Chobe National Park is one of Botswana’s more accessible protected areas, but that takes nothing away from the sense of being somewhere truly wild. Nor does staying at Chobe Game Lodge, the one of Botswana’s best safari lodges. The Riverfront forms the focus of your stay, however you choose to experience it.
We soon discover that Chobe National Park occupies not just a very special place geographically, but also in our hearts. While sandwiched between the Okavango Delta and the Linyanti, and Victoria Falls, Chobe is no filler – in fact, it proves to be a thrilling wildlife experience in its own right. The eponymous river exerts an irresistible pull on wildlife, while we find ourselves intrigued by being within a stone’s throw of four different countries. Chobe Game Lodge stretches languorously along the riverfront, and as we arrive we stop to indulge in the views down to the water and across to the rolling terrain of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. The largely flat landscape is a magnificent canvas on which Nature paints towering clouds, huge herds of buffalo and elephant, and glorious sunsets. Our tranquility is suddenly disturbed, but in the best possible way: the unmistakable call of an African fish eagle echos through the treetops, while from our vantage point atop the bank, we can practically feel the relief and happiness of elephant entering the water.
We soon discover that Chobe National Park occupies not just a very special place geographically, but also in our hearts. While sandwiched between the Okavango Delta and the Linyanti, and Victoria Falls, Chobe is no filler – in fact, it proves to be a thrilling wildlife experience in its own right.
The eponymous river exerts an irresistible pull on wildlife, while we find ourselves intrigued by being within a stone’s throw of four different countries.
Chobe Game Lodge stretches languorously along the riverfront, and as we arrive we stop to indulge in the views down to the water and across to the rolling terrain of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. The largely flat landscape is a magnificent canvas on which Nature paints towering clouds, huge herds of buffalo and elephant, and glorious sunsets.
Our tranquility is suddenly disturbed, but in the best possible way: the unmistakable call of an African fish eagle echos through the treetops, while from our vantage point atop the bank, we can practically feel the relief and happiness of elephant entering the water.
Stepping out onto our private terrace, the first thing we notice is our own personal slice of the almost infinite view. We eventually tear ourselves away from the spectacle of elephant ablutions, and realise that the room itself will be more than able to hold its own when it comes to competing with the panorama for our attention. We find all the mod cons we could wish for, with the combination of aircon and overhead fans a testament to the summer heat – which they deal with admirably. We find ourselves looking forward to watching the animals find their own ways to keep cool. The room decor is distinguished by striking patterns and bold colours, which lend still more credibility to the lodge’s sense of place. As I gleefully switch off my phone, I notice that there’s Wi-Fi in the room, and somehow choosing not to use it (as opposed to simply not having it) is a wonderfully liberating feeling. But then, it would be hard not to feel as free as a fish eagle in such vast land- and skyscapes.
Stepping out onto our private terrace, the first thing we notice is our own personal slice of the almost infinite view. We eventually tear ourselves away from the spectacle of elephant ablutions, and realise that the room itself will be more than able to hold its own when it comes to competing with the panorama for our attention.
We find all the mod cons we could wish for, with the combination of aircon and overhead fans a testament to the summer heat – which they deal with admirably. We find ourselves looking forward to watching the animals find their own ways to keep cool.
The room decor is distinguished by striking patterns and bold colours, which lend still more credibility to the lodge’s sense of place. As I gleefully switch off my phone, I notice that there’s Wi-Fi in the room, and somehow choosing not to use it (as opposed to simply not having it) is a wonderfully liberating feeling. But then, it would be hard not to feel as free as a fish eagle in such vast land- and skyscapes.
We learn that Chobe Game Lodge was sprinkled with stardust when Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor chose this venue, one of Botswana best safari lodges, for their second marriage. Sadly their (re)union didn’t last, but there is a timeless quality to the landscape of Chobe, and we find it easy to imagine that while the seasons may roll around (or is that the hippo?), the views haven’t changed in centuries. We immediately have a deep and satisfying feeling that we belong here – a sensation that’s heightened (as we find that so many of our feelings are when we’re on safari) by having the dawn and the dusk to ourselves, as these are outside the hours when day visitors from Kasane can traverse the national park. The fact that it’s the only luxury safari accommodation in Chobe really does set this lodge apart.
We learn that Chobe Game Lodge was sprinkled with stardust when Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor chose this venue, one of Botswana best safari lodges, for their second marriage. Sadly their (re)union didn’t last, but there is a timeless quality to the landscape of Chobe, and we find it easy to imagine that while the seasons may roll around (or is that the hippo?), the views haven’t changed in centuries.
We immediately have a deep and satisfying feeling that we belong here – a sensation that’s heightened (as we find that so many of our feelings are when we’re on safari) by having the dawn and the dusk to ourselves, as these are outside the hours when day visitors from Kasane can traverse the national park.
The fact that it’s the only luxury safari accommodation in Chobe really does set this lodge apart.
From a peak in May, water volumes fall rapidly throughout the cooler, drier winter months. The Chobe River is soon the only reliable source of water, which leads to incredible concentrations of wildlife along the banks and out on the adjacent Chobe Floodplains. Previously submerged islands reappear as the Chobe River reaches its lowest in September, and from this point on rising temperatures only serve to intensify the river’s appeal to local wildlife. Chobe National Park can become a little busy at this time, especially in the Chobe Riverfront area.
Most of Chobe’s rainfall occurs during the summer months, typically from mid-December until the end of February. The Chobe Floodplains are inundated, giving rise to intense natural displays of flowers and spectacular birding opportunities. Water is much more readily available, and the large winter concentrations of game tend to disperse inland (away from the river). At maximum river levels, around April, the floodplains can resemble an inland sea. With the Chobe River ultimately joining the Zambezi, it makes perfect sense that this is also when Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls are at their most impressive.
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Enjoy a Chobe Floodplains safari in one of Africa’s great national parks. Its northern border is bounded by the Chobe River and adjacent floodplains, an area rich in game, especially vast herds of elephant and buffalo, as well as a spellbinding array of birds. It’s one of Botswana’s best safari…
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Botswana is a land of contrasts, often heightened by the presence or absence of water. This luxury Botswana safari – one of Botswana’s best safari itineraries – includes time at Chobe Game Lodge, Savute Safari Lodge, Xugana Island Lodge and Camp Xaxanaka – some of Botswanas best safari lodges that…
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