Chobe National Park in Botswana, known as the ‘elephant capital of the world‘, is one of my absolute favourite safari destinations in Africa.
Chobe was declared a national park in 1967 and it covers over 11,700km2 – that’s about the size of Qatar. It’s a popular destination for both guided and self-drive safaris – although a 4×4 is needed as it’s pretty sandy!
If I were able to dream up the perfect safari location, in terms of the scenery, the location, the accessibility, the animals, the lighting, the experience… then Chobe is probably it!
So here’s the Helen in Wonderlust guide to a Chobe National Park safari to help you plan and have an incredible trip!
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The Ultimate Guide to a Chobe National Park Safari
Is Chobe National Park Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! As I said above, I LOVE Chobe and I’ve visited quite a few times over the last 15 years.
Whilst Chobe covers a very large area, I’ve had some of my best ever wildlife sightings here. It’s renowned for being one of the best places in the world for elephants – with population estimates of between 50,000 – 120,000! That’s quite a wide range, but whatever the actual number – it’s a lot!
I was once on safari in the Chobe Riverfront area and we were literally surrounded by hundreds of elephants as far as the eye could see. It was absolutely magical.
It’s also one of the parks where I’ve had the most luck with leopard sightings (probably equal with the Masai Mara in Kenya, Serengeti in Tanzania and South Luangwa in Zambia), and it’s also quite common to see huge prides of lions. The Chobe Riverfront is where I saw my first (and only) brown hyena – albeit briefly.
It’s a really special place. And the light…. there’s just something very special about those Botswana sunsets, and sunrises for that matter.
Most Botswana group tours and overland tours will include Chobe National Park in their itineraries as it’s a very accessible park and also, very wonderful!
Geography of Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park is located in the northern part of Botswana and has many different areas, but here are the 4 ‘main’ areas:
- Chobe Riverfront (or Serondela): In the northeast of the park, close to the borders with Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. This is the main area people are talking about when they refer to ‘Chobe National Park’ and it’s the most popular area to visit as it’s easy to get to and has a high concentration of wildlife, that is very used to humans.
- Savuti (or Savute) Marsh: In the southwest of the park, closer to the Khwai Conservancy, Moremi National Park and the Okavango Delta – we had great lion, leopard and elephant sightings here but this area is very remote and tricky to get to, so best to do a fly-in safari or if you’re driving, combined with Moremi/Khwai on a multi-day safari. You cannot drive there from any major town for a day trip and it’s too far to drive for a day trip if staying outside the park.
- Linyati Marsh: Located in the remote northwestern part of the park – most people fly to Linyati as the roads can be ‘brutal‘. Known for having elephant ‘megaherds’ as well as plenty of predators. This area can get waterlogged with the rains, so it’s best to check the road conditions before trying to reach here if driving yourself and perhaps best avoided if you’re not an experienced 4×4 driver.
- Nogatsaa: Located south of the Riverfront area. I went through here once and it is a very untouched, desolate and wild part of the park. We found the animals were a little more skittish here, compared with the Riverfront area. But I only briefly drove through here on the way out of the park, so we didn’t explore much.
Getting To & Around Chobe National Park
There are a few different ways to enter Chobe National Park, including road, plane or boat.
If travelling by road, there are 3 main entry gates for Chobe National Park – Sedudu near Kasane, Mababe ‘near’ Maun (but closer to Moremi and Khwai) and Ngoma near the Caprivi Strip in Namibia.
There is also the Ghoha gate which is inside the park just north of Savuti. You can also exit at the Poha gate in the Nogotsaa area (we used this gate to go from Savuti to Elephant Sands), but you can’t enter there – and there’s very little info about it online. But I did find this.
If you stay near to one of the gates, you can do day trips into the park. But if you have the time, you could do a multi-day safari – either staying in one area of the park, entering and exiting through the same gate. Or entering through one gate and leaving through another.
To self-drive in the park, you will need a 4×4. For those without a 4x 4, you can get to Kasane relatively easily using local buses (or a 2-wheel drive car) and then take tours from there – either day tours or longer. You can also take tours from Maun (which is also easily reachable on the main roads), but these can be more expensive as this side of the park is much less accessible and needs to be part of a multi-day trip.
For those with a larger budget, flying into the park (from Kasane/Maun) and between airstrips inside the park/other parks is another option. Most of the lodges inside the wider national park are only accessible by light aircraft or helicopter.
Some of the luxury lodges/camps may be (technically) reachable by road, but park regulations prohibit self-driving to these locations due to vehicle restrictions and most don’t accommodate self-drivers anyway.
From Kasane (Sedudu Gate)
The main gate is the Sedudu gate, which leads to the Chobe Riverfront area. The gate is on the outskirts of Kasane town, near to the ‘Four Corners of Africa’ where Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia meet.
Kasane has an international airport, with flights arriving from Maun in Botswana, Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
Kasane is also accessible by road from Maun – it’s around an 8 hour drive, but you can break up the journey stopping in places like Gweta (for the Makgadikgadi/Nxai Pans) and Nata (Elephant Sands) on the way (or vice versa).
Kasane is only 15 – 20 minutes from the Kazungula borders (where you cross to Zambia and Zimbabwe). Both Livingstone, Zambia and Vic Falls in Zimbabwe are just over an hour’s drive away.
As this gate is so accessible, you can take day trips to the Riverfront/Chobe Forest Reserve areas from Kasane, or even Livingstone and Vic Falls. You can also take short boat safaris into the park from Kasane and most of the lodges on the river.
From Maun (Mababe Gate)
The Mababe gate is the one you would use if coming from/going to Maun, Moremi Game Reserve or the Khwai Concession. This brings you into the Mababe Depression area which is south of the Savuti area of the park.
This gate isn’t close to a major town (Maun is at least 3 or 4 hours by road on a good day), so it’s best if combined with a safari in Khwai and/or Moremi. There are also some lodges/campsites just outside the gate if you want to stay in one place and then day trip (to Mababe Depression/Khwai/Moremi) from there.
Maun has an international airport, with flights from Kasane and Gaborone in Botswana, Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Adis Ababa in Ethiopia.
We came through this gate during a multi-day trip where we drove in through the Mababe Gate (coming from Khwai/Moremi), camped in and travelled through Savuti and then left by the Poha Gate (Nogotsaa) travelling through the wilderness to join the A33 going south enroute to Nata and Elephant Sands, and then we travelled back north on the A33 to the Riverfront area via the Sedudu Gate.
The route from Nogotsaa to Elephant Sands wasn’t the best, so I probably wouldn’t do that gain!
Savuti and Nogotsaa felt very wild, compared with the Riverfront as you see a lot less other people. We had lots of great sightings, including lions, leopards and of course, lots of elephants. But you also need to be well prepared and a lot more self-sufficient – as you’re a bit more out on your own here! There are no shops or petrol stations to stock up!
From the Caprivi Strip (Ngoma Gate)
The Ngoma gate is near Namibian border (Ngoma Border) which is on Caprivi Strip (sometimes called the Namibian Panhandle). You can cross into Botswana here and then drive outside the park on the A33 transit road to Kasane (I did this, going the other way on an Intercape bus once) or you can enter the park through the gate and travel through the park to either Kasane or Savuti.
This gate brings you into the north of the park, not far from the Riverfront area and is a good option if you’re doing a Namibia and Botswana trip and don’t want to double back on yourself!
How Long to Spend in Chobe National Park?
As Chobe National Park is so accessible from Kasane/the Caprivi Strip, you can just visit for the day and see quite a lot in that time as the concentration of animals around that area is so high.
It’s also quite common for people to do day trips to the Riverfront from Livingstone, Zambia or Vic Falls, Zimbabwe. And if you’re just visiting for the day, without staying overnight in Botswana, you don’t forfeit your Zambia, Zimbabwe (or KAZA) visas.
But if you want to see more, it’s worth spending a couple of days or a night or two in the park. And if you want to see different areas, you’ll need to spend at least 3 or 4 nights, or even longer, inside the park.
But, likewise, a day trip to the Chobe Riverfront is also great if you are short on time.
When is the Best Time to Visit Chobe National Park?
The best time to go on a Chobe National Park safari is the cool, dry season, between May and…