Chobe National Park, situated in northern Botswana, stands as one of Africa’s premier wildlife destinations. Celebrated for its rich biodiversity, breathtaking landscapes, and abundant safari opportunities, the park offers an unforgettable African experience. Established in 1967, the park was the first national park to be created in the country.
Location and Size
Chobe National Park covers approximately 11,700 square kilometers and is situated near the town of Kasane, where Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Zambia meet.
Historical Context
The original inhabitants of the Chobe National Park area were the Basarwa people also known as the San bushman. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers who were constantly moving from place to place to find food sources, namely fruit, water and wild animals. At the beginning of the 20th century, the region that would become Botswana was divided into different land tenure systems. At that time, a major part of the park's area was classified as crown land.
The idea of a national park which would protect the varied local wildlife and promote tourism was first proposed in 1931. In 1943, heavy tsetse infestations occurred throughout the region, delaying the creation of the national park. By 1953, the project received governmental attention again: 21,000 km2 (8,100 sq mi) were suggested to become a game reserve. Chobe Game Reserve was officially created in 1960, though smaller than initially desired. At that time there were several industrial settlements in the region, especially at Serondela, where the timber industry proliferated. These settlements were gradually moved out of the park, and it was not until 1975 that the whole protected area was exempt from human activity. Nowadays traces of the prior timber industry are still visible at Serondela.
Wildlife Highlights
Chobe National Park is Botswana's first national park, and also the most biologically diverse. The hinterland area of Chobe National Park is a dry, hot area of grass woodlands.
Read also: Majestic Zambezi Adventure
Largest Elephant Population in Africa
Chobe is home to around 120,000 elephants, the highest concentration of African elephants on the continent. There are an estimated 50,000 elephants living in Chobe National Park. This is thought to be the largest elephant population in all of Africa.
Elephants living here are Kalahari elephants, the largest in herd size of all known elephant populations. They are characterized by rather brittle ivory and short tusks, perhaps due to calcium deficiency in the soils. Damage caused by the high numbers of elephants is rife in some areas. In fact, the concentration is so high throughout Chobe that culls have been considered, but are deemed too controversial and have thus far been rejected by park management. In the dry season, these elephants sojourn in the Chobe River and Linyanti River areas. In the rainy season, they make a 200-kilometre migration to the south-eastern stretch of the park.
Unique Wildlife and Birding
The park hosts large populations of buffalo, lions, leopards, and a variety of antelopes. The park’s layout centers around the Chobe River in the north and extends southwest to encompass diverse habitats.
Key Areas of Chobe National Park
The park is divided into distinct areas, each offering unique landscapes and wildlife viewing opportunities:
- Serondela (Chobe Riverfront): The Serondela area (or Chobe riverfront), situated in the extreme Northeast of the park, has as its main geographical features lush floodplains and dense woodland of Afzelia quanzensis, Baikiaea plurijuga and other hardwoods now largely reduced by heavy elephant pressure. The Chobe River, which flows along the northeastern border of the park, is a major watering spot, especially in the dry season from May to October for large breeding herds of African bush elephants, families of Angolan giraffe, sable antelope and African buffalo. The floodplains are the only place in Botswana where the puku antelope can be seen. Large numbers of southern carmine bee-eaters are spotted in season. When in flood, African spoonbills, ibis, various species of storks, ducks and other waterfowl flock to the area. This is likely Chobe's most visited section, in large part because of its proximity to the Victoria Falls, Zambia. The popular Chobe riverfront or Serondela area consists of lush floodplains and dense forests that attract colossal numbers of elephant and buffalo. It's also a vital watering spot for the majority of the park's wildlife, including the rare puku antelope.
- Savuti Marsh: Situated in the mid-west of the park and usually accessed by light aircraft, the Savuti Marsh area is considered by many safari aficionados as Botswana's ‘predator capital'. This mysterious, off-the-beaten-track region is fed by the ephemeral Savuti Channel and is made up of rich grasslands, savannah woodland and hundreds of spectral dead trees along the channel's bank. This is where large lion prides regularly clash with hyena clans for food and territory, and mighty lions take down Africa's biggest beasts like buffalo and even elephant. These epic battles have been well-documented in numerous wildlife documentaries. The Savuti Marsh area, 10,878 km2 (4,200 sq mi) large, constitutes the western stretch of the park (50 km (31 mi) north of Mababe Gate). The Savuti Marsh is the relic of a large inland lake whose water supply was cut a long time ago by plate tectonics. Nowadays the marsh is fed by the erratic Savuti Channel, which dries up for long periods, then curiously flows again as a consequence of tectonic activity in the area. It is currently flowing again and in January 2010 reached Savuti Marsh for the first time since 1982. As a result of this variable flow, there are hundreds of dead trees along the channel's bank. The region is also covered with extensive savannahs and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly dynamic in this section of the park. During dry seasons, both black and white rhinoceros, warthog, greater kudu, impala, Burchell's zebra, blue wildebeest and a herd of elephants are seen. During rain seasons, the rich birdlife of 450 species is represented. Prides of lions, hyenas, zebras or more rarely Southeast African cheetahs are sighted as well.
- Linyanti Marsh: Adjoining the western part of Chobe, wedged between the Okavango Delta and Namibia's Caprivi, the remote Linyanti Wildlife Reserve's marshes and dry woodlands provide a haven for big concentrations of game - especially elephant and buffalo. The Linyanti Marsh, located at the northwest corner of the park and to the north of Savuti, is adjacent to the Linyanti River. To the west of this area lies Selinda Reserve and on the northern bank of Kwando River is Namibia's Nkasa Rupara National Park. Around these two rivers are riverine woodlands, open woodlands as well as lagoons, and the rest of the region mainly consists of flood plains. There are large concentrations of lion prides, African leopard, African wild dog, roan antelope, sable antelope, a hippopotamus pod and herds of African bush elephant. The rarer red lechwe, sitatunga and a bask of Nile crocodiles also occur in the area.
- Nogatsaa: Between Linyanti and Savuti Marshes lies a hot and dry hinterland, mainly occupied by the Nogatsaa grass woodland.
The Cuando-Linyanti-Chobe River System
The park’s ecosystem is closely linked to the Cuando-Linyanti-Chobe river system. The Cuando rises in the central plateau of Angola on the slopes of Mount Tembo, thence flowing southeast along the Zambian border. Along this reach it flows in a maze of channels in a swampy corridor 5-10 km wide (map 1: the border with Zambia is the eastern bank of this floodplain, not the river channel). The Cuando continues in its marshy channel across the neck of the Caprivi Strip of Namibia (map, 2) and then forms the border between Namibia and Botswana as it continues southeast. Some 10,000 years ago, the Cuando merged with the Okavango River and they flowed south to Lake Makgadikgadi (which is a seasonal wetland in current times), but the land in that area was uplifted. As a consequence the Cuando now meets slightly higher ground (map, 4) and breaks up into many channels and swamps (called the Linyanti Swamp) dotted with alluvial islands, nearly disappearing into the Kalahari sands like the Okavango (map, 5). But instead it has diverted east and has been captured by the Zambezi.
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The flow turns sharply east, still forming the border with Botswana. In the dry season there are few open channels through the swamps and marshes. Beginning at this point it is known as the Linyanti (map, 6), and after it flows through a seasonal lake, Lake Liambesi (map, 7), it is called the Chobe (map, 8). In years when the Okavango experiences a good flood some of the water escapes east along the normally dry channel of the Magwekwana River (also known as Selinda Spillway) into the Linyanti Swamp, thus entering the Zambezi basin. The Cuando system is noted for its wildlife and for most of its length the land either side is protected as game reserves or wildlife management areas.
Safari Experiences
Whether you’re drawn to Chobe for the sheer spectacle of its elephant herds, the remoteness of Savuti, or the calm beauty of Linyanti, this national park promises a memorable African safari experience!
Explore Botswana’s Top 5 Wildlife Tours for Unforgettable Safaris
There are multiple ways to experience the park's wonders:
- Chobe River Cruises: Boat safaris along the Chobe River are popular for their unique water-based vantage points, offering close encounters with hippos, elephants, crocodiles, and birdlife. This makes for sensational up-close photography, particularly on boating safaris amid snoozing hippos and titanic crocs.
- Game Drives: Guided game drives, especially in open 4×4 vehicles, are available for morning and evening sessions.
- Self-Drive Safaris: For the adventurous, self-drive options allow visitors to explore the park at their own pace. Road conditions in Chobe National Park depend greatly on the season and rainfall; one needs a 4x4 vehicle to travel in the Park. Savuti roads, mainly the western Sandridge Road from Mababe Gate and the roads both north and south of the Savuti channel are typically thick sand and tricky to drive. Nogatsaa roads are waterlogged during the wet months and very little of the road network can be driven at this time. During the dry months, game drives from one pan to the next are on roads with small, thick sandy patches.
Planning Your Visit
Most safari-goers visit Chobe National Park during its dry season (about May to October). This is when ever-increasing numbers of water-dependent animals like elephant, buffalo and predators amass along the Chobe River and in the Savuti region.
Chobe National Park can get extremely busy during peak safari season (about July to October) and most of the time you'll share animal sightings with other vehicles and groups, including self-drivers and day-trippers. ‘Because Chobe is a national park, it can get very busy during peak safari season, especially from July to October.
Read also: Geography of the Chari River
Kasane International Airport is less than a 10-minute drive from Chobe National Park's gate - unless you see game along the way! It connects easily with Johannesburg via daily flights, which in turn connects the rest of the African continent. Because Chobe is such an easy add-on to any Southern African safari itinerary, it's a great destination for first-time visitors to Africa and seasoned safari aficionados will love Savuti's dramatic game viewing. Chobe is also great for wildlife enthusiasts and avid wildlife photographers.
If you're looking for a land- and water-based safari away from the peak-season crowds, consider the private reserves and concessions like Linyanti, Kwando or Selinda. The biggest benefit of staying in a private concession - other than personalised service and luxurious accommodation - is the quality of game viewing on offer (not of the wildlife but of the actual experience).
Additional Information
Vaccination requirements may vary from country to country and we always recommend consulting your local travel clinic or GP for up-to-date information.
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