Chobe National Park

What and Where It Is

Chobe became a national park in the late 1960s and has four main areas:

• The Chobe riverfront (Serondela) in the northeast, next to Kasane
• Savuti in the west, around the Savuti Marsh and channel
• The Linyanti marsh in the northwest corner
• Nogatsaa, dry grassland and woodland between them, rarely visited

The Savuti Channel has a habit of drying up for years or decades and then flowing again. It reached the Savuti Marsh in 2010 for the first time since 1982.

Wildlife and Activities

Chobe's elephant population is estimated at around 50,000, and the riverfront is where you see them best, especially from May to October. Buffalo, hippo, giraffe, sable and kudu come down to the water too. The Serondela floodplains are the only place in Botswana to see puku, a floodplain antelope. Lion and leopard are seen in the riverfront area, and Savuti's lions are known for hunting elephants in the dry season.

On the riverfront you can do morning and afternoon game drives within park hours and boat cruises on the Chobe River, which bring you close to elephants swimming between islands. Birding is strong year-round, and best in the rains.

Best Time to Go

The dry season, roughly May or June to October, is best for elephants on the river. By October it can be very hot. The rains from November to March turn the park green and bring migrant birds, though Savuti's roads can be difficult. Our month-by-month safari guide covers how Chobe fits with the rest of the region.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Kasane has an airport with regional flights, and the riverfront is a short drive from town. Two or three nights on the riverfront is right for most people. Savuti and Linyanti are usually reached by light aircraft. To finish at Victoria Falls, it is a short road transfer from Kasane across the Kazungula Bridge into Zambia, which opened in 2021. See our Mosi-oa-Tunya and Victoria Falls page and our guide to high and low water at the Falls.

Where to Stay in Chobe

Chobe Game Lodge is the only permanent lodge on the riverbank inside the park, about 30 minutes by road from Kasane airport. All 44 rooms face the river, game drives and boat cruises use silent electric vehicles and boats, and its guiding team is all-female.

For the private areas west of the park, see Linyanti and Selinda.