Activities

Game Drives

Safari activities at Chobe are varied and exhilarating and personalized to suit individual requirements. Game drives are conducted in open four wheel-drive vehicles ensuring maximum visibility. Usually done, early morning and late afternoon under the leadership of qualified guides.

Game viewing and fishing by small boats is also a unique Chobe experience. Additionally, there are also the sunrise and sunset cruises aboard the Mosi o'Tunya, enabling visitors to view wildlife that mass at the waters edge at very close range in all safety, and which provide spectacular wildlife viewing and vistas of an African sunset.

The Chobe floodplain is famed for its concentration of buffalo and elephant and the late afternoon in particular, allows for spectacular viewing. These safaris will capture the magnificence and authentic essence of Botswana's natural landscape and wildlife heritage.

During the dry season, the herds journey from south to north and congregate along the perennial Chobe River and fertile floodplains. The view is impressive and unforgettable - red winter sunsets, Elephant, Buffalo in their thousands. The quality of timeless Africa is real and very strong and the vistas are of an almost bygone era.

The National Park is the ideal place in the world to see the majestic African elephant for it is home to the world’s largest elephant population

Tsodilo Hills

Botswana's Tsodilo Hills are approximately 53km southwest of Shakawe in arid, bush-covered and softly rolling landscape. The site consists of four hills that rise abruptly, to about 401m, from the dry stretch of bushveld. Having been occupied for about 30,000 years, they're one of the world's oldest historical sites.
The hills are home to numerous San (Bushman) paintings – arguably the world's most significant collection of rock art. Even more remarkable is the quiet atmosphere of spirituality that inhabits Tsodilo Hills. The feeling is profoundly unsettling to some visitors, who find themselves wanting to scamper away as soon as possible, while others are thoroughly spellbound by the magical feeling of the hills.

Set roughly in a line, the most southerly of the Tsodilo Hills is called the Male Hill. It's the tallest of the hills, rising 410m above the surrounding area. Close to it is the Female Hill, which covers about three times the area of the Male Hill but reaches only 300m in height.

Female Hill has most of the important rock art sites, and its western side has a permanent source of water. Northwest of the Female Hill is the Child Hill, which is only about 40m high. A fourth hill is kilometres northwest of Child Hill - rumoured to be Male Hill's first wife, whom he left when he met Female Hill.

The Chobe National Park, named after the Chobe river, forms the northern boundary of the park. The Chobe River area is very rich in plant life, offering Bachestegia sandveld, mopane woodland, mixed Combretum veld, floodplain grassland and the riverine woodland. The latter has, been severely damaged by elephants and has in places been reduced to scrub or totally denuded.

Possibly the greatest attraction of the Chobe river area is the elephants, which can almost always be seen there. Their late afternoon visits to the water's edge offer hours of captivating viewing and fantastic opportunities for the photographer.

Alongside huge herds of elephants, huge herds of buffalo can also be seen in this area during the dry season. Visitors can also expect to see tsessbe, waterbuck, roan, eland, sable, giraffe and, if you are fortunate, one of the rare puku.

The floodplains of the river make an perfect viewing area, with mixed patches of open grassland, thickets of bush and riverine forest. In the river itself you should see hippo, and crocodile. The Chobe river area has a rich selection of bird life as well. Beautiful sunsets make this a wildlife experience not to be missed.
 

Chobe Birding

The Chobe River is notorious for its magnificent bird viewing. There are more than 400 species of birds in the Chobe National Park, ranging from Fish Eagles to king-fishers and Marabou storks to Carmine bee-eaters, nesting in their thousands in the sandbanks of the flood plains. Chobe National Park is one of the last remaining true wilderness areas and one of Botswana`s greatest game parks.

The northern wetlands are the best places in Africa to see the near-endemic Slaty Egrets, the endangered Wattled Cranes and the huge Pel’s Fishing Owls and harbour an unrivalled selection of herons, storks and otherr egrets. From the world’s biggest bird (the Ostrich) to the heaviest flying bird (the Kori Bustard) to the most numerous of all birds (the Red-billed Quelea), Botswana has a truly impressive variety and quantity of bird species.

Special birds that you will see in the Chobe Area are:-
Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Racket-tailed Roller, Collared Palm-Thrush, Swamp Boubou, Copper Sunbird, Brown Firefinch, Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah, Orange-winged Pytilia, Slaty Egret, Rufous-bellied Heron, Pink-throated Longclaw, Chirping Cisticola, Greater Swamp Warbler, White-crowned Plover, African Skimmer, Pygmy Goose, Rock Pratincole, African Finfoot, Half-collared Kingfisher, White-backed Night Heron.

The Sanctuary lies 25km north of historic Serowe on the Serowe-Orapa road. Serowe, one of the largest traditional villages in Africa , is the birthplace of Botswana 's first President, the late Sir Seretse Khama. Paje and Mabeleapodi are two small picturesque villages within fifteen kilometres of the Sanctuary. To date, 14 white rhinos and 2 black rhinos have been translocated into the Sanctuary. In February 1993, four rhinos were translocated from northern Botswana

The Sanctuary is home to other wildlife which have settled naturally or been translocated in: zebra, blue wildebeest, giraffe, eland, springbok, impala, gemsbok, kudu, steenbok, duiker, red hartebeest, waterbuck, warthog, leopard, ostrich, African wild cat, caracal, small spotted genet, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, brown hyena. Over 230 bird species have also been identified here including Abdim's stork and bearded woodpecker.

Guided game drives, rhino trails and nature walks can be booked and paid for at the Entrance Gate. Both take about two hours, during which time you will be guided around the Sanctuary by our well trained and very knowledgeable Rangers.

A wonderfully peaceful viewing spot, a traditional reed and thatch hide overlooks one of the small pans where water is retained all year round. Stay a while and quietly watch the many birds and animals that frequent the pan.

Cruise to Sedudu Island

Sedudu Island
No journey to Chobe would be inclusive without a leisurely sightseeing cruise to Sedudu Island. The Island, is submerged by floods for several months of the year. Sedudu Island is an ideal place from which to marvel at the magnificent African sunset, whilst enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. The sun downer river cruise is a MUST for viewing and photographic opportunities.

Tiger Fish
A prime attraction to Chobe would be fishing for the coveted, majestic and powerful Tiger Fish (Hydrocynus vittatus) which is considered by many as the top freshwater game fish in the world. For an awesome experience you can try your hand at fishing for this well-known tiger fish, which inhabit the Chobe River.

Tigerfish, the striped water dog, are one of strongest kilogram-for-kilogram fighters. They attack from the side at speeds of up to 50 kph, then turn their bait around and swallow it headfirst. Their ability to bite through a lure with their razor-sharp teeth makes them an extremely exciting fish to catch.