Chobe is the second largest national park in Botswana (after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve), and covers about 11,000km2. It is particularly well known for its huge herds of elephants which are often seen by the Chobe River which runs along the northern border of the park. It is an excellent park for a variety of wildlife, due to its varying habitats from dry scrubland and mopane forest, to marshlands and rivers.
The park is broadly divided into different areas: the forested Chobe riverfront are in the northeast, the Savuti Marsh & the Madabe Depression and the Ngwezumba Dams & Pans. And to the northwest of Savuti bordering Chobe there is a wetland area - the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve.
The riverfront is the most visited area, and has the densest population of game, particularly the famous Chobe elephants. Hippo, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, jackal, warthog, kudu, sable, and many more species are present in this large area.
Taking a river trip gives a different perspective on the area and is a great way to watch wildlife. The marshy floodplain is where you will most likely see the red lechwe and the puku. This area is at its best for wildlife viewing from about June to October.
Savuti and the Madabe Depression are also popular areas in the park as, again, the wildlife is quite dense here, especially from about November to May. Savuti lies within the Madabe Depression which is a huge hollow left behind from an ancient lake.
In Linyanti there are a number of private concessions in superb game viewing areas. There are permanent luxury tented lodges here and a stay can easily be combined with locations in the Okavango Delta.
Tribes offers a number of different mobile safari itineraries which take in Chobe and Linyanti. These can be started in Maun to include the Okavango Delta, and can finish at Victoria Falls in Zambia. You may like to consider adding a couple of days at the falls to your Chobe itinerary.
