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A Day in Chobe, Botswana

Chobe is in Botswana, a day across the border from Victoria Falls or Livingstone: a boat on the Chobe River, a game drive in the national park, and lunch above the water.

At a glanceOn land
How longA full dayA full day, out early and back by evening
How hardLightMostly sitting, in a vehicle, on a boat and at lunch; a long day rather than a hard one
SeasonYear-roundRuns year-round; the drier months pull more game to the river

First, the geography, because it catches people out. Chobe National Park is in Botswana, not Zimbabwe or Zambia. It lies just over the border, west of Victoria Falls, close enough for a day, and a day there means a border crossing in each direction, with your passport.

The road runs west to Kazungula, the corner where Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia come within a stone’s throw of one another, and on to Kasane, the small town at the edge of the park. From Livingstone you cross the Zambezi into Botswana at the same corner.

The Chobe River is the park’s northern boundary, and the morning is spent on it. The boat runs slowly along the bank, and this is where Chobe earns its name for elephants: in the drier months they come down to the water in herds to drink, wallow and swim across to the islands, and the far bank, flat and green, is Namibia. Hippo and crocodile along the edge, buffalo out on the floodplain, and birds everywhere you look.

After the river comes a game drive in an open vehicle through the park along the riverfront, where the animals that were drinking in the morning have spread out through the woodland, and lunch at a lodge looking over the water. It is a full, easy day, mostly spent sitting down, and you are back across the border by evening.

Two practical things decide whether it works. Your passport has to be in order for Botswana, and your visa for Zimbabwe or Zambia has to let you back in at the end of the day, which a single-entry visa may not. Both depend on the passport you hold, so we check before booking rather than at the border post.

It sits well in the middle of a Victoria Falls stay, between a walk at the falls and an evening on the Zambezi. If a day leaves you wanting more, Chobe also works as a stay of its own: a night or two near Kasane turns one river into a proper safari.

Good to know

  • Chobe is in Botswana. Bring your passport: you cross a border in each direction.
  • Check that your Zimbabwe or Zambia visa allows re-entry. We confirm what your passport needs for all three countries.
  • It is an early start. Pack a hat, sunscreen and a warm layer for the open vehicle and the boat.
  • Wear neutral colours on the game drive, and bring binoculars if you have them.
  • The operator sets a minimum age for young children. We confirm it before booking.

Listed daily at 07:30 from both Victoria Falls and Livingstone: a full day with lunch, the river by boat first and then a drive through the park in an open vehicle. Passports are required for Botswana and visa requirements depend on your passport; a KAZA UniVisa may be relevant, your Zimbabwe or Zambia visa must allow re-entry, and whether park entry is included, border timings and the operator's minimum age for young children are to be confirmed. We confirm what applies to your dates in writing before you pay anything.

The far bank of the river is Namibia, and the elephants cross it without paperwork.

Where to do it

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Questions we are actually asked

Is Chobe in Zimbabwe or Zambia?
Neither. Chobe National Park is in Botswana, across the border from both, which is why this is a day with two border crossings. The Chobe River runs along its northern edge and joins the Zambezi near Kazungula, upstream of the falls.
Do we need a visa for Botswana?
That depends on your passport, and so does whether your Zimbabwe or Zambia visa lets you back in the same evening. We check all of it against the passports in your party before booking, rather than leaving it to the border post.
How much of the day is spent travelling?
The drive to the border and the crossing take up part of the morning and the end of the afternoon, and the rest is the river, the drive and lunch. It is a long day but not a hard one: you are sitting down for nearly all of it.
Is a day trip enough, or should we stay?
A day gives you the river and a good drive, which is plenty for many people. If you want the evening light on the water, the early mornings in the park, or simply fewer border posts, a night or two near Kasane is better, and we can build it into the route.

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