Top 5 Chobe National Park Safari Experiences

#1 Chobe River Safaris & Boat Cruises

There are few safari experiences and adventures that can compare to the sheer exhilaration of going on a legendary and total-bucket-list worthy Chobe River Safari or Boat Cruise.

Forming the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park as well as much of Botswana’s border with Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, the Chobe River is an integral part of the Botswana safari experience and combines easily with the Okavango Delta and Kalahari. The river can also be accessed from its Namibian side, and its close proximity to Victoria Falls means easy day trips both ways.

Rising in the Angolan highlands and then twisting along geological fault lines as it winds its way to the Zambezi River, the Chobe is flanked by riverine forests, vast floodplains, and open woodlands. Only a few dozen kilometres of riverfront are accessible, either by a 4X4 game drive or boat, but the rewards are huge and beyond worth it! The Chobe River is the scene for some of the best game viewing in Southern Africa as well as provides a safe haven for the continent’s greatest concentration of elephants.

There is absolutely NO denying that going on an exciting and down-right thrilling Chobe River Safari or Boat Cruise is by far one of Botswana and Chobe National Park’s top wildlife and safari highlights and not-to-be-missed adventure experiences. It not only allows you to discover, explore, and experience the vast unspoiled wilderness of Chobe from an entirely new and exhilarating perspective, but gives you the opportunity to enjoy unbelievable up-close wildlife sightings you may never have encountered on a land-based safari. Great rafts of snoozing hippos are easy to spot and be sure to keep an eye out for crocodiles (there are still some REALLY big ones found in this area) as well as water monitors, a six foot temperamental, whip-lash tailed lizard.

As the Chobe River is regarded as the best place for spectacular game viewing, you better strap in for some sensational sightings. Besides seeing large herds of elephants crossing right in front of you, not to mention these mighty and magnificent mammals splashing and playing along the riverside, you will also spot a vast diversity of other amazing wildlife species. Expect huge herds of buffalo, giraffe, zebra, many antelope and classic plains game species, plus a full range of predators – lions, wild dogs, crocodiles, cheetahs, leopards, and spotted hyena.

If you really, REALLY want to see as many wild African elephants as you possibly can on your Chobe safari trip, it’s hard to think of a better destination than the iconic Chobe River at the end of Botswana’s enervating dry season. Botswana’s virtually rainless winter begins in May and by late August the rest of the park has practically dried out completely; The bone-dry surroundings, due to the extreme lack of rain, means that ponds, streams, puddles, and smaller water sources around the park dry up. This forces enormous concentrations of water-dependent wildlife (especially elephants, buffalo, and predators (along with other wildlife species) to crowd the banks of the Chobe River, essentially congregating around the remaining large water source / sources – AKA the Chobe River – resulting in truly sensational wildlife sightings that has to be seen to be believed! That’s not all!

Avid bird watchers are in for quite a treat as the birdlife is absolutely thriving and beyond excellent around the Chobe River during its dry season.

In the heat of September and October, thousands of elephants arrive cheek-by-jowl with enormous buffalo herds, trailed by prides of sleek lions. River Safaris and Boat Cruises take you right into the centre of the action, providing you with seriously spectacular up-close sightings and encounters that are bound to leave you gob-smacked and utterly amazed.

Throw in breath-taking sunrises and sunsets, excellent riverside lodges, romantic retreats or even luxurious house boats like the Chobe Princess or Zambezi Queen, and you have a safari experience that’s hard to beat.

The abundance of game is less marked during the December – March rainy season as animals move away from the river. You won’t see massive concentrations of animals during these green summer months but the resident wildlife – hippos, crocodiles, antelope species and predators – are still present. The bird watching, which is already amazing during the dry winter period, becomes phenomenal as many summer migrants arrive and the bird list swells to almost 500 species.

Chobe River Highlights:

• April to October: game concentrations around the river.
• Teeming with giant hippos and crocodiles year-round.
• One of the only places in Botswana to see rare puku
• Amazing year-round birding, phenomenal during a Green Season Safari.