Botswana Safari

Chobe National Park is often frowned upon by African safari aficionados as when compared alongside other wildlife viewing areas of Botswana it is a lot more crowded. The reasons for this is that it is a National Park and not a private concession and therefore accessible by a variety of camps and lodges rather than just the lodges that belong to the private concession (i.e. Selinda and Kwando only have two lodges in their private concessions).

In our opinion however, Chobe National Park is definitely worth incorporating into your Botswana safari. Chobe is classic big game country as it has a permanent water source in the Chobe River and therefore from June through to November it is inundated with some of the largest buffalo and elephant herds on the African continent; this is truly a wildlife experience not to be missed and it all takes place in the amazing setting of the Chobe Riverfront.

Chobe itself consists of four main areas including Chobe Riverfront, Ngwezumba Pans, Savuti and Linyanti. In this section we are going to concentrate primarily on the Chobe Riverfront region.

Chobe Riverfront is highly seasonal with the best game viewing being between June and November as during the wet season months the game disperse through the deeper regions of the national park. As June approaches the elephant and buffalo herds form larger more impressive numbers and migrate towards the permanent water of the Chobe River. Migratory herds come from as far away as Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

Wildlife of Chobe National Park:

The wildlife in Chobe National Park consists of buffalo, elephant, a variety of antelope and grazers including giraffe, impala, duiker, kudu and even eland, sable and roan. Predators include wild dog and cheetah (although not seen regularly), healthy prides of lions and also regular leopard sightings. Rhino are unfortunately no longer present in the park as a result of over poaching in the previous years.

As Chobe is a National Park, night drives are not possible and therefore there are strict hours of opening when safari goers are allowed to access the park. Game drives are also restricted to the various tracks that access the different corners of the park.

As a National Park, there are a variety of different options for lodges and camps. The only lodge located in the park is Chobe Game Lodge, a large lodge but with friendly staff and a lovely position on the banks of the Chobe River. One of our favourites however is the Chobe Chilwero Lodge, located only a few minutes outside the park; a luxury lodge with a beautiful spa and views out over the Chobe River and the neighbouring Caprivi Strip of Namibia.

Chobe National Park also offers easy access to the border with Zambia and therefore the breathtaking Victoria Falls. This is a great place to either start o finish your safari in relaxation with a number of luxury lodges where you can sit back and relax after your safari experience, or alternatively make the most of the variety of activities on offer including scenic helicopter flights over the Victoria Falls, white water rafting, bungee jumping or walks around the Falls themselves.