Chobe and Savute

Situated in the far Northeast of Botswana, Chobe National Park was Botswana’s first national parks to be formed in 1967 and covers an eye-watering 11,700 square kilometres. Famed for some of the world’s largest herds of elephant and prides of lion, it offers the awe-struck visitor a veritable feast of wildlife, scenery and diversity. The reserve encompasses two iconic wildlife areas that offer very different yet equally superb experiences; Chobe Riverfront, supporting the reserve’s huge concentration of elephant and the hauntingly beautiful Savute which is almost magical and delivers wildlife off the scale. 

The mighty Chobe River forms the boundary between Botswana and Zimbabwe with the world-famous Victoria Falls a mere 2-hour drive away. Be prepared to be wowed by the hundreds of elephants you may see, particularly as they gently and silently cross the road within touching distance and make their way to the river to bathe and play. As well as game drives, there are boat cruises which will take you on a magical watery adventure gently gliding past hippo, bathing elephants, crocodiles and a myriad of aquatic birdlife.

Deep within the Chobe National park and around 120 kms south of the Chobe River front, lies the soulful and mystical Savute region. An ancient watercourse which flows from the Linyanti River for about 100 kms before releasing it into a vast swampland named the Savute Marsh. The Savute Channel stopped flowing for 30 years and astonished its inhabitants when it started flowing again in 2011. The water brought with it an influx of wildlife which followed the river and has changed the landscape almost unrecognisably. Due to the mysterious flow and ebb of the Savute Channel over a 100-year period, the mystique is only intensified by the numerous dead trees that line the channel and which create an eerie backdrop to the sea of elephants drinking from the channel. Many predators roam the area which is probably best known for its lion and cheetah populations.  When filled with water, the channel is also the popular venue for thousands of migratory birds and animals including enormous herds of zebra and wildebeest. Memorable in every way.

The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
G. K. Chesterton