Chobe National Park

Unbelievable amount of elephants, but also lots of other wildlife.

A wonderful day on the land and on the river observing all kinds of wildlife.

Our trip was organized by Grand Circle Travel Co. and included Kruger, Addo and Chobe National Parks. We liked Chobe Nat. Park because it was more open than Kruger and allowed a more unobstructed view of the animals. Grand Circle also arranged for a great trip on the river at Chobe where we saw animals like the hippos that we didn't see in Kruger. Kruger was very good, however. Any trip to So. Africa should include a trip to Kruger and Chobe Nat. Parks because they're so vast. Chobe has a lot of wildlife on, in and around the water and it shouldn't be missed.

The river cruise was amazing as was the sunrise safari. We saw so many beautiful birds and were lucky enough to witness a grouping of three leopards. The campsite was clean and was a welcomed respite after a week in the bush.

Lots of elephants

Chobe Park Botswana

I stayed at Chobe Game Lodge- Botswana in October 2010.
It was an amazing safari, the Hotel was very good, beautiful view and scenery on Zambezi River, from our luxury room was possible to observe herds of elephants . Food was good and the staff very kindly. Weather , sunny, 30°, good for morning safari, not so cold as Krueger Park.
Super wildlife, the park is full of elephants, we saw a lot of animals, only the rhino we didn’t see. Guides are women, the safari jeep is open and contains about 10 people.
River Safari on Zambezi River in the morning, gives you a fantastic view of the elephants herds drinking in the river , hippos and crocodiles.
I recommend a safari in Chobe Park-Botswana.

Chobe's vibes

Our trip to Botswana started at Kazungulu, where we drove in from Zimbabwe early in the morning. As a lucky forebode, we saw a leopard less than a mile away from the border post, sitting some ten metres from the main road watching us curiously. We were welcomed at the Chobe Safari Lodge and then had a river safari just for the two of us. I remember our guide's name, Tobishu, who was extremely well informed. Tobishu was excited when I expressed a particular interest in birds, about which he happened to know a lot. He also shared with us some of the higher politics concerning the ownership of that part of the Chobe river. Neighbouring country Namibia questioned Botswana's claim to this very fertile piece of land; and the matter was brought to the heart of international law in The Hague: The peace palace, just a short walk from our Dutch home! While enjoying coffee, tea and cakes we were brought close to Yellow-billed Storks, nesting eagles, some huge crocodiles, water monitors and the peculiar Hamerkop bird. Big wildlife included elephants, close to and interacting (or not) with waterbucks and the ever elegant impalas. There were many hippos and Tobishu told us about the genuine threat they pose to people and when one made his way to us and started to yawn from not too great a distance this seemed to genuinely frighten our guide. After an excellent buffet served at the Chobe Safari Lodge (built between hugely rooted trees) we had an equally wonderful land safari. Again we saw many birds: different species of vulture, a Martial Eagle, Marabou Storks and lovely strikingly coloured beeeaters and rollers. The driver/guide (whose name I regretfully forgot) pointed out the almost symbiotic relationship the Chobe Park has with the elephants, who come exceptionally close to the four by fours, having learnt not to fear humans. He went further to explain differences between his park and South Africa's famous Kruger Park (which we had just visited), stating that the Chobe Park has no fences (good, but the downside of this: they are short of rhinos here) and the management's policy of not interfering with the animals. When we saw many creatures eating of a fresh carcass, the guide set out to find the lions responsible for the kill, and after some driving we found them: Three lionesses, stuffed and asleep near some not very covering shurbs. When our car got stuck in the mud not far from these apex predators and a colleague guide had to drive towards us and pull us out, we had some thrill moments too! Despite the fact that it was not summer, the temperature was lovely, just not sunny. So Chobe National Park differs considerably from a park like Kruger, and is definitely worth a visit. The day was over before we knew it, and we drove to the exit amidst a large herd of the beautiful sable antilopes: an animal you won't encounter as far south as Kruger. Botswana (and for that matter: Zimbabwe and Zambia) has that edge, a little more roughness than the better known (parks in) South Africa. The guides are friendly, very able, and their English is excellent. In all: Highly recommendable.

Chobe was, in parts, the most touristed and commercialized of the areas we saw. There are areas of the park that I would not return to because of the crowds and zoo-like feel of the wilderness.

One exception was the gorgeous Savuti area. Savuti's exotic-sounding name is matched by its sense of isolation and eerie beauty. This is a harsh, jagged region of primordial vistas that seem to belong in another epoch.

The campground showers here are built like bunkers, to keep thirsty elephants from wrecking them. At night, the walks from tent to toilet are made in pairs, flashlights blazing.

Setting up our camp one afternoon, I heard a sudden thrashing of branches just to my left. As I watched, an elephant walked out of the trees not forty feet away, trundling past my tent and into the next clump of trees.

We saw so many cool animals in our two day one night visit. We saw tons of elephants, Kudu, crocodiles, zebra, a honey-badger, nile monitor lizards, hippos, fish eagles, cormorants, lions, buffalos, giraffes, the list goes on. Chobe is amazing and you definitely shouldn't miss it.

Wow. If you've ever seen the scene in the movie Jurassic Park where the family finally comes upon the vast plain with hundreds of dinosaurs of different species spanning across a vast plain - that's Chobe. The sheer volume and diversity of species is incredible, multiple antelope species, literally thousands of elephants, lions, leopards, dogs, etc. are easy finds. Herds of buffalo, zebra, and antelope; and large quantities of giraffe and baboon; and easy bird spotting all make Chobe a "destination." You will be spoiled after visiting Chobe. You should go here as your last safari destination. We stayed at Chobe Under Canvas, which is a truly tented camp. The entire camp relocates every 5 days. The advantage of "glamping" at CUC, though, is that at 6 am, when the park opens, you are already in the camp and are not being "picked up" at your out-of-the-park hotel/property. You get earliest spotting and best conditions with no other vehicles/tourists around.

Meeting the African wildlife

The wildlife was the best ever. We first went by boat and watched hippos and crocodiles and birds of all kinds. Great guides that spotted even the smallest animals in the national park and pointed them out for us eager photographers. The weather was great and we had a great dinner at the Chobe Safari Lodge. After that we entered the national park by truck and had a great guide there too. We met elephants, giraffes and lions and a whole variety of different animals.