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Chobe National Park in Botswana is known for its large concentration of game, including the world’s largest continuous population of elephants. The park features distinct ecological regions, including floodplains, marshes, and a variety of wildlife. Visitors can take a river cruise or camp in one of three designated areas.
Chobe National Park is located in the northern part of Botswana. The national park is notable for its concentration of game, one of the largest in all of Africa. It was the first national park to be created in Botswana and is the third largest national park in the country. Botswana is a landlocked nation located north of South Africa. The country borders Namibia to the west and Zimbabwe to the east.
Although the idea had been mooted for a few decades, Chobe National Park was officially created in the late 1960s. Named after the Chobe River, the park features wilderness areas that are distinct from one another. The Chobe River is surrounded by floodplains which are a major source of water for wildlife during the dry season. In the dry winter months, large herds of elephant and buffalo can be seen drinking from the river.
Two other distinct ecological regions within Chobe National Park are the Satuvi Marsh area and the Linyanti Marsh. The Satuvi Marsh area is the remnant of an inland lake whose water source was cut off long ago by tectonic activity. Occasionally, water still flows into the Satuvi Swamp. This unpredictability leads to a diverse and competitive variety of wildlife found in the area.
African wildlife is perhaps the park’s greatest attraction. Visitors can take a river cruise, where they can see wildlife such as hippos and crocodiles. Also, many visitors come to Chobe National Park to see the more than 460 bird species that have been sighted in the park.
In the rainy season, which lasts from November to March and culminates in January and February, a large number of birds of a wide variety of species can be observed in the park, especially in the Satuvi Marsh area. The dry season, which runs from May to October, brings the most game, and consequently visitors, to the park. This is perhaps due to the lack of available water, which forces animals to seek out and compete for precious resources.
Elephants really are the star attraction of Chobe National Park. With an existing population believed to be around 50,000, the park may have the largest continuous elephant population in the world. Conditions allow them to thrive, although elephant damage is evident in some areas. This evidence usually consists of fallen trees that elephants sometimes cut down in an attempt to strip the bark.
There are three main camping areas within Chobe National Park and all three have showers and toilets. Campsites can be reserved by visitors in advance of their arrival at the park. One of these, Linyanti, hosts a luxury campsite for visitors who wish to. Additionally, Chobe Game Lodge is a permanent sleeping facility.
