The largest elephant population on earth, on one river.
In the dry season Chobe’s elephant come to the river in herds of hundreds — and the best seat in the house is a boat.
By September, it is the only water for a very long way.
Chobe’s dry season runs from roughly May to October, and as it deepens the inland pans empty one by one. What is left is the river — and every elephant, buffalo, giraffe, sable and lion in a very large area has to come to it.
That is why the concentrations here are unlike anywhere else. It is not that Chobe has more animals in September than in February; it is that in September they are all in the same place, and you can watch them from the water.
The dry season is the one for sheer numbers. The green season gives you the birds, the newborns, the storm light and rates up to forty per cent lower, and there is a reasonable argument for either.
Riverfront, Savuti, Linyanti.
The Chobe riverfront
Kasane and the floodplain west of it. Elephant, buffalo, hippo, exceptional birding and the best boat safari in southern Africa. The easiest part of Botswana to reach.
Savuti
The southern sector. A marsh fed by a channel that has dried and flowed repeatedly over the last century, with lion prides among the most formidable on the continent.
Linyanti
The park’s western edge, bordering the private concessions. Wild dog, big elephant bulls, and a fraction of the riverfront’s traffic.
How many days, and where to base yourself.
Three to four nights
Two is enough to see the riverfront properly; four lets you add Savuti and see a quite different part of the park. Beyond that, most guests are better served moving on to the Delta.
Where to stay
Kasane and the riverfront for access and boat cruises; a lodge further west for quiet; a camp in Savuti or Linyanti for predators and space. We usually combine two.
Getting there
Kasane has an international airport with direct connections from Johannesburg, and it is about an hour by road from Victoria Falls. It is the easiest entry point in Botswana.
The boat is the point
If you do one thing in Chobe, take the afternoon cruise. Animals tolerate boats far more readily than vehicles, and the light on the water after four o’clock is exceptional.
For photographers
Specialised photographic boats with low seating and camera mounts operate from Kasane. Worth booking specifically: the eye-level angle on drinking elephant is unmatched.
For families
The most family-friendly part of Botswana. Short boat trips, lodges with pools, no light-aircraft transfers required, and Victoria Falls an hour away for a change of pace.
What guests ask us.
How many elephants are actually there?
Chobe and the surrounding ecosystem hold the largest elephant population on earth, at times exceeding 120,000 animals. In the dry season they concentrate on the river in herds of hundreds. It is not unusual to sit in a boat and watch several hundred elephant come down to drink and cross to the islands in a single afternoon.
Boat or vehicle?
Both, but if you only do one thing in Chobe, do the boat. A cruise puts you at water level, quietly, alongside animals that ignore boats far more readily than they ignore vehicles — and the light on the river in the last hour before sunset is the reason photographers return to Chobe specifically.
Is Chobe crowded?
The riverfront near Kasane is the busiest piece of wilderness in Botswana, because it is accessible and because day-trippers come across from Victoria Falls. It is still extraordinary. If crowds matter to you, we stay further along the river or push into Savuti and the private concessions, where traffic collapses to almost nothing.
Can we combine Chobe with Victoria Falls?
Easily — Kasane is about an hour by road from the Falls, and the border crossing is straightforward. It is the single most common combination in the region, and Chobe Introduction is designed to bolt onto it.
What is Savuti and is it worth the extra days?
Savuti is the southern sector of Chobe National Park: a marsh fed by a channel that has famously dried up and flowed again several times in the last century. Its lion prides are among the largest in Africa, and it is dramatic country. Yes, it is worth the days.
Chobe on its own, or as part of something longer?
Four days on the river works beautifully as a short break or an add-on to Victoria Falls. Tell us what else you have in mind.