Chobe National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

By Anthony Ham

Anthony is the author of the 'Botswana & Namibia' Lonely Planet guide.

Chobe has an impressive wealth of animal life. Elephant and buffalo are a permanent presence on the riverbanks in the dry months. Burchell's zebra are very common as well, while smaller numbers of sable, roan and greater kudu can be found in the park interior. Lion, wild dog, leopard and cheetah are all regularly spotted.

ElephantAbundant

GiraffeCommon

HippoAbundant

BuffaloAbundant

ZebraAbundant

WildebeestOccasional

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionCommon

LeopardOccasional

CheetahOccasional

HyenaCommon

Wild DogRare

Wildlife Highlights

Thousands of animals on the floodplains kick up a lot of dust, which creates amazing photo opportunities at sunset. Less obvious are some of the smaller mammals such as the Chobe subspecies of bushbuck. Red lechwe are common in marshy areas. Some of the small predators include Selous' mongoose, serval and wild cat.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Chobe has very seasonal wildlife viewing. The dry months, from May to October, are a good time to visit the Chobe River area in the north. During the Wet season, from December to April, animals tend to congregate around the pans in the interior.