Tucked up in Botswana’s far northeastern border with Namibia is the Chobe National Park–one of the great wildlife destinations of Africa. At approximately 11 700 square–kilometers Chobe is made up of rich ecosystems and pristine landscapes consisting of savanna plains, river, swamp and scrub.
Winding its way through these beautiful ecosystems is the illustrious Chobe River with its yawning floodplains and surrounding riparian forest. The Chobe River provides a permanent water source and is therefore a hub of wildlife activity.
With such varied environments and habitats, Chobe National Park is wildly diverse and provides a magnificent array of wildlife. It is the ultimate haven for vast herds of elephant – as many as 120,000 of the animals depend on the Chobe River’s life–sustaining waterways when the dry season kicks in.
Of course, elephants are not alone in Chobe. Other resident game species are large herds of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, the rare puku, roan and sable antelopes. These are normally trailed by the notoriously fearless lions of the Chobe, leopard and cheetah.
Birding is also excellent–over 460 bird species including Sacred ibis, Egyptian Geese, the cormorants and darters, Pel’s Fishing Owl, carmine Bee–eaters, members of the kingfisher family, the rollers, the unmistakable Fish Eagle, the Martial Eagle, and members of the stork family.
