(NOTE: The first set of photos are from our ” sunset boat ride” on the Chobe River…and the ones below the text were taken during a morning “game ride” at Chobe NP.)
Just a 2 hour drive from Vic Falls (not including the formalities at the border)… Chobe National Park is situated in northern Botswana, near to the border with both Zimbabwe and Namibia. Not only was Chobe Botswana’s first official park, it is now considered one of the best wildlife parks in all of Africa. Having four distinct environments, Chobe boasts great concentrations of wildlife as well as wide-ranging biodiversity. Home to an estimated 50,000 elephants and an equal number of African/Cape buffalo, along with healthy populations of hippos, crocodiles and giraffes…this park is sometimes called “The Land of Giants”.
During the dry season, the marsh areas of the park draw all kinds of animals including many of the region’s 450 types of birds. Our first wildlife sighting foray at the marshlands was by open-air vehicle as we drove off-road near the water’s edge. The ambiance here was entirely different than at Kruger NP…with larger numbers of animals feeding at leisure on the lush grasses in the floodplain. At times we didn’t know where to point our cameras with so many critters in view! Impalas, giraffes, elephants, baboons, kudus and a variety of birdlife were well-represented….and there was evidence of some unseen Chobe denizens, too. Sadly, we came across one bewildered-looking impala with a large gaping wound…thought to be the aftermath of a leopard or lion attack. Even in this Eden-like setting, suffering & death are inescapable.
There was much to celebrate in Chobe overall… especially watching the elephants’ obvious pleasure taking mud baths and seeing so many different animal families thriving there. The sheer life– force present in the marshland was very uplifting…and whetted our appetite to see more of Nature’s showcase by boat later that day!
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The late afternoon temps were considerably warmer in the Chobe floodplains, and the river breeze felt refreshing as we motored slowly toward the small islands where many herbivorous animals can safely feed at night away from predators. The boat pictured above was considerably larger than ours…and we were warned to keep our hands & other body parts inside our shallow vessel at all times. After we saw our first crocodile skimming along the water’s surface near-by, we didn’t have to be reminded twice!
Most of the animals habituating these islands tolerate the presence of boats well and we were able to get closer to most critters…even the hippos & buffaloes… than would be possible otherwise. We spotted a large herd of elephants grazing on one of the isles and wondered whether it was the same group we had seen crossing the river to the islands earlier in the day.
There were quite a few birds along the shoreline, too, including tall marabou & yellow-billed storks, tiny kingfishers, Egyptian ducks and many cormorants that were winging their way to good roosts before the sun set.
When darkness began to fall, we turned the boat around and quickly sped back to the unlit, rickety dock … feeling satisfied that our day had been well-spent in this extraordinary place. (pix from Chobe NP below)
Dab's Travelogue 