Chobe National Park

The drive from Elephant Sands to Chobe National Park took three hours. The plan of the day was a three hour safari drive in Chobe National Park followed by a three hour cruise along the Chobe River. We were told we had to be at the camp for midday to start our tours. Once we arrived at the camp we had a few minutes to set up our tents before we were collected by our safari guide Kobo. We were all concerned that we would not see many animals during the safari drive as most animals can be hiding from sunlight during the middle of the day, however we were very wrong.

Upon entry into the park there was a noticeable difference in appearance compared to previous national parks that I have visited on this trip. The roads were sandy so only 4x4 jeeps could use the park making it quieter. There were more trees and less grass but this made spotting the animals a little bit easier. Kobo told us that the park has been protected for 35 years and is only open during daylight hours so animals are very used to seeing people and 4x4 jeeps.

Within a few minutes of entering the park there was a group of giraffes hanging out together. Next we saw a group of vultures resting on a tree. They were looking at an impala who was slowly dying on the ground below. Kobo told us that the vultures were waiting for the impala to die before having their feast. That is the circle of life!

Next we saw large groups of baboons, kudu and zebra together. We went down to the water edge and saw two male elephants trying to impress a female elephant. However, the highlight of the safari was when we came across thirteen lions feasting on a buffalo further down the river. Kobo explained that the lions had paralyzed the female buffalo yesterday by the riverbed. The group of buffalo stayed with it's injuries all night until it died, then the buffalos left this morning. This gave the lions the opportunity to move in and enjoy their feast. It was funny to see how the hierarchy of feeding occurred as the male ate first followed by the young lions and then everyone else. There was also ten to fifteen vultures waiting at the side to take any leftovers although Kobo was unsure there would be much left due to the size of the lion herd. We sat and watched the lions from across the riverbed which was only about twenty meters away. It was amazing to be so close to a large herd of lions and watch them being active.

As we returned back to the entry of the park we saw the large group of buffalo, who had lost their family member, taking shade under trees. There must have been nearly one hundred buffalo. We saw large groups of elephants crossing the river to the other side for more food or water. There was also a few crocodiles near the river edge and a group of hippo lying on the sand. I was surprised how close we were able to get the animals without them moving away.

Kobo dropped us to the river where we got onto on river cruise boat. After the excitement of the safari, the river cruise was more chilled and relaxed. The Chobe River splits Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. We learned that there was previous conflict between Botswana and Namibia about an island in the river as Namibia felt it should be theirs however Hague did a review and declared the island to below to Botswana. We cruised along the river for a few minutes before spotting an elephant in the middle of the river eating grass. The river was about five meters deep and the elephant had found an area with plenty of grass to eat. It took the grass in it's trunk and shook the grass around to get rid of the moss before eating. Kodo explained that elephants can hold nine liters of water in their trunk before drinking.

We saw plenty of birds such as heron and swallows flying over the river. We saw another crocodile and a lizard by the river edge. We also saw a group of buffalo that stay on the island in the middle of the river for nine months of the year as they have enough water and grass to fed on. The only reason they leave the island is to find new mating partners. We watched the beautiful sunset over the river before heading back to camp for our last night in Botswana.Les mer