Chobe & Savuti

Why take a safari in Chobe or Savuti?

The main reason for taking a safari in Chobe is the river. This is the lifeblood attracting Chobe’s famously huge herds of elephants. The park is also home to a prolific and diverse number of other species too, making it a popular destination. This popularity can make it very busy at times, but it’s still worth it. 
Savuti is part of Chobe National Park but it is further south in a much more arid area. The dry landscape is quenched by the Savuti Channel and Marsh, making it a highlight for big game and excellent for predators. Both are amazing wildlife destinations.
Here are the main reasons for coming here:

• Huge herds of elephants by the Chobe River, especially August to October.
• Good game viewing year round, but particularly in the dry season (May-October).
• Wonderful boat safaris on the Chobe River.
• Chobe is a particularly good place to see sable antelopes.
• Stay on a luxury houseboat on the Chobe River.
• Savuti is an renowned wildlife area, with a good number of bull elephants often seen.
• The Savuti Marsh attracts the annual zebra and wildebeest migration in the wet season (Nov-May).
• Excellent predator sightings, especially lions, in the Savuti Marsh.
• Some high quality lodges and camps in both Chobe and Savuti.

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When to go on safari to Chobe and Savuti

The best season for safaris in Chobe and Savuti is the dry season, running from roughly May to October, with July to October being the peak months as grasses have died and wildlife is congregating by water sources.  
At the start of the rainy season, roughly November, many animals start to give birth, and wildlife disperses more widely throughout the park. Birdlife is especially good in the rainy season (Nov to April) and wild flowers flourish. 
December to March are the months you are going to get good green season deals on the lodges, with May (and sometimes June) and November being classed as shoulder season for some lodges, so still cheaper than high season.

Chobe and Savuti safaris: How to do it.

You can come to Chobe and Savuti either on a fly-in lodge safari, or a mobile camping safari, or perhaps even a self-drive safari if you’re feeling adventurous. Light aircraft companies in Botswana fly the short hops between lodges throughout the country. Most Chobe lodges will include a boat safari if you have at least 2 nights, and tend to offer twice daily game drives in the park.  
Kasane is the closest airport to Chobe but some more remote lodges, especially in Savuti, have their own airstrips so you can get much closer to them without driving for miles.  
Most visitors combine Chobe and/or Savuti with time in the Okavango Delta and often with a few days in nearby Victoria Falls in Zambia or Zimbabwe. It only takes about 2 hours to get from Kasane to the Falls.

Accommodation in Chobe and Savuti

The majority of the Chobe lodges are in or near Kasane. The only lodge within the park itself is Chobe Game Lodge, which we really like even though it’s quite large. There is also a very good tented camp in the park called Chobe Under Canvas, run by luxury operator And Beyond. 
It is also worth considering the lodges in the west of Chobe in the Chobe Forest Reserve area – the upmarket Ngoma Safari Lodge is gorgeous, but then we also really like Muchenje Safari Lodge, and the more rustic Chobe Elephant Camp also has its place.  
In Savuti, there are some more remote lodges such as Ghoha Hills to the east, as well as the lovely camps of Savuti Camp and Savuti Safari Lodge.