Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park in Botswana has one of the greatest concentrations of game in Africa. The park is divided into four distinct ecosystems: Serondela with its forests and lush plains along the Chobe River in the northeast, Savuti marsh in the west, Linyanti Swamps in the northwest and the hot, dry hinterland to the south and east.

The main entrance to the park is at Sedudu Gate near Kasane. A 4×4 is essential if you intend to travel extensively in Chobe. However, most visitors stick close to the game-rich Chobe riverfront where sundowner cruises are very popular. In recent years, this area has become a bit of a bun fight at times, so regulations have recently been introduced to restrict the number of vehicles at animal sightings, as well as boat speed limits.

Botswana’s population of elephants is estimated at 120 000 and a large percentage of these frequent Chobe. The pachyderms are migratory and make seasonal journeys between neighbouring countries. The ellies in this area are some of the largest on earth, but their ivory is brittle, so you won’t see very many huge tuskers.

Where to stay

Ihaha has replaced the old Serondela campsite on the Chobe River and has modern facilities and a reception The new kid on the block on the Chobe River is the Zambezi Queen. Savuti has an attractive new campsite 172 kilometres southwest of Sedudu Gate. It’s famous for inquisitive elephants that roam the camp, hyenas that come sniffing for scraps and prides of lions that prowl the marsh and wake you with their roaring. Linyanti has a small, secluded campsite 39 kilometres northwest of Savuti. The roads are pretty rough, so go there only with a reliable 4×4. This is big game country at its most beguiling.