Botswana Safaris in Chobe Game Reserve

The history of the Chobe National Park began more or less when the rulers of Bechuanaland, now Botswana, started to realise that hunting is no longer sustainable and the need for the conservation of the wildlife was more important for a sustainable future.

The status of the area progressed from a no-hunting area (1932) to game reserve, called the Chobe Game Reserve (1960) until finally, in 1967, it was proclaimed a National Park.

The first inhabitants of the area was the Basarwa people or San Bushmen. They were hunter-gatherers and they lived in harmony with nature and were true hunters, hunting only with bow and arrow, making the wholesale slaughter of animals impossible. These hunters primarily hunted for food, but also made good use of skins, sinew, bones and other parts of the animals they hunted to use as clothing and tools. Members of the San Bushmen tribe may sometimes be encountered at some of the safari lodges in Chobe.

The Four Ecosystems in Chobe National Park

The Chobe Riverfront area in the northeast of the park is perhaps the busiest tourist area in the park. Kasane is an important tourist town offering some first class safari lodges, campgrounds and boat cruises on the Chobe river - between the islands. Elephants and other animals frequently swim to the islands to feed on the green grass there. Going on a Chobe River cruise may just be the highlight of your Botswana Safari. Kasane is also popular as it is easy to visit the Victoria Falls from the town on a most interesting day trip offered by competant local tour guides such as The African Bush Lovers managed by their impressive director Stanza Molaodi and his capable team.

The Savuti Marsh area forms the western side of the park. The region is characterised by swampy conditions that oscillate between wet and dry periods of long duration, leaving lots of dead trees after a dry period. It also extensive savannah grasslands, resulting in a prolific wildlife in this section of the park. In dry seasons, warthogs, kudus, impalas, zebras, wildebeests and above all elephants may be viewed by African safari lovers in safari vehicles. During rainy seasons, birdlife in the park becomes prolific and is a twitcher's paradise. Predators like lions, hyenas, and sometimes cheetahs are visible as well. It is in this region that the annual zebra migration, with many predators in tow, takes place.

The Linyanti Marsh at the northwest corner of the park is adjacent to the Linyanti River. Around the Kwando and the Linyanti rivers one find riverine and open woodlands and lagoons with the rest of the region mainly flood plains. Lovers of african safaris will find here large prides of lions, leopards, wild dogs, roan antelopes, sable antelopes, hippopotamus, huge herds of elephants and a prolific bidlife.

Between the two marshes lies the hinterland, a dry and relatively unknown area, where many Eland can be seen.

Chobe Elephants

Elephants and Chobe National Park is synonymous. It is home to the world's largest elephant population. Visiting this game reserve is a virtual guarantee that one will see large herds of elephants as well as the usual antelope, lions, leopards and other big and small African wildlife. With the ample number of chobe safari lodges and camps that offer comfortable to luxury accommodation, it is difficult to find a better opportunity to enjoy a great Botswana wilderness adventure.