Chobe National Park

Chobe Tips

& useful informations

Planning a safari can be daunting. Having travelled to Botswana many times, we’ve put together these Chobe tips with useful information on travel logistics and other safari essentials. For more first-hand advice, take a look at our frequently asked questions or contact one of our safari experts.

How to Get There

Chobe River

If Chobe is the first stop on your Botswana itinerary, then you’ll fly into Kasane. This small but well run international airport lies just outside Chobe National Park, an easy road transfer from most of the Chobe River lodges.

You could also drive to Chobe from next-door Victoria Falls. It takes less than two hours from either the Zambian or Zimbabwean side of the falls – and that includes border formalities when crossing into Botswana.

Savute Region

The roads in Chobe National Park have sections of thick sand and can become impassable after rain. So, while it is possible to drive from Chobe River to the remoter Savute Region, most of our clients opt to fly instead. The flight from Kasane to the Savuti Airstrip takes less than an hour, and on arrival you’ll be met by your guide and transferred by road to your Savute camp or lodge.

Chobe River vs. Savuti Region

Chobe River

When people speak about Chobe, they’re usually referring to the Chobe River Region in the north of this vast reserve. Chobe River offers some of the finest boat safaris in the world, especially during the dry season when you can glide up close to the region’s famously large herds of elephant – a true bucket list experience. These fantastic river safaris together with Chobe River’s convenient location, just a couple of hours’ drive from Victoria Falls, make this the most visited part of the park.

Take a look at our Chobe camps and lodges section of find out more.

Savute Region

In the southwest of the Chobe National Park lies the remoter Savuti Region, an area known for excellent predator sightings. Days here are spent on game drives with an excellent chance of seeing lion, packs of hyena and even the elusive leopard. There’s plenty of other big game too, especially since the Savuti Channel started flowing once again. As for when to visit, any time of year is good, with a highlight being the arrival of the zebra migration at the start of the rainy season.
Take a look at our Savuti camps and lodges section to find out more.

What to Pack

Light aircraft transfers have a luggage restriction of 20 kg. This might seem worryingly little but bear in mind that your lodge or camp is sure to have laundry facilities, so don’t pack too many clothes.

Daytime clothing should be casual and comfortable; neutral colours are best. Long sleeve, lightweight tops are useful protection against sunburn and mosquito bites. Along with a couple of t-shirts pack a fleece, jacket and even a warm hat if you’re travelling in June or July (the chilliest months of the year). To find out more about the weather read our section on the best time to visit chobe.

Comfortable walking shoes are essential. Take along sunblock, a sunhat, sunglasses and lip balm, as well as your swimming costume for leisurely afternoons alongside the lodge pool. You won’t want to forget your camera and include plenty of memory cards, your charger and even a spare battery too. Other useful items include a torch, a small pair of binoculars and a personal medical kit.

Best Time to Visit Chobe

JAN FEB MAR APR
Peak rainy season; Savuti zebra migration; good time for birding at Chobe River
MAY JUN JUL AUG
Dry, mild days & cold nights; great game viewing at Chobe River & Savuti
SEP OCT
Hot & dry; peak game viewing at Chobe River & Savuti
NOV DEC
Early rainy season; antelope birthing season; Savuti great in December
LET’S PLAN YOUR TRIP TODAY Enquire Now

Top Experiences

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN CHOBE

1. Go On An River Safari

Small, manoeuvrable boats get you right up close to elephant and other herds gathered at the water’s edge. River safaris are a relaxing way to view big game and really great for photography too

2. Go On A Game Drive

Game drive vehicles are open-sided, giving you an unobstructed view. Led by your expert guide, you’ll set off along the riverbanks in search of lion, wild dogs and Chobe’s famous elephant herds.

3. Track Big Cats

Teeming with animals from gerbils to giraffes, the Kalahari is classic cat country. It’s Botswana’s best place for cheetah, home to impressively sized lions plus leopards & smaller felines – caracal & wild cat.

4. Go Bird Watching

The birdlife along Chobe River is spectacular! Listen to the cry of the fish eagle; see spoonbills and storks on the floodplains; the colourful flash of a kingfisher and flocks of carmine bee-eaters.

5. Take a Table for Two

Many of Chobe’s lodges are as famous for their romantic ambience as they are for their game viewing; intimate camps, luxurious honeymoon suites & plenty of private pampering.

6. Catch-and-Release Fishing

A few select lodges offer catch-and-release fishing in the Chobe River. If you’d like to spend an afternoon casting for bream or wrestling a toothy tiger fish, then come fishing in Botswana.

7. View Rock Art

Indigenous Khoisan hunters left their mark on the landscape: head for Chobe’s Ghoha Hills for well-preserved examples of ancient rock art, bought to life by local guides.

8. Visit Smoke that Thunders

Victoria Falls is only a 2-hour drive from the Chobe River. Pop across the border to either Zambia or Zimbabwe to see the thundering world wonder up close & personal.

Tailor-made Safaris

Experience the extraordinary! Let us tailor-make your safari to Africa.

Hands-on Expertise

  • We’re based in Africa
  • We regularly do site inspections
  • Knowledgeable team
  • Expect great customer service

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Reviews

Perfect

We are six older but experienced travellers who usually do our own planning. Luck led us to Safari Online and Walter. His ideas proved spot on. Throughout our planning Safari Online have been helpful, always answering emailed questions, no matter how basic, straightaway. We’ve had probably our best ever holiday in years of travel, everything went smoothly. Pickups and transfers were on time. Staff in all the places we stayed were friendly and helpful. I can’t think of one adverse remark except maybe seeing a lion that wasn’t asleep, though I think if it could have been arranged Walter would have done so.

Jennifer
A great tour operator that was a pleasure to deal with.

We used Safari Online to put together a mid-range Botswana trip for a group of four going to three different camps and then onto Vic Falls. We asked several operators to provide options (through this great safari bookings website) and Walter Kohrs from Safari Online was easily the most responsive and quickest to provide different but realistic options and at good prices. In the end it was a no brainer to go with Safari Online. Walter always responded to my queries quickly, with honest and valuable responses that were clear and made sense. From our perspective he tailored a good mix of places for both our budget and standard of facilities that suited us perfectly, with enough information and links to help us make our decisions. In the end each camp was different and had different aspects and strengths that made each unique. We loved it.

Shane
Professional, patient, efficient and responsive. Met all our travel needs and requirements spot on

Communication was excellent – I asked A LOT of questions and did a ton of research myself and Walter was extremely patient with me and very responsive. he was straight forward and extremely professional.  Tour itself was excellent – an incredible experience and one never to be forgotten. Everything was spot on.

Neena
Above expectations

Excellent communications and service. We dealt with Sabrina and she is awesome. The safari tour was amazing, i can highly recommend going to Elephant Plains. Its a very special place run by awesome people.

Werner
They kept us fully informed and updated throughout planning, travel, etc.

It was excellent all around. Everything worked out well. An experience of a lifetime! The game viewing rides were fun and very informative.

Karen
Excellent service and support for our Africa vacation

Working with Walter was a great experience. He listened to us and helped us build a vacation that exceeded all of our expectations. We really appreciated his professionalism and attention to detail.

Dan
Karina was absolutely instrumental to our safari success.

Our experience with Safari Online was excellent. After becoming very frustrated trying to search for a safari destination on our own, we turned to Karina for help and she was a lifesaver. She responded to our requests promptly and gave us several options with links to each option; we ultimately chose Lukimbi. She then coordinated our flights to and from the property, arranged the drivers necessary to get us from the airport to the lodge and back again, and sent the appropriate paperwork to each of us to verify each step of the process. We had an amazing safari adventure at the lodge–the experience of a lifetime–and are so grateful for her help. We literally couldn’t have done it without her!

Chris