Elephants and the river
Chobe National Park
About Chobe National Park
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent, and in the dry season a large part of it comes to the Chobe. The estimate is over 50,000 animals in the area, and they are Kalahari elephants, the largest elephants known. What that means in practice is hard to put across: not one herd crossing the road, but herd after herd, on the bank, in the water, all afternoon. Some drink, others bathe, calves are pushed through the shallows, and on the horizon the next group is already on its way.
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The park has distinct sections that feel like separate places. The riverfront near Kasane is the accessible one and the reason most people come. Savuti, inland, is dry savanna with a channel that has flowed and dried again over decades for reasons nobody has fully explained; it is famous for predators and for sand. Linyanti in the north-west is remote and quiet.
On the Riverfront you drive on sand tracks or hardened mud. The sand is often deep and soft. Then there is the river: whether and how well you can drive certain stretches of bank depends on the water level. It changes with the season and from year to year.
What the driving is like
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A four-wheel drive with high ground clearance is a must here. The riverbank tracks are sandy, and experience of driving in sand and a calm foot on the throttle help.
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Which routes are open depends on the water level, and that changes with the season and the year, not with the map. Ask at the entrance gate about the current state of the roads.
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If you drive yourself in the park you need fuel, water, recovery gear and the ability to solve a problem where there is nobody to call. That means a compressor, a shovel and a plan for the case that the vehicle gets stuck, in sand above all.
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The Riverfront near Kasane is the easiest part of the park. It is close to town, and it is where most self-drive visits begin. For a first impression it is the right way in.
When to go
May to October, dry season
The time for the elephants on the river. The interior dries out, buffalo and elephants move to the water, and the tracks are at their most drivable. The campsites are booked up early. In September and October it gets hot, but that is when the concentration of animals at the water is highest.
November to April, green season
Rain, tall grass, scattered animals and roads that can go from drivable to impassable within a day. In return the birdlife is at its peak. Beautiful, empty and cheaper, but the time when a self-drive route takes the most experience. If you do not trust yourself on the tracks, the boat is the better way then.
What this changes for your planning
01
The river is the attraction and the boundary
It draws the elephants and it also limits where you can drive. On a self-drive route the two are the same fact.
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A boat is not a fallback, it is a different view
From the water you are at eye level with drinking elephants and hippo, and you get there without a single kilometre of sand. Many people who drive everything else still take the river.
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The other parts of the park are a trip of their own
The Riverfront is only one of four parts of the park. Savuti, Linyanti and the hinterland are a long day of driving through sand away. Going there takes much more planning for food, water and fuel, because you can neither buy food nor fill the tank out there. Kasane is the only place to restock everything.
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The campsites decide the route
There are few campsites in the park, and they are taken long in advance. If you are lucky enough to get one, book it. Otherwise Kasane has accommodation for every budget. The park gate is only 15 minutes from Kasane, so that is a good alternative.
From my own trips
A 4×4 with high ground clearance is essential. The vehicle should have good air conditioning, reliable spare tyres and room for your gear.
How long to plan
2 to 3 nights
In the park or in Kasane. That gives you time for a boat trip, at least two game drives along the river (morning and late afternoon) and a buffer in case a track is closed. If you add the Victoria Falls, count one more night: about 80 km, a day trip from Kasane. Guided tours can be booked locally and are often easier than an extra border crossing in a rental car.
The sections, and what they mean
01
Ihaha
Campsite in the park right on the river, with check-in at the park gate near Kasane. If you want to sleep by the water, book long in advance.
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Lodges and alternatives around the Riverfront
In the park itself there are only two high-end lodges, Chobe Game Lodge among them. If you cannot get a place in the park, Kasane is the more comfortable base, for example Chobe Safari Lodge with its camping area and sunset boat trips. On the Namibian side of the river there is also Serondela Lodge, a tented camp with eight tents and a view of the Serondela viewpoint. It sits on a seasonal island, and the access from Ngoma is impassable for most of the year because of flooding.
For the camera
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From the boat you see the Chobe the way you never get to see it from the bank. The animals stand in front of you instead of below you, the river becomes the foreground, and you photograph scenes that are simply not as easy from the car: elephants moving through the shallows, hippos just above the waterline, reflections that give the pictures depth.
What goes wrong
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Planning only one afternoon for the Riverfront. A visit pays off above all in the morning and late afternoon, ideally with a boat trip as well. A single afternoon leaves out most of it.
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Assuming a high-clearance 2WD will do. On the riverfront maybe. Between the sections, no.
Questions people ask
Do I really need a 4×4?
For the park itself, yes. The riverbank tracks are sandy, and in the rainy season there are muddy stretches as well. If you would rather not drive yourself, you can see the river by boat or on a guided tour.
When should I go?
May to October, because of the elephants at the water and because the sand is most drivable then.
Is it a malaria area?
Yes, and more so in the wet season. Same rule as Kruger: a conversation with your doctor before you book.
Borders: Natural Earth
