Overview
Chobe National Park is Botswana's elephant country, an 11,700-square-kilometre wilderness in the country's north famous for the enormous herds that gather along the Chobe River. It is one of the few places where a river safari is as rewarding as a game drive, and often more so.
The park runs from the lush Chobe Riverfront through the Savuti and Linyanti to the Ngwezumba pans, but it is the river that draws people back. In the dry season, elephant, buffalo, and antelope concentrate on the water in numbers that are hard to believe, watched from a boat at eye level.
Chobe pairs naturally with Victoria Falls, an hour away, and with the Okavango Delta, which makes it a cornerstone of the classic Botswana journey. We book the camps we have stayed in ourselves.
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Interests
Best time
Min nights
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Why go?
- A boat puts you at eye level with drinking elephant, which no game drive can do
- The dry season pulls game onto the river, so sightings need less looking for
- An hour from Victoria Falls, which makes a two-country trip straightforward
- Four distinct wilderness areas, so a longer stay does not repeat itself
- Dependable enough to anchor a first Botswana trip around
Experiences here
Boma Dinners & Outdoor Dining
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Water & Mokoro Safaris
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Before you book a Chobe safari
The river drives everything at Chobe, from the elephants to the best time to visit, so that is where most questions lead.
Yes, tipping is customary at safari lodges, and it is one of the questions we get asked most, especially by US travellers, since the local conventions differ from home. Guides, trackers, and lodge staff are typically tipped in cash, often through a shared staff box, and we brief every guest on the going rate before you travel.
Yes, easily. Victoria Falls is about an hour away, which makes Chobe and the Falls a natural pairing.
Yes. Boat safaris on the Chobe River are the signature experience, bringing you to eye level with elephant, buffalo, and hippo.
The dry season, roughly May to October, is best, when wildlife gathers along the river in the greatest numbers.
Chobe is known for its elephants, some of the largest concentrations in Africa, best seen on a river safari along the Chobe River in the dry season.