Chobe Safari Lodge, Botswana

Sunset on the River from Chobe Safari Lodge ©Solange Hando

The Chobe Safari Lodge is located on the bank of the river by the same name, on the edge of Botswana's oldest national park.

This sunset view was taken from the hotel Sedudu Bar, set on stilts at the water's edge, hopefully far enough from hippos and crocodiles.

Guest Room at the Chobe Safari Lodge, Botswana ©Solange Hando

The Chobe Safari Lodge has 8 rondavels, or thatched circular huts, and 68 rooms with balcony or raised patio. Rooms have air conditioning, mosquito nets and repellent, tea and coffee facilities and TV.

WiFi is available in public places and free of charge. Other amenities include a swimming pool, beauty salon, a craft shop, two bars and an open-sided restaurant.

Grounds are spacious with trees and lawns where you are sure to spot banded mongooses, monkeys and warthogs. There is also a camp site at the far end of the compound.

Colour in Rest Room ©Solange Hando

The lodge is tastefully furnished in African style with amazing wooden ceilings in public areas and lovely details here and there reflecting the skill of local craftsmen and artists, such as painted birds in in the rest room washbasins.

Dawn Safari, Expect the Unexpected ©Solange Hando

The Chobe lodge offers a range of activities from day trips to the Victoria Falls and visits to Zimbabwe or to the nearest Namibian village but top attraction is bird and game viewing either on water or land.

There are 560 species of birds in the park and all the big game you would expect except rhinos. Sightings can't be guaranteed but guides do their utmost to please their guests, even if it means getting stuck in the sand.

Watching us Watching them ©Solange Hando

No problem, they'd eaten well...

Botswana Chobe National Park, Wildlife Sightings

Chobe National Park from the Light Aircraft, Water and Land ©Solange Hando

Rich in wetlands, savannah and forest, the Chobe National Park lies in Botswana, a haven for wildlife, close to the border with Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

This is the only place in the world where four countries meet and it happens in the middle of the Chobe river, at the Kazungula crossing.

 Fun in Chobe ©Solange Hando

In the dry season, wildlife migrates from across the borders, attracted by the river and surrounding wetlands.

Elephants come top of the list, with up to 160,000 recorded at that time, the world's highest concentration. You find them in the forest and along the banks of the Chobe where in the late afternoon, some swim across to Sedudu island for the night.

Having a Snooze on Sedudu Island ©Solange Hando

Sedudu means the 'hippo pod' and there are plenty of these massive and seemingly placid creatures both in the water and on land. This mother and her 6 months old young took no notice of us but the ranger was as excited as we were. This was the first baby hippo he had spotted in 10 years.

The island was once disputed territory with Namibia but when the channel on the Botswana side was measured and proved shallower, it was granted to the latter.

Giraffes by the Chobe River ©Solange Hando

Theses giraffes were also spotted by the river, the young one splaying its legs, as giraffes do, to drink or nibble short wet grass.

The iconic entwining of necks often seen at mating time is not romantic at all but indicates rivalry between two males.

Too Close for Comfort? ©Solange Hando

Rather more awesome are the myriad crocodiles swimming in the river or sunning themselves on the banks, mouth wide open to cool down.

The picture was taken from the relative safety of a small boat but these crocs have been known to snatch humans who strayed too close to the water. This is no place for riverside picnics, or even a stroll.

Prowling in the Sunset  ©Solange Hando

The park supports large numbers of birds, impala, buffaloes, baboons and other creatures, large and small, but for many visitors, the greatest thrill is seeing a lion, or lioness as above.

After a kill, scores of vultures gather in the tree tops, waiting for their turn to feed, and on any game drive, looking up, not down, is probably the best way to find the king or queen of the Chobe jungle.