Chobe Game Reserve

Chobe lies on the north-eastern corner of Botswana, where it meets with three other countries, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The region becomes very dry during the dry season, and the only permanent sources of water in the region is the Chobe River, which joins with the Zambezi River. The wildlife of the region depends on this water source and elephants in their hundreds of thousands gather here at this time of year.

One of the most popular activities is for guests to take a sunset cruise on the Chobe River. They can cruise along, game viewing, watching pods of hippopotami, herds of puku antelope, zebra and waterbuck grazing on the floodplain. Then large herds of elephants appear out of the surrounding forest and come down to the water to drink and swim. This is a wonderful spectacle which offers lovely photographic opportunities.

Game Drive

Game drives allow guests to explore further afield and see the regions large herds of buffalo as well as the predators that follow in their wake. These include prides of lions, elusive leopards and even the endangered African Wild Dogs also called painted hunting dogs. Most of the accommodation is along the riverfront in Kasane on the edge of the park. There are several upmarket lodges tucked away in the park, such as Chobe Game Lodge and the andBeyond properties.

If guests want a water-based safari, the Zambezi Queen Houseboat is a wonderfully luxurious experience. To get to the Zambezi Queen and some of the lodges on the other side of the river, guests will need their passports as they will enter Namibia. In fact, on some river cruises, guests can go to a point in the river which is no man’s land where the four countries meet. It is common for some guests to fly into Livingstone in Zambia, transit through Namibia or Zimbabwe and end up in Botswana in less than an hour.