From the verdant and lush marshlands of Savuti and Linyanti to the extensive floodplains running along the Chobe River, Chobe National Park is one of Botswana’s crowning glories - thanks to its population of elephants and its status the most biologically diverse park in the country.

The two distinct dry and wet seasons see the park morph from riverbanks populated with wandering wildlife along the Chobe into a bird-watchers paradise, after the remaining wildlife has dispersed further south to the more secluded regions of the park. Chobe is home to four of the Big 5 and its population of elephants is especially impressive, exceeding about 50,000 in number.

There are a variety of accommodation options in Chobe National Park ranging from houseboats to campsites and luxury lodges. The nearby town of Kasane boasts a number of B&Bs or self-catering apartments, and day trips can easily be taken into the park while the neighbouring village of Kazungula operates a ferry that crosses to Zambia and gives visitors the chance to see Victoria Falls. The dry season is the best time to visit for game-spotting opportunities whereas the wet season shows off the park’s prolific birdlife.

Highlights

• The third-largest park in Botswana as well as the most biologically diverse
• The park is renowned for its superb elephant population
• The park’s four distinct ecosystems support an abundance of varied fauna and flora
• Chobe is easily reached via the nearby town of Kasane’s airport with flights arriving daily from Johannesburg, Gaborone, and Maun
• Victoria Falls is less than 100 kilometres from Chobe’s north-eastern gate