Travel to Chobe Northern Waterfront

overlooking the lush marshlands of the Caprivi Strip

Chobe Northern Waterfront is located in the far north of the national park, where the dry mopane woodland fronts onto the rich floodplains of the Chobe River.

This area has enjoyed an almost legendary status as a location for safari, with the most prodigious wildlife, during the May-Oct dry season.

The drying out of the seasonal waterholes in the vast forested hinterlands during Mar-May causes huge numbers of animals to migrate towards the Chobe River.

The vehicle safari routes along the southern banks of the river are usually highly productive, with a full range of mammals including lions, hyenas, elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, sables and other plains animals. The sheer quantity of elephants can be staggering.

Throughout the period the predators take full advantage of the predictability of their prey’s movements and kills are regularly encountered.

Another major activity is motorboat safari along the river, to witness the herds of elephants snorkelling their way across which can be a real highlight.

The area is easy to access, especially from the town of Kasane, and is therefore an extremely popular location for budget and packaged safaris during this dry season.

Safari in the Chobe Northern Waterfront is very seasonal and careful planning is essential. However, in this particular area, this is very much damage limitation, as there is no really good time to visit.

Throughout the Nov-Apr hot wet season, the wildlife is widely dispersed in the vast dry forests and largely inaccessible, sustained by rainwater pools. Vehicle traffic is reasonably low, except for the main holiday seasons.

During the May-Oct cool dry season, vast herds descend on the Chobe Waterfront to the north and sightings are prolific. However, vehicle and boat traffic is extremely high.

The best times for this area are May and Oct-Nov when the dry season coincides with slightly lower visitor numbers.

Getting there

If you specifically want to include the Chobe Waterfront in your trip, we would usually recommend that you fit it in between the Victoria Falls and the camps further south in Botswana.

In this case, you would come in by road from Livingstone and Victoria Falls, a journey of around 3-4 hours. You would then depart by light aircraft from Kasane Airport, direct into a bush airstrip at your next camp.

If you would prefer an equivalent safari in a much higher quality area, then we strongly recommend the private concession areas of the Linyanti Waterfront area to the southwest.

unbearably busy throughout the main Jun-Oct season