Drifting down the Chobe: Chobe National Park
Multimedia Images.
Source: Southern Africa’s top 21 parks taken from the April 2010 Issue of Getaway Magazine.
Chobe is legendary among those seeking the ultimate African wildlife experience. From elephant traffic jams along the Chobe River to the night antics of Savuti’s big cats, it’s hard to beat. By Justin Fox.
Chobe National Park has one of the greatest concentrations of game in Africa. The park is divided into four distinct ecosystems:
Serondela with its forests and lush plains along the Chobe River in the northeast, Savuti marsh in the west, Linyanti Swamps in the northwest and the hot, dry hinterland to the south and east.
The main entrance to the park is at Sedudu Gate near Kasane. A 4×4 is essential if you intend to travel extensively in Chobe. However, most visitors stick close to the game-rich Chobe riverfront where sundowner cruises are very popular. In recent years, this area has become a bit of a bun fight at times, so regulations have recently been introduced to restrict the number of vehicles at animal sightings, as well as boat speed limits.
Botswana’s population of elephants is estimated at 120 000 and a large percentage of these frequent Chobe. The pachyderms are migratory and make seasonal journeys between neighbouring countries. The ellies in this area are some of the largest on earth, but their ivory is brittle, so you won’t see very many huge tuskers.
Public campsites with toilet and shower facilities can be found at Ihaha, Savuti and Linyanti – booking is essential. It must be remembered that when driving between camps you’re moving through a wilderness area and you should carry basic safety items such as water, food, fuel, torches, extra wheels and a jack. Ihaha has replaced the old Serondela campsite on the Chobe River and has modern facilities and a reception office.
Savuti also has an attractive new campsite 172 kilometres southwest of Sedudu Gate. It’s famous for inquisitive elephants that roam the camp, hyenas that come sniffing for scraps and prides of lions that prowl the marsh and wake you with their roaring. Linyanti has a small, secluded campsite 39 kilometres northwest of Savuti. The roads are pretty rough, so go there only with a reliable 4×4. This is big-game country at its most beguiling.
The birth of Kaza
Chobe has been incorporated into a giant transfrontier conservation area (TFCA) known as Kaza (Kavango-Zambezi) which includes vast tracts of land around these two river basins in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Proposed as perhaps the most ambitious of Africa’s peace parks, the TFCA will encompass an area of 287132 square kilometres and include 36 national parks, game reserves, community conservancies and game management areas.
Visitor tips
- Game viewing is best in the dry season
- Avoid Chobe riverfront during the heavy rains from January to March
- No fuel supplies are available between Kasane and Maun
- Be entirely self-contained in the park and carry all necessary supplies and repair equipment
- Boil your drinking water
Travel adviser
How to book
Although there is one luxury lodge (Chobe Game Lodge) and a few pricey private concessions inside the park, most visitors go for the self-drive camping option.
Park entry fees are P120 (R133) a person a day, camping fees are P30 (R33) a person a night and a normal vehicle costs P50 (R55) a day.
For bookings, contact the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks, tel +267-318-0774 or e-mail dwnp@-gov.bw, web web www.botswanatourism.co.bw.
For more on this park: www.getaway.co.za
This article was taken from the back issue of Getaway. April 2010 Special Edition.
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