When you’re out on safari, it pays to stay quiet. Whether you’re tracking an elephant on foot or inching ever closer to a Carmine bee-eater about to take wing, silence is golden. Which makes the latest addition to the Chobe River’s choice of holidays afloat all the more appealing for safari travellers seeking luxury on the water.
Though perhaps not as well known as the Okavango Delta or Zambezi River, the Chobe River is among Southern Africa’s most extraordinary waterways. Like the Okavango, its source lies in the distant Angolan Highlands. From there, it flows through the renowned Linyanti swamps to form the border between Botswana and Namibia, before joining the Zambezi River to cascade over Victoria Falls and on towards Mozambique. And while there is no shortage of fine hotels and charming lodges lining the river banks, the very best way to experience the Chobe River is to stay on the river itself.
There’s a range of options to choose from, but the newest houseboat to launch is also the most impressive, with the brand-new Pangolin Voyager reinventing sustainability and guest experience through its electric and solar technology.
Pangolin Photo Safaris found its spark around a Limpopo campfire in 2011, when Gerhard ‘Guts’ Swanepoel and British overlander Toby Jermyn were trading tales and dreams. They realised they had one thing in common: the vision for a safari business that shared Africa’s wild spaces with travellers, through the lens of a camera. And there was only one place for it, they agreed: the Chobe River.
In less than a year, they had built specialised photographic speedboats and were in business in one of the most remarkable corners of Southern Africa. In 2018, they opened The Pangolin Chobe Hotel in Kasane, on a ridge overlooking the river, just three years after christening the original Pangolin Voyager Houseboat in 2015.
But after 10 years, it was time for an upgrade, and the new Pangolin Voyager is remarkable, today offering five en suite cabins with stunning river views from the comfort of your bed. Upstairs, stylish communal areas range from large lounges and an elevated sun deck to indoor/outdoor dining venues. Indoors, a specialised photo editing suite offers a dark space for sharing imagery from the day, and leaning into the expertise of experienced photographic guides.
Jermyn is especially proud that the Pangolin Voyager was custom-built almost entirely in Namibia, with Windhoek-based engineers Edestahlbau building the boat in sections for trucking to the banks of the Zambezi River.
“With this aluminium trimaran design, it’s a lot lighter than the original,” says Jermyn. “Even though the new Voyager is 50% bigger than our old houseboat, it’s about 30% lighter.”
That would be important for fuel efficiency, except that the new boat has an ace up its sleeve. Or rather, on the roof. Because Pangolin Voyager is entirely solar-powered and fully electric. Below the waterline, four British-built RAD40 all-electric drives each provide the boat with the equivalent power of 60hp petrol engines.
“The roof is covered in solar panels, producing around 22 kilowatt hours of charge during the day,” says Jermyn. “That means when we move the houseboat between our three mooring points — each about 16km apart on the river — we can travel at 4km an hour just using solar, without depleting the batteries. It’s straight from the sun to the engines!”
When the sun goes down, on-board battery banks run everything from air conditioning to microwaves. They also charge up Pangolin’s custom-built all-electric photographic speedboats that moor alongside.
Though you’ll be comfortable enough on board, as at a game lodge on dry land, you’ll spend much of your time getting out. Life aboard the Pangolin Voyager slips easily into the rhythm of lodge life: morning and afternoon outings, generous mealtimes, and plenty of time to relax between adventures. Only here, the “lodge” spends the day cruising through the landscape, and your “game drives” offer the unique perspective of being on water, with Pangolin’s photo boats skimming across the Chobe River in search of Africa’s most photogenic wildlife.
Each photo-boat seats up to eight guests, with articulated arms and camera gimbals ensuring every photographer has a front-row seat for close-up encounters with buffalo chewing the cud on grassy islands midstream, or hugging the forested banks of Botswana’s famed Chobe National Park in search of lions.
And the game viewing is unforgettable. In the dry months from May to September, the river becomes a lifeline, drawing huge herds of buffalo, antelope and elephants. When the rains fall from December, birding is at its best with the arrival of summer migrants. If you’re lucky, perhaps you’ll tick off the elusive Pel’s fishing owl roosting in the Waterberry trees of Kakumba Island. But, honestly? You’ll be happy here any month of the year.
With five cabins accommodating up to 10 guests, the Pangolin Voyager is ideal for exclusive-use charters — usually three or four nights — and is also popular for specialised photography tours led by expert guides. If you don’t have a group wanting to set sail together, Pangolin offers several scheduled safaris that include three nights afloat plus an additional stay at The Pangolin Chobe Hotel for speedboat excursions near Kasane, along with traditional game drives in Chobe National Park.
“A photographic safari is the ultimate experiential holiday,” enthuses Jermyn. “You come and learn a new skill, and we can have you shooting on full manual by the time you leave. If you don’t have a camera, we’ll lend you one!”
