  One flicks his ears around as a stirred-up swarm of honey bees agitates him and explains their displeasure.  A few feet away, another brother lounges.  The final two siblings walk around and occasionally roust one another.

At this place and at this time, this is cat heaven.

As the sun sinks, we head to a high spot in the landscape and enjoy drinks and watch the day fold into dusk.  The mood of the sundowner is celebratory.

“Y’all realize we just had a three-cat day?” I ask the group.  Earlier in the morning, we photographed lions; a couple of hours later, a sleek and stylish leopard slipped through the understory, and then the cheetahs.

“Of all the people you know, how many do you think saw what we saw today?”  I quiz.  Everyone smiles.  Then we offer last:  a toast to our guides, a toast to each other, a toast to Botswana, and a toast to the wildlife that makes this place wild and special.

“Pula!” is what Botswanans say when they toast.  Pula is the word for rain, and in this semi-arid land, rain is always welcome.  So we toast.

We left the quintet of leopards, but it won’t be the last time we see them.  Two days and several miles away, we find them again.  This time they surround an impala they’ve killed.  Since they hunted it cooperatively in the pre-dawn hours, they dine on the antelope together, as a family.

Life is tough here, but the wildlife lives in balance with one another.  Elephants, giraffes, a plethora of antelope species, birds, and countless other animals weave through the ebb and flow of daily life in the African bush.  Sometimes ragged and rocky and sometimes verdant river bottoms or grass-covered savannah, this landscape has the capacity to carry an astonishing number of animals both big and small.

Up on a high ridge, we stop amongst the rocks to rest and commune with one another.  Amongst the rocks we notice movement.  Two or three species of lizards and the curious -looking elephant shrew come out to see us and make their way over to sip water that dripped from a cooler brought up by the guides.

Big-eyed with a prominent snout, the elephant shrew darts in and out of the rocks.  It’s as big as a hamster, but the way he’s designed makes him look a bit like a cartoon caricature.   As small as it is, the shrew’s charisma shines through. Before long, the entire group is focused more on getting shots of this diminutive rockstar and less on enjoying a beverage that promises to slake the thirst and wash down any Botswanan dust accumulated during a productive afternoon drive.

If you’ve read many of my field reports, you know I am extremely bullish on Botswana and its people.  In my opinion, no one on Earth does hospitality better than the folks in this rural country on the other side of the world from me.  It is above reproach.

This adventure is no different.

For half the trip, we spend our nights in well-appointed safari tents that are as spacious and comfortable as any hotel you’ll stay in.  These tents take glamping to a new level.  The last half of the trip we stayed in a beautiful lodge that has the feel and glamour of simpler times.

No one complains about comfort when you stay at these lodges—absolutely no one.

Punctuate our generous accommodations with delicious, scratch-cooked food, friendly banter, and unparalleled camaraderie with the staff and our fellow travelers. A heightened sense of being present and in the moment of this incredible experience, and you can start to get the hint of what it’s like when we’re not out getting some of the most unique images you’ve ever taken.

I can’t help but be thankful for my guests, for our Botswana hosts, and the totality of all we’ve witnessed.

“Do you realize that every decision we’ve ever made in our lives led us to this point?” I ask the group while we enjoy brunch and re-live the morning’s adventure.

“It’s crazy to think about when you say it that way,” adds one of the guests.

It’s kind of a deep sentiment when you stop to think about it, but it’s absolutely true.  Here we are, in one of the most beautiful, pristine, and remote wildernesses in the world, but we sit in the lap of luxury while we dine and converse about all the goings-on in our lives.

Every decision we’ve ever made in our lives led us to this point.  I am so very grateful.

On the last morning of the trip, we’ve all got a busy day ahead of us.  We have to pack, clean up, fly back to Johannesburg, and then everyone departs for home.  By any measure, we all have a busy day.

One last safari drive, however.

It would have been easiest to stay in bed and get some rest, but we all head to the bush.  We just want one last glimpse of what wild Botswana will offer.

At first, it seemed like the wild would be a little stingy; the wildlife sightings are slow.  Then we see some warthogs, ostriches, and then the typical denizens of the scrub.  Next we see a half dozen hyenas lounging near a den.

Finally, we see his shape moving across the grasslands.  It’s a big, mature lion who's out prowling on this cool morning.  His mane and coat are darkly colored, and he walks with a swagger that’s fit for the king.

He stops periodically for a picture, as if he knows what we are there for.  Unbothered by our presence, he continues about his day while we snap pictures.

Soon we need to leave.  It’s time for us to start the transition back to our real lives.

From the remote airport, our plane lifts off, leaving the ruddy soil under us.  It’s melancholy to leave.  I’ve been here for a month now, but the time has come for me to leave, and I need to be at home.

If you come to a place like this and you do it right, a piece of you always stays behind. I speak for everyone when I say that.

Once we are good and airborne, I look around the Cessna Caravan, and while just about everyone is staring out at the ground slipping past, I make eye contact with one of the guests.  He nods and smiles.

Enough said.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES