Aqua-Firma can help you to make the most of Chobe River's superb wildlife and diverse environments throughout the year, either as part of a mobile tented safari experience, or based at one of our partner lodges. In addition to game drives, we highly recommend inclusion of a boat-based safari.
The northern edge of Chobe National Park is the Chobe River. This also marks the border between Botswana and Namibia. Like the Okavango floodplain, the Chobe River takes most of its water from around a thousand kilometres away in highlands of Angola; its rise a fall dictated by rains falling hundreds of miles to the north.
Chobe's riverbanks and floodplains provide mile upon mile of wetlands where huge flocks of birds fish, hippos wallow and grazers like impala, zebras and buffalo gather in enormous herds. Prides of lions have so much to choose from; but sometimes that works against them. Try as they might to pick off a smaller, slower or sicklier animal, aggregations can murmurate in unexpected ways; and even overpower the hunter with aggressive defensive stands.
Leopards cannot afford to be so public and are best found amongst dense bushes which flourish on slopes leading up from the river. Kills need to be hoisted high into trees, beyond the reach of lions and hyenas which will steal their hard-earned meals.
On our game drives, above the river, an inspiring variety of mammals can be seen - including giraffes, kudu and waterbuck and their attendant predators, like leopards, hyenas, lions and jackals. When we explore the Chobe by river safari, we can take you close-up to formidable hippos and huge ominous cruising Nile crocodiles, waiting patiently for lunch to come carelessly within reach.
The Chobe offers some magical birding, with lovers of waterbirds and raptors being particularly rewarded. Colourful species include flocks of Carmine Bee-eaters, a wide variety of kingfisher species, hornbills, Sacred Ibis and rare species like the Saddle-billed Stork. Spectacular eagles include Martial, Crowned and African Fish eagles. Chobe overall boasts more than 460 bird species, the richest and most rewarding bird watching location in the country.
The riverfront area is the most easily accessible area of the park, which makes it the most frequented. That should not deter you, but makes worth combining with more remote parts of Botswana, such as Savuti further south in Chobe, the great Okavango Delta or vast Kalahari.
