Located in Northern Botswana, alongside Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, Chobe National Park is Botswana’s second-largest national park and boasts the largest concentration of game on the African continent.

This remarkable river, which lends its name to the National Park, undergoes several name changes along its journey from Angola to its confluence with the Zambezi River.

Originating in the Angolan highlands where the Utembo and Cuando rivers merge to form the Kwando, it flows southeast, creating a nearly 225 km boundary between Angola and Zambia through the Caprivi Strip (Namibia) until it encounters the Selinda Spillway. This earth fissure forces the river to make a 90° turn to the northeast, which branches into a nearly 1,425 km² (including Lake Liambezi) marsh area known as the Linyanti. Near Ngoma Bridge, the river emerges from the wet alluvial plain as the Chobe River, flowing leisurely east until it clears at the Kasane Rapids as it joins the Zambezi at Kasane. From there, it winds its way into the Zambezi River, which eventually flows over Victoria Falls, through Mozambique, and into the Indian Ocean.

Crossing floodplains, forests and open woodlands, the Chobe River creates a complex network of channels and marshes, providing lush vegetation that attracts a diverse range of wildlife, making for spectacular game viewing. While the river holds water year-round, it rises significantly from February to May, following the rains in Angola that start in November. During this wet season, the level of the Zambezi floodplains rises, pushing water into the Chobe and filling the seasonal Lake Liambezi. Once the lake reaches saturation, the excess water begins to flow in the opposite direction in a phenomenon known as the “backflow.”

A journey to Chobe is synonymous with the unforgettable sight of elephants. With around 120,000 of these majestic giants inhabiting Chobe National Park and its surroundings, the sight of elephants crowding the banks of the Chobe River year-round is a spectacle.

Chobe offers an unparalleled safari experience with game drives and river cruises in an untouched environment. The park’s rich biodiversity ensures incredible wildlife encounters along the river banks, including close-up views of predators such as lions, wild dogs, jackals, hyenas, and leopards and massive herds of elephant and buffalo as they head down to the river for a drink of water.

During the dry winter season from March to November, Chobe becomes a stage for dramatic predator action. Water-dependent animals, particularly elephants, buffalo and predators, flock to the Chobe River, creating some of the best game-viewing opportunities in Southern Africa. Our river safaris provide unique perspectives for wildlife photography, enhanced by breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. A stay on either a Chobe Princess or the Zambezi Queen elevates this experience to the next level.