The Chobe River

About the Chobe
UNESCO Heritage Sites
See Hippos along the Chobe River Safari Cruise

Wildlife found along Africa’s Chobe River

Here you can find a list of some of the more common safari wildlife along the Chobe River as it flows through Chobe National Park and wildlife preserve.  These may be the most common, but there may be others that can be found on select river cruises and game drives.  Your River Cruise Artist can provide you with the full itinerary for any river cruise that you may be interested in, on any river cruise operator, on the Chobe. Explore the Chobe River of Safari Africa further and learn more about it’s amazing wildlife.

560 Species of Birds

Chobe National Park is a thriving birding vacation spot with over 560 species within its borders. Chobe River cruises are the best way to see many of the waders and other birds fond of the water. Photography is not difficult as there are many birds and they often congregate around the water and water’s edge. Fish eagles are prevalent on the river, and their call is one of the most iconic sounds of Africa. Chobe is a great park for bird watching all year long, but the best months are from November to early May. This is when many migrating birds join others in the park. During the same months many birds will be seen breeding, with many colonies found nesting on the sandbanks of the Chobe.

Crocodile

Crocodiles are most commonly found in and around Chobe River and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. They live in lakes, rivers and swamps and can be seen in estuaries and mangrove swamps. The Nile crocodile can be more than 2,000 pounds in weight, or the weight of an average car. The skin of the Nile crocodile is covered in geometrically arranged, horny plates. The horny plates found on top of the crocodiles’ head are fused to the skull. About 40% of their body length is made up of its tail which has two raised dorsal keels. You will surely see (but not too close) crocodiles on your Safari River cruise safari.

Elephant

One thing is certain on your Chobe River cruise safari, you will see Elephants. In the dry winter months, the region is home to nearly 150,000 Elephants with large herds passing through the park along the river. Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world and are recognized by their long trunks, large ears and their unique tusks. Each of these parts of the Elephant is a functional body part. Their trunk serves to help them get food into their mouths, for drinking water or spraying water over themselves. Chobe is known to have the largest population of Elephants in the world and you will be in awe as you cruise up the river often lined with Elephants.

Giraffe

Although Elephants dominate with numbers, Chobe National Park along the Chobe River is known as one of the best locations in Safari Africa to see Giraffe. The South African Giraffe has rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves. The estimated population in the region of Giraffe is only 32,000. South African giraffes usually live in savannas and woodlands where food plants are available. Giraffes are herbivorous animals. They feed on leaves, flowers, fruits and shoots of woody plants such as Acacia.

Hippopotamus

The Botswana Hippo are semi-aquatic and are found by rivers, floodplains and swamps. During your Chobe River cruise safari, you will see them along the river and perhaps in the floodplains of the Okavango Delta on your cruise extension. The deep grunting sounds from the hippo is one of Africa’s most characteristic sounds and most people who have been on a Chobe River cruise will have heard the sound. Although they are grass and plant grazers hippos are come with massive teeth that can be used in territorial fights and displays.

Kudu

The kudu is common in the Chobe River region and across Africa. The male is notable with its long spiral horns – which unfortunately make it a target of trophy hunters. Despite its tall horn structure, the kudu’s preferred habitat is the bush savanna where it can find shelter. The kudu can move through thick brush by holding its head up with its horns along its neck and back. Female kudu tends to move around in small herds and have established home ranges. Males, however, move around a great deal individually or in small bachelor herds after they have been chased out of the breeding herd at around two years of age.

Lion

In northern Botswana the Lions display a wide range of habitat preference and prey choice. Habitats in northern Botswana range from the wetlands of the Okavango Delta to the arid semi desert areas of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Savuti – and Lions successfully inhabit all these regions. Lions are the most sociable of the big cats, living in prides that vary in size from a few individuals to more than 30 and in Botswana this extreme is noticeable as the habitats are so different, from the dry reaches of the Kalahari to the floodplains of the Okavango Delta.

Roan Antelope

Small groups of roan antelopes are found in the Chobe National Park. They prefer wooded grassland with access to water. Occasionally some will wander as far as the drier parts of the Okavango Delta but that is something of a rarity. The roan is the largest African antelope after the eland and could be confused with the regal sable antelope but it is more reddish in color and the horns are not as long. The social structure of the roan antelope involves herds that vary in size according to the availability of food. Roan antelope herds are usually led by an adult bull. Cows and calves occupy home ranges and dominant bulls will protect the herd from other intruding bulls. The roan bull does not defend a territory but rather the herd that he controls.

Water Buffalo

Water Buffalo in Botswana are associated with the northern waterways and floodplains. Water is essential for their survival and are found on the floodplains of Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Buffalo are still found in huge herds in Botswana and up to 1000 can be seen together on the Chobe River floodplains during the dry season. At the onset of the rains these Chobe herds disperse into the interior of Botswana’s vast wilderness, only returning when the natural pans start drying up. The nutritious grasses of the plains attract huge herds of Buffalo that generally remain in the area throughout the year. At the same time there are three prides of Lions that prey solely on these Buffalo.

Zebra

Zebras are generally widespread except for the drier central regions of Botswana. Most common sightings are in the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park. The Zebra Migration in Botswana is the second largest migration of zebra in Africa with up 25,000 roaming through the plains. The zebra, with its black and white striped coat, is one of the most characteristic animals of the African savannas. Each individual zebra has unique patterning – no two animals are the same. The patterning is similar to the idea of fingerprinting in humans. When a zebra is born its mother keeps it hidden from other zebras until her patterns have imprinted on the foal’s memory.

Your Chobe River Cruise Awaits!

Are you ready to start planning your Chobe River Cruise Vacation Your Way? A River Cruise Artist at River Cruise Your Way is ready to be your vacation concierge. Contact us today at 1-800-259-7612 or use the form below and let us know when it is most convenient to call you, we will confirm via e-mail, and then reach out at the agreed upon time and date.