Chobe National Park

The Chobe National Park is one of the most popular and most accessible game reserves in Botswana. Situated in the far north of Botswana, Chobe includes the Savute area which is known for high concentrations of lions and elephants, and of course the Chobe River floodplain, where herds upon herds of animals gather in the dry season between May and October. The game reserve is most easily accessed from Kasane, a town just to the east of the park on the banks of the Chobe River, close to the border with Zimbabwe.

Chobe National Park Highlights

Easy to get to from Kasane and Victoria Falls

Excellent Big Five game viewing

Best boat-based game viewing in the world

Various lodges inside and outside the national park

Large herds of elephants and other animals

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Chobe National Park in northern Botswana is a vast game reserve, and parts of it are very remote. Yet it can be easily accessed from Kasane, and it is a popular day trip destination for visitors from the Victoria Falls area (which is just over an hour away).

The Savute Area

Chobe National Park has two distinct areas which are best for game viewing - the centrally situated Savute Channel, and the Chobe River area in the north. The Savute area has a number of great lodges and campsites, and the waterholes here attract large numbers of animals (including predators) especially in the dry season. Elephants are in abundance, and lions are often seen. There are a couple of permanent safari lodges in the Savute area, as well as mobile tented camps.

The Chobe River area

The Chobe River area offers the best boat-based game viewing in the world. You can cruise up and down the river and watch herds of elephants, buffalo, sable antelope, roan antelope, zebras, kudus, giraffe, impalas, lechwe and even puku come down to the river. The birdlife is prolific too, and of the course the river is teeming with hippos and large crocodiles. Game drives along the riverbank are particularly successful and often bring sightings of lions, leopards, hyenas and sometimes wild dogs. Cheetahs are rare but they can be seen here too. There is one permanent game lodge inside the national park in the Chobe river area, a mobile tented camp and quite a few good quality lodges on the outskirts of the national park, on the banks of the Chobe River. Game drives and boat cruises are conducted inside the game reserve, and these lodges offer an easy and affordable way to experience the Chobe National Park.

To explore the lodges in the Chobe National Park, have a look at our map page, or use the menu above to search for lodges in the Chobe National Park area. You can group them by price if you like.

Getting there

Chobe National Park can be reached by road from Livingstone airport in Zambia, Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe, or Kasane Airport in Botswana. Any of these airports are an easy 2-hour flight from Johannesburg. Alternatively, you can fly to Maun, Botswana, and take a short air-hop from there to your lodge in the Savute area. It is possible to drive through Chobe National Park if you have a 4x4 vehicle and a GPS.