Chobe National Park is large and incorporates a number of distinct areas, chief among which are Serondela and Savute.

Serondela is essentially the Chobe Riverfront and runs along part of the north of the park. It is most easily accessed by road from Kasane, where there is also an airport for domestic flights from elsewhere in Botswana (including Maun). Serondela is great for game, with a plentiful supply of elephant, hippo, lion and red lechwe congregating on the lush floodplains of the Chobe. Wildlife cam be quite habituated and it is not unheard of for an elephant to gently sniff the occupants of an open safari vehicle with his trunk so close that it is impossible to take a photo. The downside is that it can be quite busy and so it’s not somewhere we’d recommend for lengthy stays. It’s possible to take a boat trips down the river from most of the lodges in addition to game drives. Lodges that we would normally recommend in this area include {Muchenje Lodge}, {Kibo Lodge} and {Chobe-Under-Canvas}.

Savute is an area of permanent water deep in the Chobe Natioanl Park. Fed by the seasonal Savute water-course which stems from the Linyanti swamp, the area is rich marshy habitat in an otherwise quite arid place. To the north lie the Gubatsaa and Gcona Hills and the west is bordered by the Magwikhwe Sand Ridge. Composed of wooded copses, open savannah and reedbeds, the area is well-known for large numbers of lion, hyena and wild dog. There are relatively few camps here and it is well worth a visit. Not nearly as busy as Serondela, Savute’s wildlife is definitely wild but there is enough of it that you should not be disappointed. Camps here range from the uber-luxury {Savute Elephant Camp} to the simpler but lovely mobile camp {Savute-Under-Canvas}.