Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park is the third largest national park in Botswana, and is famous for its abundant game. Spanning 10, 566 square kilometres, this beautiful reserve consists of four distinctly different ecosystems: Serondela, with its lush plains and dense forests, situated near the Chobe River in the far north-east. The Savuti Marsh in the west, about 50 kilometres north of Mababe gate. The Linyanti Swamps in the north-west and the dry, hot hinterland in-between. 

The Chobe Park area is famous for its massive elephant population, which forms one part of the largest continuous elephant population in Africa, spanning most of northern Botswana as well as north-western Zimbabwe. The Chobe elephants are migratory, making seasonal crossings of up to 200 kilometres from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers in the dry season, to the pans in the south-east of the park during the rainy season. The Chobe elephants are the largest of all living elephants, however their ivory is very brittle and huge tuskers are rare to spot during Botswana safari tours. 
 

The Serondela Area:
This area of the park features lush plains and dense teak forests, its close to the Chobe River in the extreme north-east and attracts animals in abundance during the dry season. Owing to its location close to the Victoria Falls and the town of Kasane, it's the most popular region. Guests are normally able to join river cruises and game drives and see huge populations of elephants as well as predators.

The Savuti Area:
Savuti boasts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife left on the African continent and the Savuti Marsh is a relic of an ancient lake. Game can be seen during all seasons in large numbers but it is also more difficult to get to for the average tourist. On a typical Botswana safari you could see a huge range of species, including giraffe, elephant, zebra, impala, tsessebe, roan, sable, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, eland, lion, hyena, jackal, bat-eared fox, cheetah and wild dog. Lion and hyena can often be seen at the campsites, and lions can be heard roaring at night.

The Linyanti Area: 
Linyanti Swamps in the nort-west located alongside the Linyanti River, feature riverine woodland as well as lagoons and floodplains. The swamps are excellent for game viewing and there is also a strong emphasis on bird watching. The region can also be quite difficult to reach during the rainy season. Wildlife in this area however is abundant, especially in the dry winter months when large concentrations of elephant, buffalo and zebra congregate along the river, with giraffe, impala and roan antelope found in the forests. Birdlife is rich and diverse, with large numbers of water birds such as pelican to be seen. Game viewing in the park is best during the dry season, when wildlife is easier to spot. The rainy season from January to March brings flooding, and there is a greater malaria risk during these months. Malaria medication is advised for all Chobe National Park safaris.

The Hinterland:
The dry and hot hinterland in between these three areas is mostly covered in nogatsaa woodland. Also rarely visited it is a good place to see eland.