Welcome to Botswana

Whether arriving by air or road, the first glimpse of the Chobe River is always breath-taking. It appears as a swathe of bright, blue ribbon, winding its way through the tiny town of Kasane and out into the Chobe National Park’s wilderness. One of Africa’s most beautiful rivers, the Chobe, supports a diversity and concentration of wildlife unmatched in Botswana.

Established in 1968, Chobe National Park covers approximately 11,700 sq km, encompassing floodplains, swamps and woodland. The Chobe River forms the park’s northern boundary, which includes four distinct geographical areas: the Chobe Riverfront: the Ngwezumba pans; Savuté; and Linyanti.

Activities to do in The Park

Visiting Chobe Riverfront

 The most accessible and frequently visited of Botswana’s big game country, the Chobe Riverfront, is most famous for the large herds of elephants and Cape buffalo that converge on the riverbank to drink during the dry winter months.

Game Drives

During this season, on an afternoon game drive, you may see hundreds of elephants at one time. The main Serondella Road sometimes becomes impassable as scores of family herds cross the main road to make their way to the river to drink, bathe and play.

Driving the tracks and trails close to the riverbank, you may see as many 15 different species of animals on any one drive. Common species include waterbuck, lechwe, puku (endemic to this area), giraffe, kudu, roan and sable, impala, warthog, bushbuck, monkeys and baboons, along with the accompanying predators such as lion, leopard, hyena and jackal, which are never far away.

River Cruise

Take a river cruise and you’ll experience the park and wildlife from a completely different vantage point, getting up closer to hippo, crocodile and a mind-boggling array of water birds than you ever would on land. The Chobe River originates in the hills of northern Angola and flows across great distances to Ngoma, the capital of Botswana. The Chobe River is influenced by fault lines that are extensions of the Great Rift Valley, just as the Okavango and Zambezi rivers. More water flows through these three powerful rivers than through any other river in Southern Africa.

Ornithology

Over 460 bird species have been recorded in the park, making it one of Africa’s premier venues for bird safaris. Common species include the Sacred Ibis, Egyptian Geese, the ubiquitous cormorants and 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.

One of the world’s most sought-after wilderness locations is the Okavango Delta. This UNESCO World Heritage Site offers unmatched wilderness experiences in a tranquil inland delta that is unlike anyplace else on Earth, providing the perfect setting for wild Africa’s spectacular display. Traveling to the Okavango Delta, located in the unspoiled heart of Africa, is an experience unlike any other. It consists of enormous wetlands and huge dry lands. Travelers travel through the Delta’s winding rivers, passing islands lined with palm and papyrus trees, dense forests, and an abundance of diverse species.

The largest intact inland delta in the world, the Okavango Delta is situated deep within the Kalahari Basin. Fed by the Okavango River, originating in the Angolan Highlands to the north and often referred to as the ‘jewel’ of the Kalahari, the Delta comprises three main geographical areas:

1. The Panhandle

2. The Delta

3. Dry lands

The Okavango River, which flows about 80 kilometers southeast from Mohembo, Namibia, is where the Panhandle starts. Nestled between two parallel faults in the crust of the Earth, the river is broad and deep, flooding the neighboring wetlands every year. Fishing, bird watching, and touring the vibrant settlements along the Panhandle’s western edges which are encircled by papyrus beds and expansive phoenix palm stands are the region’s top tourist destinations.

At Seronga, the river empties into the fan-shaped Delta, revitalizing the surrounding area and forming breathtaking mosaics of channels, pools, lagoons, flooded grasslands, and thousands of islands.

The Okavango Delta can vary in size from 15 000 square kilometres during drier periods to a staggering 22 000 sq. km during wetter periods. Dominant plant species include reeds, real fan palm, acacia, sycamore fig, sausage trees, rain trees and African mangos teen.

At the lower sections of the Delta, perennial swamps give way to seasonal marshes and flooded meadows. The third vegetation area of real dry lands is visible toward the southeast. Chief’s Island, the Moremi Tongue, and the Matsebi Ridge are the three main landmasses in this area. Here, salt pans are scattered among the primarily mophane, acacia, and scrub bush vegetation. During the dry winter months, a large number of mammals withdraw to this location.

Major tourist attractions

 Major tourist attractions in the Delta and the dry land areas are game viewing, bird watching and boating in the many waterways, often in the traditional mokoro dug-out canoe. The diversity and numbers of animals and birds are staggering. A recent overview of the Okavango region recorded 122 species of mammals, 71 species of fish, 444 species of bird, 64 species of reptiles and 1,300 species of flowering plants. A successful rhino reintroduction programme in the Okavango now puts White Rhino’s population at approximately 35 and Black Rhino at 4.

Major Wildlife Attractions

Major species to be seen include the following: elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hippo, crocodile, rhino, red lechwe, waterbuck, reedbuck, duiker, impala, kudu, steenbok, wildebeest, hartebeest, sable, roan, tsessebe, lion, leopard, cheetah, genet, serval and caracal, along with an immense variety of land and water birds, resident and migratory, some of which are rare and endangered. However, game viewing can be seasonal, depending on the time of year and subsequent water and food availability.

Activity highlights in the Okavango Delta include the following:

• Ride in a dug-out canoe – Mokoro
• Game drives
• Speed boat cruises
• Sundowners in the wild
• Relaxation in camp
• Dinner under the stars
• Boma (around the fire setting) night experiences
• Activities differ from camp to camp