Chobe National Park

Chobe - It changes with the seasons

I've been to Chobe National Park in many different months including May, June, July, August and September. It always amazes me how the vibe of the park and the wildlife seen changes with the months. In May and June, the waters of the river are high and winter has not set in. This sets the stage for great sightings of bee eaters, black egrets, and many other birds, but also creates a surreal world of elephants grazing shoulder deep on flooded islands. By late July/August, the migratory birds have gone, but many species such as fish eagles and yellow billed storks are plentiful. The lack of rain and lower river levels increase mammal density greatly. At any given time, you are likely to see giraffe, buffalo, impala, warthogs as well as hundreds of elephants. On the eastern Ngoma gate area, huge herds of zebra are seen in August. For a first time safari traveler or a photographer wanting clean backgrounds, Chobe is one of the best in the world.

Elephants, so many elephants!

Imagine your favorite animal: An animal that you've only seen on television or zoos until today. An animal that maybe was one of the reasons for you to go on Safari. An animal that you can't see enough of. And now imagine seeing it everyday from just a few meters away, so close you can almost touch it. That's Chobe.

I love elephants and I've seen so many of them in Chobe that - truth be told - at the end I was kind of sick of them. It was glorious.

Magical Chobe

We visited Chobe in the offseason (February) and I would recommend this time to travel for everyone! The weather was outstanding, perfectly warm with little humidity and clear blue sky! While the vegetation is high and makes animal viewing a bit more challenging, it is just that much more rewarding when you do spot something awesome or out of the "ordinary". We truly felt this gave us the ultimate safari experience and did not feel like an animal park or zoo. With that said, we're talking about the cats mainly, because there are big animals EVERYWHERE! Elephants, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, antelope of all sorts, hippos, crocs, Pumba and birds surround you as you enter the park from the Kasane side. We were able to do both an all day safari where we got about 60 miles into the park and the expansiveness and solitude become more apparent and a river cruise to give different perspective. There is nothing quite like seeing elephants play in water. Visiting during the off season also meant that we had very little traffic in the park and had nearly private game drives from our lodge. It was also baby time! Lots of young animals- especially baby elephants which may be the cutest! The park seems to be well managed and guides are respectful of the land and animals- we had such a wonderful, wonderful time in Chobe.

Chobe River Charisma

Boating cruise on Chobe River an exciting journey... the variety of wildlife a photographer's paradise !!! Scenery beautiful and weather wonderful; this was a 2nd visit and was as terrific as last year. Hope to return !

First time doing safari and I'll be sure to return

Most guide books advise you to go in the dry season to see a lot of wildlife. I did my first safari ever in February in the middle of the wet season. On the morning of my drive, it was overcast, cold, and drizzling. It had rained a lot the night before. I would never have thought of going on a safari while shivering in my jacket. To my surprise, the sky cleared up in the afternoon and there were still a lot to see: giraffes, baboons, elephants, warthogs, impalas, buffaloes, etc. And to my extreme delight, even a painted African wild dog. The only thing missing from the game drive are the predators. The boat cruise on the Chobe waterfront was relaxing and exciting at the same time. We saw an elephant swimming out to an island in the middle of the channel, many hippos and crocs, and plenty of birds.

So what did I miss when doing safari in the wet season? Animals are not as numerous and concentrated but there are no crowds. More importantly, with plenty of water to drink and grass to eat, the animals are not stressed; they're not fighting for their survival. The lush vegetation is beautiful and pleasing. The cool and comfortable weather (at mid day) more than makes up for seeing fewer animals. The deep blue sky reflects on the serene water of the Chobe River like a painting. What a great place to be for the animals! And for humans, too!

Check the weather before you go

Unlike guides in other parks (that I will not mention), the ones at Chobe National Park were professional, punctual and knowledgeable. Check the weather before you go. If it is raining, the safari will be cancelled so book a few days not just one day to be safe. Take a wind proof jacket on the safari, it is very cold even in the summer. Safaris are either during sunrise or sunset when animals are more visible.

It is always a pleasure to visit the Chobe national park.

The wildlife in Chobe is diverse and abundant. The park is sub-divided (my definition) into two main centres. The river edge of the park in the very north of the park is my favourite. The road network offers visitors the option of traveling along the river edge next to the floodplain or in the densely wooded area bordering the floodplain. The river road option offers good sightings of the main attractions to Chobe, namely elephants and buffalos. These are very much in evidence as they drink twice daily. Other notable species are impala, waterbuck, sable, hippo, crocodiles, warthogs, puku, lechwe and others. Lions are usually around as are hyenas and jackals. Birdlife is magnificent. The fish eagles are plentiful as are most of the other raptors. Aquatic birds are best seen by buying a seat on a river craft operated by numerous hotels and agencies in Kasane which is outside the border of the park. Boating is very rewarding for big game spotting as well.

The other centre is to the south and west of Kasane and is referred to as Savuti. The Savuti channel runs through the park and drains into the Mbabe depression. This part of Chobe is very popular with visitors and during peak times of the year can be a bit busy. Very well wooded it is one of the best areas in Africa to see four of the big five. Birding is also of the best. Both centres are connected by a road that can be traversed only by a four wheel drive vehicle. About here to five hours traveling is the norm if conditions are good.

Visitors can access the park by self drive 4X4 vehicles (fully equipped and available for rent in Kasane) and camping is available but can be rough, or by booking with an operator and be driven around the park. Advance booking for self drive is essential as camp sites are limited.

The scenery in the park is pretty much dominated by bush and trees, but along the river edge the sunsets are superb as dust and smoke in the air make for vivid colours.

Peak seasons for visiting the park are April to September. October is very dry and can be windy and November to March is the rainy season.

More information can be obtained from the Botswana tourist board or by "googling" Chobe itself.

Never seen so much elephants together!

We went to Chobe in December of 2014, and it was wonderful! We did a lot of other Safaris in Africa, including Kruger and Etosha, but in Chobe we could see much more Elephants. When I say "a lot", I mean dozen of them together, crossing in front of the car, or in the back, elephants so close to us that we could even touch them (of course we didn't!!). Other than Elephants, we saw a lot of Hippos, Buffalos, Giraffes and Impalas. I am not a bird expert, but there was a bunch of them too, including the Lilac Breasted Roller, national bird of Botswana.
The landscape is amazing, and watching the sunset in a boat cruise in Chobe River is a great experience! Bring some beers and Savana Dry with you, and stay there enjoying the beauty of that place, watching some crocodiles and hippos in the water, and elephants bathing theirselves.

The safari in Chobe National Park was fantastic! We saw lions, hippos, giraffes & crocodiles day 1.

Chobe National Park is a gem! Our guides were very patient and knew a lot about animals. We drove in open jeeps and had great access to photograph the beautiful birds and wild-life that we saw.
The park is teeming with life! We witnessed a pregnant giraffe, playful baboons, kissing hippos, grazing elephants ( swimming elephants, nursing elephants - over 200,000 elephants in Botswana) an angry lion and many impalas and kudus. The scenery was lush and green and the Chobe river was full of fabulous surprises like hippos and crocodiles! Do go!

I was there at the end of dry season so the real action is at the water.