Chobe Safari Guide

Chobe has one of the greatest concentrations of elephants in Africa, and northern Botswana holds the world’s largest elephant population. In the late dry season, herds walk down to the Chobe River in their hundreds to drink, swim and cross between islands — a scene best appreciated from water level.

Unlike the fly-in Okavango, Chobe’s riverfront sits next to the town of Kasane, so it’s accessible and flexible as part of a wider Botswana or Victoria Falls trip. The park has a wild side, too: Savuti, and the Linyanti region beyond it, feel remote and see far fewer visitors.

From about August to October, elephants and buffalo crowd the riverfront, joined by sable, giraffe and puku — an antelope rarely seen elsewhere in Botswana. Lions and leopards are regularly found along the river, and hippos and crocodiles are everywhere.

Savuti is known for predator action, especially lions and spotted hyenas, and its marsh fills or dries with the famously erratic Savuti Channel. In the green season, roughly November to April, the riverfront is quieter, migrant birds arrive, zebra move through the Savuti area and rates are lower.

Stay where you’ll spend your time: the riverfront for boats and elephants, the interior for wilderness.

Kasane International Airport has flights from Johannesburg, and road transfers from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Livingstone in Zambia take around 90 minutes including border formalities. Light aircraft connect Kasane with Savuti, the Linyanti and the Okavango Delta.

A classic route spends two nights at Victoria Falls, two or three on the Chobe riverfront and three or more in the delta. If you’re choosing between the two Botswana highlights, see Okavango Delta vs Chobe.

The riverfront is Chobe’s busiest area, with fixed gate times and set loop roads, and vehicles must stay on tracks. Afternoon cruises on the large boats can be crowded; a small photographic boat booked through your lodge gives a calmer, lower-angle experience. Our photographic safari guide explains why.

Night drives and off-road driving aren’t permitted inside the national park, which is one reason travelers often pair Chobe with a private-concession camp elsewhere. Park entry fees are charged per person per day by Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks; confirm as of 2026.