Chobe River Safari – what you need to know
It’s at Botswana’s Chobe River that the scale of Africa is revealed. Seen from its escarpment, the river rolls across a vast, unspoilt floodplain; the sky is overarching and the deep, forested hinterland is barely explored. And at the Chobe River banks are huge numbers of Africa’s biggest animals: elephant, by the tens of thousands, with buffalo and giraffe, hippopotamus and lion.
Sunset at the Chobe River – it’s an area that is home to around a third of Africa’s elephant population.
No wonder the Chobe River features front and centre on most Botswana safari itineraries. It’s also well located – a morning’s road transfer to Victoria Falls and a short flight to the Okavango Delta – and offers accommodation ranging from tented camps and thatched lodges to hotels and houseboats. It’s a year-round birding destination and always good for the smaller animals – baboons, warthogs as well as larger ones: crocodiles, giant monitor lizards and leopard.
Icon of the Chobe River, an African fish-eagle swoops for its fishy prey.
So what’s the drawback?
The big thing about the Chobe River is that it’s one of the most seasonally-affected destinations in Botswana. Rain is the most important factor, or more precisely, the lack of it. Because it is during the dry season that the Chobe River is at its best – at least in terms of your personal comfort and the sheer volume of wildlife. This is Chobe’s peak season but it brings other aspects to the experience – not all advantageous to the traveller.
And the opposite period – the rainy low season – may not sound attractive at first but – as an ex Botswana guide – I can tell you that the Chobe River’s low season, the more positively named ‘Green Season’, was one of the most eagerly awaited times of year.
A time of plenty, the Green Season is arguably one of the best times to witness predator-prey interaction.
Let’s break it down into the two main seasons.
PEAK SEASON: MAY – OCTOBER
You can divide the Chobe River’s peak season into two distinct phases: May through August when the weather is mostly cool to warm with surprisingly cold nights, and September and October when it is much hotter and more humid. Very little rain falls in peak season, the malaria risk is at its lowest, and the increasing temperatures and aridity have a simple effect on wildlife: the hotter and drier it gets, the more the animals crowd the Chobe River.
Thirsty elephants pack the Chobe River banks by July & are often better viewed from a boat.
From July onwards the wildlife watching at the Chobe River ranks among the best in Africa, providing safari travellers with classic animal imagery and fabulous sunsets. It comes at a price however, quite literally in the sense that you will be paying the year’s highest prices for accommodation, and will be sharing the Chobe River space with the year’s greatest number of visitors and vehicles (especially July and August).
With this in mind, it is often a good choice to book safari accommodation in private concessions (found both along the riverfront and in the forests) for a more exclusive experience. If you are after the most private experience, then you can’t get more away from the crowds than on a Chobe River houseboat, complete with staff and game viewing motor boats.
Stay in exclusive comfort on a Chobe houseboat & explore by boat as well as vehicle.
LOW SEASON: NOVEMBER – APRIL
Botswana’s rains begin around the end of October and the effect is almost immediate. With the river’s vegetation denuded after so many dry months, the great herds of elephant and buffalo turn away from the river and begin a slow migration south to quieter, greener and now wetter areas.
An empty landscape? Hardly: most of the Chobe River’s animals remain – including many elephants – and as the greenery arrives, so does the birthing season. Suddenly there are hundreds of baby impalas, attracting ranging packs of African wild dogs as well as cheetahs, animals usually absent in the lion-dominated dry season. Colour and song fill the air as migrant birds arrive, some to breed, and others, like the astonishing carmine bee-eater, just to feed.
The Chobe’s Green Season offers clearer air & more vibrant colours for the photographer.
By December the rains have settled in, and January, February and March is when you can expect most rain, usually in the form of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Unlike much of Botswana, nearly all Chobe River accommodation stays open during the low season, offering the lowest rates of the year and you can usually find a pay-stay deal or two, even at the top lodges, giving you the chance to experience Botswana’s best accommodation without the top price tag.
EASY GUIDE TO CHOBE RIVER SEASONS
