Our backyard
The world’s largest elephant population.
Botswana’s first national park, declared in 1968. Named for the river along its northern edge, which shapes everything on either bank. Home to the largest elephant population on the continent — around 50,000 inside the park, over 100,000 when herds move across into Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The Park
Four landscapes, one park.
Alongside the elephants: Kalahari lion prides, leopards, cape buffalo, hippos, giraffes, zebras, every antelope, and the endangered African wild dog.
Four ecosystems make up the park — the Chobe Riverfront along the river in the north, the Savuti Marsh in the centre, the Linyanti wetlands on the Namibian border, and the Nogatsaa grasslands in between. Retreats focus on the Riverfront, where our camp sits.
How we explore
Drives, cruises, walks.
Game drives at dawn and dusk. A boat cruise on the Chobe River is the easiest way to get close to elephants drinking at the bank, and to the hippo pods and crocodiles that share the water. Walking safari with an armed professional guide. Mokoro canoe in season.
Our guides are mostly from the neighbouring village of Kavimba. They grew up on this land and know every road.
Birdlife
Four hundred and fifty bird species.
African fish eagles along the river. Carmine bee-eaters in the cliffs. Lilac-breasted rollers on the fence posts. Hornbills at the camp. Kori bustards on the plains. Ospreys, storks, herons, kingfishers.
Around 450 recorded species across the ecosystem. A sunset cruise on the river is the fastest way to add a dozen to a list.
The park at a glance
The numbers.
Established
1968
Declared the year after independence to protect the wildlife along the Chobe River. Still the third-largest park in the country, after the Central Kalahari and Gemsbok.
Area
11,700 km²
From the Chobe River in the north to the Mababe Depression in the south. Floodplain, riverine forest, woodland, and two named marshes.
Elephants
50,000 +
Herds gather along the river in the dry season; in the greener months they move back into the bush and across the borders into Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Birds
450 species
Fish eagles over the river, carmine bee-eaters nesting in the cliffs, lilac-breasted rollers on the fence posts. Bring a long lens.
Best season
May – October
Dry season: cool nights, water draws the herds. Green season (Nov – Apr) brings short rains, dramatic skies, and migratory birds.