Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park is the oldest national park in Botswana and the third largest in the country. It covers an area of 10,566 km². Chobe was established in 1967, although the first protected area, albeit much smaller, was established in 1931. It is located in the central plain of the Kalahari River Basin.

. Contents

General Information

Chobe Park is one of the most beautiful parts of Botswana, with an amazing variety of landscapes and wildlife. “The highlight” of Chobe Reserve is partly that the park is located on the border of four countries – Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana itself. The territory of the national park is so large that it is impossible to see everything in one day, so for convenience the park is conditionally divided into four zones: the eastern and western areas of the Chobe River, Savute and Nohatsaa. The Chobe River flows in the northern part of the park and is the natural border between Botswana and neighboring Namibia.

.

The park is currently divided into 4 ecosystems:

  • The Serondela Zone is the bank of the Chobe River and is located in the northeast of the park.
  • Savuti Swamps is located on the western side of the park.
  • Linianti Swamp is located in the northeastern part of the park.
  • Between Linianti Swamp and Savuti Swamp, the hinterland is a zone of plains and forests that is virtually unvisited.
.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit the park is during the South African winter – remember that on the African continent the seasons are upside down – the winter period lasts from May to July, when the thermometer drops to an average of +6C. In summer, from September to April, it gets too hot, and October is the driest and sultriest month of the year. The migration of zebras and antelopes can be observed from December to April, so that a true nature lover for the sake of such a spectacle is not worth braving some inconveniences.

.

The rainy season can stretch from late November to March, with its peak usually falling in January through February. By the way, the Chobe region is the rainiest place in Botswana! However, this also has its advantages – the river valleys are rich in vegetation. The fertile soils consist mainly of river sediment, which is formed when the river overflows during periods of prolonged rainfall.

.

Flora and fauna

The flooded areas are surrounded by forests consisting mainly of mopane trees. These trees grow well on heavy muddy soils and resemble our mighty oaks in appearance. In the dry season the leaves of the mopane trees turn a beautiful dark red color and remain on the branches for a long time. Elephants nibble mopane trees with obvious pleasure and loosen the soil around them, which, in turn, creates favorable conditions for the growth of the shrub. Low shrubs serve as food for animals that can neither reach the high-growing tree branches nor climb the tree. Large leaf-eating animals such as elephants, giraffes and Kudu antelopes are common in these parts.

.

Of the animals that graze on pastures near water, the reserve is inhabited by buffalo, zebra, gnu antelope, sometimes there are puku. Saber-horned antelopes, warthogs, forest antelopes Bushbuck and Springbok are also frequently seen. Among the predators, lions, leopards, and packs of hyenas are found in the park.

.

Chobe is a paradise for a great variety of waterfowl! Hippos and crocodiles can be seen from a short distance on the shoals in the warm water. To see these bathing enthusiasts up close, the reserve organizes water safaris in motorized boats – you can get as close to the animals as the ranger accompanying you is prudent and experienced.

.

Of course, the main wealth of Chobe National Park is elephants. Not a single herd of elephants, but several tens of thousands of elephants! During the dry season, more elephants gather in the park than anywhere else in Africa. It is worth crossing the whole Europe and practically the whole African continent just for the sake of it: such an accumulation of elephants is an unforgettable, amazing and incomparable sight! Among other interesting representatives of the animal world, elephants stand out not only for their imposing appearance. They have an exceptionally developed sense of smell, excellent hearing, good eyesight, fine touch and excellent memory. Moreover, the elephant is one of the most intelligent animals, and this is an undeniable fact. Czech zoologist Josef Wagner, the creator of almost the best European zoo, specializing in breeding African animals, writes in one of his books: “In 1972, near the Uaso River, my wife and I saw a young elephant that was feeding twigs to its mother: her trunk was torn off to the very tusks. Perhaps other representatives of homo sapiens should take an example from wild unintelligent animals!

.

And the trunk, by the way, is the most important organ for the elephant – if it did not have a trunk, the elephant could not drink or eat. After all, the neck of this animal is so sedentary and short that neither to grass, nor to branches with leaves he simply can not reach. The trunk, in fact, an extension of the nose and upper lip. A baby elephant begins to realize the usefulness of its trunk at the age of three or four months, but before that this clumsy organ even interferes with it. It happens that by tilting his head, the baby can accidentally step on his own trunk! The second feature of the elephant is its tusks, or simply modified incisors of the upper jaw. Tusks grow constantly and can reach a length of three meters. Usually an elephant uses one of the tusks more often, and therefore the tusks are of different lengths – one is more worn out. These and other elephant stories can be heard from guides giving tours of the park.

.

Tourists

Traveling through the reserve is possible only by off-road vehicles, especially during the rainy season, when sandy and clay sections of the roads become impassable. The allowed speed is not more than 40 km/hour, you can’t drive off the road under any circumstances, feeding animals is also forbidden. That’s all the simple rules.

.

There are no night trips to nature, but a lot of fun can be had from morning and evening safaris. Actually, the early morning “trip” is organized precisely for the sake of seeing feline predators. African sunrise, pre-dawn rustles, landscapes of rare beauty…. There are no words to adequately describe the charm of this bloodless hunt on the African savannahs! And the well-deserved reward – a pride of lions, settled down for rest, serenely dining hippos, an elephant with a baby elephant, crossing the road in close proximity to the aimed lens of the camera. And what is worth an overnight stay in a spartan tent camping! A shower from a tank suspended on a strong tree; a dinner that will seem a hundred times tastier after the day’s adventures; evening sitting by the fire with an exchange of impressions, starry African sky above your head…. and amazing, wonderful, magnificent photos, which will be so many that all friends and colleagues will just groan with envy. And you… you’ll be dreaming of Africa again!

.

How to get there

Airplane to Kasane airport, or land transportation to Kasane from Zambia or Zimbabwe via Kazungula border post. The entrance to Chobe National Park is 5 km from Kasane. If traveling by road from Maun, enter the National Park via Mababe Gate (136 km) or from Pandamatenga to Poha Gate (70 km).

.

Opening hours

The park is open from March to September from 06-00 to 18-00 and from October to February from 05-30 to 19-30.

.