Moremi Game Reserve sits at the heart of Botswana's Okavango Delta — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — offering exceptional Big Five safaris across a spectacular wilderness of waterways, floodplains, woodlands and channels teeming with extraordinary wildlife and birdlife.
Botswana: Chobe National Park – Kasane
🌍 Botswana: Chobe National Park – Kasane
Chobe National Park is Botswana’s first National Park and has one of the largest concentrations of game in Africa. By size, it is the third largest park in the country, after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Gemsbok National Park. Established in 1967, though its origins stretch back to 1932 when the area was first designated a non-hunting zone, Chobe sits in the far north of Botswana and covers an extraordinary 11,700 square kilometres of wildly varied habitat. It is a place that genuinely takes your breath away — and we say that as people who have seen a fair few places over the years.
🚗 Crossing into Botswana – Kasane
We crossed into Botswana from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe — or more precisely, from the Zimbabwean border town of Kazungula — making our way over to the small but surprisingly bustling town of Kasane. The border crossing itself sits at a remarkable geographical spot: one of the very few places in the world where four countries meet at a single point. Stand in just the right spot and you’re simultaneously touching Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. The Four Corners Monument, as it’s known, isn’t exactly Buckingham Palace in terms of tourist glamour, but it’s a curiosity worth knowing about. Kasane itself sits right at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers and, despite being a fairly modest-sized town, it punches well above its weight as a gateway to some extraordinary wildlife territory. This is the ideal base from which to explore the Serondela area — also known as the Chobe riverfront — which has the densest population of wildlife in the whole of Chobe National Park. We checked into the Chobe River Lodge, got ourselves sorted, and prepared to be amazed.
📅 Day 1
🚤 An Afternoon River Cruise on the Chobe
On the afternoon of our arrival day, we were booked onto a river cruise on the Chobe River. Now, we’ve been on a fair few boat trips in our time, but this one turned out to be something rather special. We left the Chobe River Lodge and headed into Kasane and down to the bank of the river, where we joined a group of about 20 fellow guests from the lodge. We boarded a flat-bottomed pontoon boat — the kind of sturdy, unpretentious craft that’s perfectly suited to the shallow inlets and channels of the Chobe — and our guide and driver steered us out into the wide, glittering channel of the river.
The Chobe River itself has a fascinating story. It rises in Angola and flows roughly 1,000 kilometres before joining the Zambezi. This particular stretch, where it forms the border between Botswana to the south and Namibia to the north, is wide, slow-moving and absolutely teeming with life. Right in the middle of this section of the river sits a long, flat, low-lying island that, for quite some time, was the subject of a rather acrimonious territorial dispute between Botswana and Namibia. The island — known as Kasikili or Sedudu, depending on which side of the river you’re standing on — was the subject of an international legal case that went all the way to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In 1999, the ICJ ruled in favour of Botswana, and the island became part of Chobe National Park. It’s a cracking little piece of legal and diplomatic history sitting right there in the middle of an African river.
🐦 The African Darter – AKA the Snake Bird
Our boat headed out towards the island, and almost immediately we spotted our first wildlife encounter. Passing some fallen trees that were sticking out above the surface of the water, we came across an African Darter — also known as an anhinga, or more evocatively, the snake bird. The name doesn’t come from any predatory relationship with snakes; rather, it’s because the bird’s extraordinarily long, slender neck undulates in an S-shape when the bird swims, looking for all the world like a serpent gliding through the water. The darter is a remarkable creature: unlike ducks, it doesn’t have waterproof feathers, which means it has to come ashore and spread its wings out to dry after diving for fish — a behaviour that makes it look rather like a soggy, slightly embarrassed Victorian gentleman holding out his coat to dry by the fire. We watched it for a good while before moving on.
🦛 Hippos, Spoonbills and African Jacanas
The island itself proved to be a haven for all manner of animals and waterfowl, and the shallow draft of our pontoon boat meant we could navigate right into the narrow inlets and reed-fringed shallows that larger vessels couldn’t reach. This gave us wonderfully close-up views of pods of hippos wallowing contentedly in the river, their vast, barrel-shaped bodies mostly submerged with just their ears, eyes and nostrils poking above the waterline. The hippopotamus — whose name derives from the ancient Greek for “river horse” — is, despite its lumbering appearance, one of Africa’s most dangerous animals. It is responsible for more human fatalities on the continent than lions or leopards. We kept a respectful distance and simply marvelled at their extraordinary bulk. A fully grown male can weigh up to 4,500 kilograms. Astonishing animals.
Also wading in the reeds in search of food were groups of African spoonbills, egrets and the rather brilliant African jacana. The spoonbill, with its distinctive spatula-shaped bill, sweeps its beak from side to side through the water to catch small aquatic creatures. The African jacana is arguably even more extraordinary: it has disproportionately enormous feet and extremely long toes, which allow it to walk across floating vegetation — lily pads and the like — as if strolling across a very unreliable carpet. They are sometimes called the “Jesus bird” for what appears to be their ability to walk on water, which is charming and entirely theologically irrelevant.
🦌 Kudu Antelope at the River’s Edge
Our journey took us further down the river, which serves as a critical lifeline for the wildlife of Chobe National Park. Much of the park’s interior is dry, sandy and arid — a characteristic of its position in northern Botswana, where rainfall is highly seasonal and the landscape is dominated by mopane woodland and acacia scrub. During the dry season, which runs roughly from May to October, the river becomes an irresistible draw for every species in the park. A group of greater kudu antelope (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) had made its way down to the water’s edge to drink. There were half a dozen females and one impressively large male, whose spiralling corkscrew horns — which can grow to over 1.8 metres in length and make a complete 2.5 turns — are arguably the most spectacular of any antelope species. The male stood at the water’s edge with an air of considerable self-satisfaction, and quite frankly you could understand why.
🐊 A Very Large Crocodile with a Very Alarming Set of Teeth
From the island, we headed over towards the banks of the Chobe River on the Botswana side, where we encountered something that made a few of us sit up rather sharply. Lying on the shoreline, utterly motionless and thoroughly menacing, was an enormous Nile crocodile. These are the largest freshwater predators in Africa and among the largest reptiles in the world, with large males reaching up to six metres in length and weighing over 700 kilograms. The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) has been lurking in African rivers and lakes for well over 200 million years, outlasting the dinosaurs and barely changing its design since. The boat brought us within a few feet of this particular specimen, and we got an extremely close-up view of its quite terrifying set of gnashers — 64 to 68 interlocking teeth, since you ask, and capable of exerting a bite force of around 5,000 pounds per square inch. Our presence eventually spooked it, and we got to watch it slide silently and with great dignity into the water, where it disappeared completely from view. Sobering.
🐘 Elephants! Hundreds of the Blighters!
Chobe National Park is justifiably famous for its elephant population, which is the largest in Africa and quite possibly the largest remaining concentration of African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the world. Estimates put the Chobe elephant population at somewhere between 50,000 and 120,000 animals — the numbers are genuinely difficult to pin down, partly because the herds move across international borders between Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia with cheerful disregard for anything as petty as human geopolitics. It was not long before we encountered some of these magnificent beasts. A large group of fifty or more had assembled on a broad sandy beach by the river and were thoroughly enjoying themselves in the water — drinking, bathing, splashing and generally having a whale of a time, if you’ll pardon the aquatic metaphor. A small number of juvenile elephants, calves of perhaps a year or two old, had found a muddy, shallow pond on the beach and were rolling around in it with an abandon that was absolutely delightful to watch. Baby elephants are, it must be said, amongst the most charming creatures on earth. They look like they’re made of wrinkled brown velvet and stumble around on legs that seem slightly too long for their bodies, which gives them a permanently surprised air.
Our cruise continued and we saw more and more elephants — hundreds of them — spread along the banks and shallows of the river. It was genuinely mind-boggling to see so many magnificent animals all in one place. Every single day, large numbers of elephants make their way from the depths of Chobe National Park to the river, crossing the water onto the island and in some cases continuing all the way to the banks on the Namibian side of the river. The Namibian side is not a national park but is privately owned farmland, and elephants being elephants — which is to say large, hungry and entirely indifferent to the concept of property rights — their presence is decidedly not welcomed by the local farmers. An elephant can consume up to 150 kilograms of vegetation per day, and a herd of them moving through farmland is roughly as welcome as, well, a herd of elephants moving through farmland. This presents a genuinely difficult and potentially hazardous conflict between man and beast, and it is one of the great conservation challenges facing southern Africa today.
🏊 Swimming Elephants – Trunk as Snorkel
The crossing of the river is absolutely no issue whatsoever for elephants, who — and this rather surprised us when we first found out — are excellent swimmers. They are sufficiently buoyant to float high in the water, and they use their trunks as a snorkel when swimming in deeper channels, allowing them to breathe whilst almost entirely submerged. An elephant’s trunk is, when you stop to think about it, one of the most extraordinary organs in the animal kingdom: it contains around 40,000 individual muscles (for comparison, the entire human body contains around 600), can lift objects weighing up to 350 kilograms, can detect water underground, and apparently functions perfectly well as a breathing tube when its owner fancies a swim. We got a wonderful chance to see this in action when our boat pulled to and we watched three large male elephants wade into the river and begin swimming with surprising grace and speed. Sadly, some of the other touring boats got rather too close to the swimming elephants, effectively blocking their intended passage across the river. This looked for a moment as though it could result in a rather tense and potentially unpleasant situation — an agitated bull elephant is not something you want to be adjacent to, afloat or otherwise. Fortunately, the elephants decided to simply hang about in the river for a while and have a play, which was charming to watch. We left them to it and continued on our way.
✂️ African Skimmers – Nature’s Most Elegant Fishermen
The further we travelled down the river, the narrower the channel became, though there were still small sandy islands breaking the surface. One of these islands was being used as a nesting ground by a colony of African skimmers (Rynchops flavirostris), and it was one of the most extraordinary wildlife spectacles of the entire trip. The African skimmer is a smallish bird, roughly the size of a large tern, with striking black-and-white plumage and a remarkable beak that is long, red and — most unusually — translucent. This translucency was particularly striking and beautiful with the sun sitting low in the sky, the light passing through the beak and giving it an almost luminous quality.
The skimmer takes its name from its remarkable feeding technique: it flies low over the surface of the water with its lower mandible — the bottom half of its beak — ploughing through the water, snapping shut the moment it makes contact with a fish or insect near the surface. It’s a brilliantly specialised feeding method that requires calm water and considerable flying skill, and it’s genuinely mesmerising to watch. We were able to pull the boat right up alongside the nesting island, close enough to see the birds sitting on their eggs in scrapes in the sand. Some of the eggs had already hatched, and the young birds — still completely flightless, covered in soft downy feathers that camouflaged them perfectly against the sand — were scuttling around in the most endearingly clumsy fashion. Absolutely adorable. We could have stayed there for hours.
🌅 Sundowners and Silhouettes
By the time we had finished admiring the skimmers, the sun was beginning its rapid African descent towards the horizon, which meant it was time to start making our way back to the pier. And if there’s one thing Africa does spectacularly well — aside from the wildlife, the landscapes, the skies and the sheer overwhelming sense of being somewhere genuinely extraordinary — it’s sunsets. When the sun begins to set in Africa, that means it is time for a sundowner, which is a tradition we wholeheartedly endorse. The cool box was opened, the beer and wine began to flow, and we made our way back down the river in the warm golden light. It was a beautiful, slow, glowing sunset that turned the entire sky into shades of orange, amber and deep crimson. As we drifted back towards Kasane, we were treated to the magnificent sight of elephants on the shore of the Chobe River, their vast dark shapes perfectly silhouetted against the burning orange sky. It was, frankly, the kind of moment that makes you feel very glad to be alive and very lucky to be where you are. Quite superb.
📅 Day 2
🌄 Up at Dawn for a Game Drive in Chobe
We had an early morning rise — and we mean proper early, the kind of early that feels mildly antisocial — for a dawn game drive into Chobe. This time we were going in by game drive vehicle rather than boat: a large, purpose-built open-sided 4×4 with elevated seating rows that gives you a commanding view over the bush. There’s something about setting off into the African bush in the pre-dawn half-light, with a mug of hot coffee warming your hands and the air still carrying the cool of the night, that never gets old, no matter how many times you’ve done it.
It didn’t take long to reach the park gate, and we were soon headed through a forest of mopane woodland — the mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane) being the dominant species across much of northern Botswana, a hardy, drought-resistant tree that provides a crucial food source for elephants, who consume vast quantities of its leaves and branches. The roads inside the park were, to put it diplomatically, challenging: extremely rutted, deeply sandy in places and demanding considerable skill from our driver to navigate. The going was genuinely tough, and for the first hour or so we hadn’t seen a great deal — including, somewhat to our surprise given the sheer numbers we’d encountered the previous afternoon, any elephants. According to our guide, this wasn’t unusual: the elephants were most likely making their way towards the river at that very moment, having spent the night further into the interior of the park, but hadn’t yet arrived at the riverfront.
🦒 Antelope, Giraffes and a Very Nervous Cape Buffalo
Our guide decided to change tack and take a different route — one that runs right along the shoreline of the Chobe River itself. This proved to be a considerably better decision, and we had significantly more success with wildlife along this track. There were various antelope species that had come down to the river to drink and feed in the early morning cool, as well as several Angolan giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) — the subspecies found in this part of Africa, slightly paler than the more familiar South African giraffe and adapted to the woodland and bush of northern Botswana. A giraffe drinking at a waterhole is a genuinely awkward-looking affair, requiring the animal to splay its front legs out dramatically to get its head down to water level, and it makes you feel rather sympathetic towards them. Evolution has given the giraffe a magnificent neck but completely failed to think through the hydration logistics.
As we travelled further along the track, we came across a large breeding herd of Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) that was grazing close to the road. The Cape buffalo is one of the “Big Five” — the original list of the five most dangerous African animals to hunt on foot, which included lion, leopard, elephant and rhinoceros alongside the buffalo, and which has become the standard safari checklist. Cape buffalo have a quite formidable reputation. They are responsible for a significant number of human fatalities every year, are notoriously unpredictable, and have earned the rather colourful nickname “the Black Death” or “widowmaker” among the hunters who once pursued them across the continent. They look, in an uncharitable moment, rather like a large, irritable cow that’s been lifting weights, and they have a way of staring at you that suggests they’re deciding whether to be bothered. We were somewhat wary of being in this close proximity, but we were fortunate to be in a large, sturdy vehicle that sat reassuringly high off the ground. We moved past peacefully and were immediately rewarded by a sighting of a carmine bee-eater — a blaze of brilliant scarlet, turquoise and electric blue perched on a branch by the track, one of the most vividly colourful birds in Africa and an absolute treat for the eyes.
🦁 The Great Lion and Leopard Drought
Sadly, the wildlife viewing, despite the promising early signs, was not altogether great on this particular morning. Despite searching diligently and following our guide’s experienced eye along likely-looking stretches of riverside bush, we saw neither lions nor leopards. Both species are present in Chobe National Park — the Serondela area, in particular, has healthy populations of both — but they are notoriously difficult to spot at the best of times, particularly in denser woodland where they can be invisible at thirty yards. Lions tend to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon, and leopards are almost entirely nocturnal in their serious hunting activities, spending the daylight hours draped over tree branches in a manner that looks supremely comfortable and makes them virtually impossible to spot from a moving vehicle. We accepted our luck gracefully. We stopped for a comfort and coffee break at one of the campsites in the park — there are several basic campsite facilities dotted throughout Chobe — before heading back on the trail, where we did manage to see some more antelope and giraffes, but the elephants and the big cats remained resolutely absent from the morning’s itinerary. You can’t win them all. That’s the joy and the frustration of a game drive: the animals are not performing to a schedule.
Planning your visit to Chobe National Park
| 📍 Location | Kasane, North-West District, Botswana | 🕖 Opening Times | 06:00 – 18:00 daily (gate hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌐 Website | chobenationalpark.com | 📞 Phone | +267 625 0235 |
| chobe@dwnp.gov.bw | |||
| 🚗 By Road | Accessible via the A33 highway from Kasane town centre, approximately 2 km. Self-drive 4WD vehicles recommended inside the park. | ||
| ✈️ By Air | Kasane International Airport (BBK) is approximately 5 km from the main gate. Charter and scheduled flights operate from Maun, Gaborone and Johannesburg. | ||
| 🛥️ By Boat | The Chobe River front is accessible by mokoro (dugout canoe) or motorised boat from Kasane waterfront — a popular way to view wildlife along the riverbank. | ||
| ℹ️ Notes | All visitors must be accompanied by a licensed guide in certain zones. Entry fees payable in BWP or USD cash. No drones permitted. |
🎟️ Entry Fees
| SADC Citizens | Non-SADC Nationals | Children (under 8) | Vehicle Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| BWP 30 | BWP 120 (approx. USD 9) | Free | BWP 50 per vehicle |
🚗 Getting There
Chobe National Park’s main entry gate sits on the edge of Kasane, making it one of the most accessible national parks in Botswana. From Kasane town centre, follow the main road west for roughly 2 km — the gate is clearly signposted. Those arriving from Zimbabwe can cross at the Kazungula road bridge, just 8 km east of Kasane. Travellers from Zambia use the Kazungula Ferry crossing. From Namibia, the Ngoma Border Post to the west offers a direct route into the park itself. Most lodges and hotels in Kasane arrange transfers and guided game drives, so independent transport is not essential. A 4WD vehicle is strongly advised if you plan to self-drive within the park, particularly in the dry season when sandy tracks become the main routes.
About Chobe National Park
📖 About Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park is Botswana’s first national park and its most biologically diverse protected area. Located in the far north of the country, it is Botswana’s third largest park by area, coming in behind the vast Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Gemsbok National Park, and covers approximately 11,700 square kilometres of extraordinarily varied terrain. Its origins as a protected area go back to 1932, when 24,000 square kilometres around the Chobe district was officially declared a non-hunting area following early proposals in 1931 for a formal national park. The area was expanded to 31,600 square kilometres two years later in 1934.
The original inhabitants of this area were the San Bushmen — known in Botswana as the Basarwa people — who were nomadic hunter-gatherers living a lifestyle that had remained essentially unchanged for tens of thousands of years. They moved constantly across the landscape in search of food sources: wild animals, fruit, roots and water. Their presence in the region is still marked by remarkable San rock paintings found in the rocky hills within the park, some of which are thought to be thousands of years old. In 1943, heavy tsetse fly infestations swept through the region, causing significant cattle losses and delaying the formal establishment of the national park for a decade. By 1953, the project received renewed governmental attention, and 21,000 square kilometres was proposed as a game reserve. Chobe Game Reserve was officially gazetted in 1960, though somewhat smaller than originally envisaged. In 1967 — the year England won the World Cup, for those keeping score — the reserve was elevated to the status of national park.
At the time of the park’s creation, there were several established industrial settlements within its boundaries, most notably at Serondela, where a timber industry had taken hold, exploiting the hardwood forests of Afzelia quanzensis and Baikiaea plurijuga that characterise this part of the park. These settlements were gradually relocated, and it was not until 1975 that the entire protected area was free of permanent human habitation. Even today, the traces of the old timber industry remain visible at Serondela — rusting machinery, concrete foundations and cleared areas that are slowly being reclaimed by the bush. Minor expansions of the park boundaries took place in 1980 and again in 1987.
🗺️ The Three Main Areas of Chobe
The Serondela area, or Chobe riverfront, sits in the extreme northeast of the park and is where we spent our time. It is characterised by lush floodplains and dense woodland, the Chobe River forming the northeastern boundary. This is the driest season hotspot: from May to October, enormous breeding herds of African bush elephants, families of Angolan giraffe, sable antelope and African buffalo all converge on the river. The floodplains here are the only place in the entire country of Botswana where the puku antelope (Kobus vardonii) can be seen. When the floodplains are inundated during the wet season, African spoonbills, sacred ibis, various stork species, ducks and vast numbers of other waterfowl descend on the area. This is Chobe’s most visited section, largely because of its proximity to Victoria Falls and the easy road access from Kasane.
The Savuti Marsh area, covering some 10,878 square kilometres, forms the western stretch of the park, about 50 kilometres north of the Mababe Gate. The Savuti Marsh is the fascinating relic of a vast prehistoric inland lake, its water supply cut off an enormously long time ago by tectonic plate movement. Today it is fed by the erratic and unpredictable Savuti Channel, which dries up completely for long periods and then, curiously, begins to flow again as a consequence of ongoing low-level tectonic activity in the region. The result is hundreds of dead trees standing like sentinels along the channel’s banks, a hauntingly beautiful and strangely evocative landscape. During the dry season, black and white rhinoceros, warthog, greater kudu, impala, Burchell’s zebra and blue wildebeest are all regularly sighted here, along with elephants. Prides of lions, spotted hyenas and the occasional Southeast African cheetah add to the drama. The region is particularly famous for its annual zebra migration, when huge herds move through pursued by predators.
The Linyanti Marsh, located at the northwest corner of the park north of Savuti, is adjacent to the Linyanti River. To the west lies the Selinda Reserve, and on the northern bank of the Kwando River sits Namibia’s Nkasa Rupara National Park. The area is characterised by a gorgeous mosaic of riverine woodland, open lagoons and broad flood plains, and supports large concentrations of lions, leopards, wild dogs, roan antelope, sable antelope, hippos and elephants. It is generally considered one of the finest and most exclusive wildlife-viewing destinations in the whole of Africa, though getting there requires rather more logistical effort than simply turning up in Kasane.
The Best Time to Visit Chobe National Park
Botswana is a year-round destination, but the timing of your visit dramatically shapes your experience. From the lush, flood-filled Okavango Delta in the wet season to the parched, wildlife-rich landscapes of the dry season, each period offers something distinct. Understanding the seasons — and what they deliver — helps you match your trip to your priorities.
🌞 Dry Season: May to October
The dry season is widely regarded as the classic safari season in Botswana, and with good reason. As waterholes shrink and vegetation thins, wildlife concentrates around permanent water sources, making sightings dramatic and reliable. The Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve all deliver exceptional game viewing during these months.
May and June are transitional months — still pleasantly warm during the day but noticeably cool at night, particularly in the Kalahari. By July and August, temperatures settle into a comfortable mid-20s Celsius range during the day, though nights can dip close to freezing in some areas. September and October mark the late dry season: the landscape becomes increasingly arid, game viewing reaches its peak intensity, but daytime heat begins to build, often exceeding 35°C in October.
Birdlife is less prolific than in the wet season, but raptors and resident species are plentiful. Predator activity is high, with lions, leopards, and wild dogs often spotted hunting in open terrain. This is also the best time for mokoro (dugout canoe) trips on the Okavango and for walking safaris, as the bush is open and the risk of insects and thick vegetation is minimal.
What to pack: Lightweight, neutral-coloured clothing for daytime (khaki, olive, beige), a warm fleece or insulated jacket for early morning and evening game drives (essential May–August), sturdy walking boots, a wide-brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen (SPF 50+), polarised sunglasses, insect repellent (DEET-based), a headtorch, binoculars, and a dust bag for camera equipment. Layers are critical — mornings and evenings can be bitterly cold even when afternoons are warm.
🌧️ Green Season / Wet Season: November to April
The wet season transforms Botswana. Rains typically begin in November and intensify through December and January, tapering off by March or April. The landscape turns vivid green, wildflowers bloom across the Kalahari, and the Makgadikgadi Pans — usually a vast salt desert — become a shallow lake teeming with flamingos and migratory waterbirds.
This is Botswana’s most dramatic birding period. Well over 500 species have been recorded in the country, and during the rains, migratory birds from Europe and central Africa arrive in force. Raptors, storks, kingfishers, and bee-eaters are among the highlights.
Wildlife can be harder to spot — animals disperse across the now-lush landscape with water available everywhere — but this is precisely when the Kalahari lions and other desert-adapted species are at their most active and visible. It is also calving season for many antelope species, which in turn attracts predators. The Okavango receives its summer rainfall locally, but the famous flood, fed by rains far to the north in Angola, typically peaks between June and August.
Accommodation rates drop significantly during the green season, and many camps offer substantial discounts. The downside is that some roads become impassable, certain areas are accessible only by light aircraft, and the heat and humidity can be intense, particularly in December and January.
What to pack: Lightweight, breathable clothing in neutral colours, a lightweight waterproof jacket or packable poncho, quick-dry trousers and shirts, sandals for camp use, open-toed shoes are not advisable in the bush, a wide-brimmed sun hat, high-factor sunscreen, heavy-duty insect repellent (malaria risk is higher during the wet season — consult your GP about prophylaxis), long-sleeved shirts and trousers for evenings, a small dry bag for electronics, and binoculars for exceptional birding.
🌊 Okavango Flood Season: June to August
While the Okavango Delta receives some local rainfall in summer, its defining annual event is the arrival of floodwaters that have travelled hundreds of kilometres from the Angolan highlands. These waters, flowing down the Cubango and Cuito rivers and into the Okavango system, reach the delta between June and August — right in the heart of the dry season.
The result is extraordinary: a vast inland sea of papyrus channels, lily-covered lagoons, and palm-studded islands appears in an otherwise arid landscape. This is the time for mokoro excursions, motor-boat trips through the waterways, and wildlife watching from both land and water. Elephants, hippos, crocodiles, red lechwe, and sitatunga are all reliably seen. Fish eagles call overhead, and the air carries the scent of wild sage and water.
Camps and lodges within the Delta — particularly those on private concessions — offer some of the finest wildlife experiences in Africa during this period. Water levels vary by year, and some areas flood more extensively than others, but the combination of a peak dry season and a peak flood makes June to August the most iconic time to visit Botswana’s most celebrated ecosystem.
What to pack: All the dry-season essentials apply (warm layers, neutral clothing, sun protection, insect repellent), with the addition of a lightweight waterproof jacket for mokoro trips and boat excursions, water shoes or sandals with straps (for boarding and disembarking from mokoros), and a dry bag or waterproof case for your camera. Quick-dry fabrics are particularly useful here.
☀️ Shoulder Seasons: April–May and October–November
The shoulder periods bookending the main dry season offer a compelling balance of conditions, and experienced travellers often rate them among the best times to visit.
April and May see the tail end of the rains. The Delta and surrounding areas remain lush and green, wildlife is active, and migrant birds are still present before their departure. Temperatures are moderate, the humidity has dropped, and — crucially — the tourist crowds of peak season have yet to arrive. Accommodation is often available at lower rates than the July–September peak.
October is arguably the most dramatic single month for game viewing. As the dry season approaches its end, waterholes are at their lowest, and wildlife density around remaining water sources is extraordinary. Heat can be extreme — regularly above 35°C in Chobe and the Kalahari — but the reward is some of the most intense predator-prey interactions of the year. The first rains, when they come in late October or November, trigger an explosion of life: the air fills with insects, swallows return, impala begin giving birth, and the landscape shifts almost overnight from dusty brown to green.
What to pack (April–May): Neutral, lightweight clothing, a light fleece for evenings, waterproof layer, sun protection, and insect repellent. What to pack (October–November): Focus on heat management — breathable, loose-fitting clothing, a hat with full brim, high-factor sunscreen, electrolyte tablets, a reusable water bottle, and cooling neck scarves. Insect repellent becomes increasingly important as the rains approach.
🦁 Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
For the most reliable and concentrated game viewing, visit between July and October. The dry season strips the landscape bare, forcing animals to gather at predictable locations — rivers, pans, and permanent waterholes — making dramatic sightings almost inevitable.
🐦 Best Time for Birdwatching
The wet season (November to April) is Botswana’s birding peak. Migratory species swell the resident population, and the greening landscape supports a staggering diversity of species. The Okavango Delta, the Chobe riverfront, and the Makgadikgadi Pans are all exceptional birding destinations at this time.
🌺 Best Time for the Okavango Delta
The flood season (June to August) combines peak water levels with peak dry-season conditions, making it uniquely spectacular. Wildlife retreats to islands within the Delta, concentrating sightings, while the waterways allow exploration by mokoro and motorboat.
💸 Best Time for Value
The green season (November to April) offers the lowest accommodation rates, sometimes 30–40% below peak prices, with some camps offering additional incentives to fill beds. For travellers with flexibility on timing, this period delivers genuine value — particularly if birding, Kalahari lions, or the Makgadikgadi flamingos are priorities.
🧳 General Packing Essentials for Botswana
Regardless of season, certain items belong in every bag: a valid passport and visa documentation, yellow fever certificate if travelling from an endemic country, malaria prophylaxis (consult your GP well in advance), comprehensive travel insurance including emergency medical evacuation cover, a photocopy of all key documents stored separately, US dollars or South African rand for smaller lodges and tips, a plug adaptor (Botswana uses the large three-pin South African plug, Type M), and a torch or headtorch for camp use. Safari vehicles in Botswana are generally open-sided, so even in warm months, the wind chill on an early morning drive is significant — never underestimate the value of a warm layer.
🗓️ Overall Best Time to Visit
If you can visit Botswana only once and want to see as much as possible, June to September is the optimal window. The dry season is in full effect, game viewing reaches its annual peak, the Okavango flood is at or near its height, temperatures are manageable, and access to most areas is straightforward. July and August represent the sweet spot: the flood is up, the animals are concentrated, the nights are cool and star-filled, and the safari experience is as close to flawless as Africa offers. That said, Botswana rewards visits at any time of year — the green season has its own profound beauty and energy, and the shoulder months offer a quieter, more intimate experience of one of the continent’s most extraordinary wild places.
Where to Stay Near Kasane
1. Luxury: Chobe Safari Lodge
Established in 1959, Chobe Safari Lodge has decades of history hosting adventurers in Kasane, and that heritage shows in every detail. Sitting right beside the waters of the Chobe River at the gateway to the great plains of Chobe National Park, it offers a rare blend of convenience, comfort and wild adventure. Accommodation spans 46 individually decorated safari rooms, 22 river rooms with riverside gardens, and eight thatched rondavels, with each room featuring its own patio so you can enjoy views of the river in private. The activities on offer are equally impressive — boat cruises, game drives, tiger fishing, village tours, scenic flights and spa treatments all depart from here, making it a genuine expedition base rather than just a place to sleep. The Sedudu Bar is widely regarded as one of the finest sundowner spots in the region, and with elephant congregations visible from the riverbank, it’s easy to see why guests return year after year.
2. Mid-range: River View Lodge
River View Lodge is a private, family-run establishment on the banks of the Chobe River where service is the clear top priority. Smaller and more intimate than the big lodges in town, it has fewer than ten rooms, all looking directly onto the river, each with a little patio and a couple of chairs — perfect for watching the mongoose play in the morning sun or spotting hippos at dusk. The recently refurbished rooms and chalets are tastefully appointed, all en-suite and air-conditioned, and for those wanting something extra special, a private home with its own open-plan living area and veranda is also available. Guided activities — including game drives, boat cruises and day trips to Victoria Falls — are arranged with their own knowledgeable guides, and the communal dinners have become a highlight in themselves, giving guests a chance to swap stories after a day out in Chobe.
3. Budget: Elephant Trail Guesthouse And Backpackers
Humble but comfortable and full of character, Elephant Trail Guesthouse and Backpackers sits just a few minutes from the Chobe River in the township of Kazungula, a short taxi ride from central Kasane. It’s comfortably the most affordable base in the area, and the quality of hospitality consistently surprises first-time visitors. Beautiful communal gardens populated with carefully tended plants and trees give the place an oasis-like feel, while a self-catering outdoor kitchen, a small bar, a pool and free Wi-Fi cover the practical bases. Accommodation options range from air-conditioned private doubles and triples to shared dormitories, catering to solo backpackers and small groups alike. Game drives into Chobe National Park, river boat cruises and transfers to Victoria Falls can all be arranged at competitive prices, and the staff — led by the proprietress Neo — bring a warmth and genuine enthusiasm that lifts the whole experience well above its price point.
More to Explore
