Whether arriving by air or road, the first glimpse of the river—deep and dazzling in the sandy terrain—is always breathtaking. It appears as a brilliant, peacock-blue ribbon winding its way through the tiny town of Kasane, ushering you into the wilderness of Chobe National Park.
Established in 1968, the park covers approximately 11,700 square kilometers, encompassing floodplains, swamps, and woodlands. There are four distinct geographical areas within the park: the Chobe Riverfront, the Ngwezumba Pans, Savute, and Linyanti.
The most accessible and frequently visited of Botswana’s big game regions, the Chobe Riverfront is renowned for its large herds of elephants and Cape buffalo, which, during the dry winter months, converge upon the river to drink.
During this season, on an afternoon game drive, you may witness hundreds of elephants at once. You might even be surrounded by them as the main Serondella road becomes impassable, with scores of family herds crossing it to reach the river to drink, bathe, and play.
Driving the loops that hug the river’s edge, you may spot up to 15 different species of animals on a single game drive, including waterbuck, lechwe, puku, giraffe, kudu, roan and sable antelope, impala, warthog, bushbuck, monkeys, and baboons—alongside predators such as lion, leopard, hyena, and jackal.
Take a river cruise and experience the park—and its wildlife—from a new vantage point. Here, you'll get up close and personal with hippos, crocodiles, and a mind-boggling array of water birds.
Over 460 bird species have been recorded in the park, making it one of Africa’s premier destinations for bird safaris. Common species include the sacred ibis, Egyptian geese, cormorants, darters, spur-winged geese, Pel’s fishing owl, carmine bee-eaters, most members of the kingfisher family, all the rollers, the unmistakable fish eagle, the martial eagle, and many members of the stork family.
