Kasane: the Chobe gateway, an hour from Victoria Falls.
A river town at the north-eastern tip of Botswana, where four countries come within a few hundred metres of one another. Chobe National Park begins at the edge of town.
Four borders and one river.
Kasane sits on the south bank of the Chobe River, a few kilometres upstream of the point where the Chobe meets the Zambezi at Kazungula. Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia all come close to touching here, and the Kazungula Bridge, opened in 2021, now carries road traffic straight across the Zambezi to Zambia.
For a safari, the river matters more than the borders. Chobe National Park’s riverfront section starts just west of town at Sedudu Gate, and in the dry season the floodplain below it fills with elephant, buffalo and hippo. Sedudu Island, in the middle of the river, was awarded to Botswana by the International Court of Justice in 1999, and it is now grazed by buffalo and watched from a great many boats.
Kasane is also the easiest way into Botswana from anywhere. The airport has direct flights from Johannesburg, Victoria Falls is about 80 kilometres away by road, and you can be on the river within an hour of landing. That is why it anchors short trips, family safaris and almost every Victoria Falls combination.
Kasane: the essentials.
- WhereNorth-eastern Botswana, on the Chobe River near Kazungula
- AirportKasane International Airport (BBK), with direct flights from Johannesburg
- Victoria FallsAbout 80 km by road, roughly an hour plus the border
- Best monthsJune to October for elephant on the river; November to March for birds
- How you see itRiver cruises, photographic boats and game drives on the riverfront
- Who it suitsShort trips, families, first-timers and Victoria Falls combinations
What a few days based in Kasane look like.
The afternoon river cruise
The single best thing to do in Chobe. Animals tolerate boats far more readily than vehicles, and the last two hours of light on the water are exceptional.
Photographic boats
Specialist boats with swivel seats and camera mounts, low to the water. Worth booking specifically if you are serious about images.
Riverfront game drives
Morning drives along the floodplain tracks inside the park, where lion, sable and large herds of buffalo come down to drink.
A day at Victoria Falls
Across the border into Zimbabwe for the Falls themselves, back in time for dinner. Or base yourself at the Falls and visit Chobe for the day.
Tigerfish on the Chobe
Catch-and-release fishing for tigerfish, the river’s fiercest resident, with local guides who know the channels.
Onward to Savuti and the Delta
Light aircraft fly from Kasane to Savuti, the Linyanti and the Okavango, so it works as the start or the end of a longer journey.
What guests ask us about Kasane.
How do we get from Kasane to Victoria Falls?
By road through the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe, about an hour plus formalities. Zambia is the other option, across the Kazungula Bridge to Livingstone. The KAZA UniVisa, when it is being issued, covers Zambia and Zimbabwe on one visa. We arrange the transfers and tell you which visas your passport needs.
Should we stay in Kasane or inside the park?
Nearly all riverfront accommodation is in Kasane or just outside the park boundary, which keeps the river cruises and the airport close. For quieter nights we move guests further west along the river, or on to Savuti and the Linyanti.
How many nights do we need in Kasane?
Two to three. Two gives you a river cruise and a game drive on each day; three adds a photographic boat or a day at Victoria Falls. Beyond that, most guests are better served moving on to somewhere quieter.
Can we fly from Kasane to the Okavango Delta?
Yes. Light aircraft connect Kasane with the Delta camps, Savuti and the Linyanti, so you can start at the river and finish in the Delta, or the other way round, without driving back.
How to fit Kasane into a journey.
It features in these two signature journeys, and we build it into tailor-made routes all the time.
Keep reading
- Chobe National Park — the riverfront, Savuti and the Linyanti compared
- A four-day Chobe itinerary — built to join a Victoria Falls stay
- Family safaris in Botswana — why the Chobe river suits children so well
Thinking about Kasane?
Tell us when you can travel and what you most want to see, and we will tell you honestly how many nights it deserves and what to pair it with.