Chobe National Park, Botswana - A Safari Day Trip

Chobe National Park, Botswana (1/23/2023) – A Safari Day Trip

Chobe National Park (named after the Chobe River) is the second largest national park in Botswana and one of the of the great wildlife destinations of Africa. Consisting of an incredible 4,500 square miles bordering the Chobe River in northeast Botswana, the park has large herds of elephants as well as lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, impalas, waterbucks, kudus, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, and warthogs.

Close to Botswana’s gateway town of Kasane (a small town near the borders of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia), Chobe National Park’s northeast Serondela area (Chobe Riverfront) supports the largest concentration of wildlife in the park and offers the opportunity to do both a land and river safari on the same day.

On the land game drive you can view the landscape and animals up close while the river boat lets you observe the wildlife that congregates at the water’s edge to drink. Other areas in Chobe National Park are the Savuti Marsh and Linyanti Marsh areas.

We visited Chobe when visiting Victoria Falls. A day trip to the Chobe Riverfront is only about an hour drive 44 miles from the towns of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Livingstone in Zambia. Picked up and returned to your hotel and guided through immigration, a day tour normally includes a 3-hour boat ride on the Chobe River, lunch at a riverbank Safari Lodge, and afternoon 3-hour game drive. When staying in Botswana, most lodges and campsites in Chobe National Park will organize tours for you.

Chobe National Park is extremely lush because of the many waterways. The Chobe River flows through the park and draws many animals and birds during the dry season. The natural environment of the park allows for excellent photographic experiences.

Chobe has an estimated 50,000 elephants. It is known for its huge elephant herds along the Chobe River (many of which number hundreds of individual animals). Elephants living in Chobe National Park are Kalahari elephants and the largest in herd size of all known elephant populations. They are characterized by brittle ivory and short tusks.

There are also large herds of buffalo and a population of lions in Chobe National Park. The Chobe River constitutes the ideal habitat for water-dependent animals, including hippos, Nile crocodiles, waterbuck, and the near-threatened red lechwe antelope. Other Chobe dwellers include puku antelope, leopard, cheetah, and the endangered African wild dog.

Best time to visit Chobe National Park… The dry season (May through October) in Chobe National Park is considered best for safari game viewing because it is easier to see many more animals coming out of the dry forest for water along the Chobe River. Chobe can get crowded with vehicles this time of year and is the most expensive time to visit.

Chobe National Park’s green season (November through February) is less expensive but you may see significantly less animals. At this time, there are more baby animals and Victoria Falls has much more water flowing over it.

When visiting Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, you can purchase a KAZA UNIVISA (available for US$50 when we visited) at the airport allowing you multiple entries into Zimbabwe as well as day trip opportunities to Zambia for the many adventures offered there and Botswana to visit Chobe National Park. The KAZA UNIVISA is a good deal rather than paying for multiple Visas. If you only intend to visit Zimbabwe a single-entry Visa will probably be less expensive.

If you wish to stay longer in Botswana, safari lovers will also enjoy Botswana’s Okavango Delta famous for its beautiful scenery and was recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Longer Visas are required.

Interesting African Safari fact… The term “Big Five” originally referred to the difficulty in hunting the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo. These five large African mammal species were known to be dangerous and it was considered a feat by trophy hunters to bring them home.

The economic boom from diamond mining has made Botswana’s people have one of Africa’s highest per capita income. Botswana’s policy of low-impact, high-end tourism helps ensure the wilderness remains pristine and exclusive.