Chobe FAQs - Botswana FAQ Guide

A herd of elephants at the Chobe River in Botswana.



I have heard it called Chobe National Park and Chobe River. What is correct?

The Chobe River is the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park. The national park encompasses a vast area that also includes Savuti but when we talk of Chobe River we are talking of one section of the park, albeit the best known part of the park. Many people talk of simply Chobe – and by this they mean the river section of the park. The great elephant concentrations occur on the river during the dry season.

Why is there such a concentration of elephants on the Chobe River?

Historically the elephants’ migration routes took in the Chobe River, Caprivi Strip of Namibia and the Zambezi floodplains in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Thirty years ago a liberation war was happening in the Caprivi Strip and the elephant fell victim to mass poaching from the military of both sides. They stopped moving across into the Caprivi and instead gathered on the Chobe River which became their dry season feeding grounds due to the permanent water. With the end of hostilities the elephants are crossing again.

Chobe can get very busy traffic-wise?

Botswana has a low impact tourism policy, however, Chobe has been allowed to open to high impact tourism due to its location. With a number of large hotels and lodges on the river and with its closeness to Victoria Falls it is an area of heavy traffic but controls have been put in place to limit the impact. And there are more than enough elephants to go around.

Where is the best place to stay when in Chobe?

There is a range of accommodation in Chobe, from camping to very upmarket safari lodges and luxury hotels. As for the best place – this will be determined by budget and personal preferences.

When is the best time to travel to Chobe?

The great elephant concentrations on the Chobe River occur during the winter months of May through to September / October. To see the herds then the winter months will be the best time to visit Chobe but the area is spectacular in the wet summer months when the antelope start dropping their young and the migrant birds are in full colour.