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Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the 'Botswana & Namibia' guide.
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the 'Botswana & Namibia' Lonely Planet guide.
Anthony is the author of the 'Botswana & Namibia' Lonely Planet guide.
Chobe National Park includes two incredible wildlife areas: Chobe Riverfront and Savuti. The Chobe is one of Africa’s magical rivers, and a great way to explore the riverfront is by boat, especially late afternoon when big herds of elephants and buffalo come to drink. There are plenty of hippos and crocs in the river, and the birdlife is phenomenal. Savuti is brilliant for predators.
Aside from elephants and buffalo, common waterbuck, plains zebras, impalas and puku are abundant on the floodplains and easily seen on boat safaris in the Dry season. Early morning game drives are most productive for finding predators such as lions and spotted hyenas. Although more secretive, you might luck a leopard too.
Chobe’s lifeline is the Chobe River which lazily meanders through savannah and woodland, and the floodplains are usually dotted with animals. The interior is a patchwork of mopane woodland and flat Kalahari sandveld (dry, sandy soil). The Savuti Marsh is another landmark in the park. It is mostly dry, and it is often compared to the Serengeti Plains.
Weather & Climate
Average daytime temperatures in the Dry season (April to October) start at 30°C/86°F in April, and by October they’ve climbed to a very hot 35°C/95°F. Conditions stay fairly hot in the first two months of the Wet season (November to March), before the heavy storms of January and February sweep away the worst of the heat.
You can see animals year-round at Chobe, but the Dry season (April to October) is when wildlife viewing is at its best here, particularly along the southern bank of the park’s broad, namesake river. It gets better as the season progresses, but be warned that it gets hotter too.
Mike is an award winning wildlife writer, editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.
Elephant central
4/5
Your experience of Chobe will depend on which part of the park you visit. The waterfront area in the north, which is within a day trip of Victoria Falls, offers game viewing for the masses, with boats cruising up and down the Chobe River...