Chobe River

NaturesLens visits Chobe River on small-group wildlife photography holidays in Botswana, with time here planned around African Buffalo, African Elephant, African Fish Eagle, African Lion & African Skimmer rather than general sightseeing. Current itineraries using Chobe River include Wildlife of the Chobe River, with photography shaped around hide, boat-based, flight & landscape & behaviour photography sessions. The Chobe River forms part of the northern border of Botswana, flowing along the edge of Chobe National Park in the country’s far north, where it meets the borders of Namibia, Zambia, & Zimbabwe. This perennial waterway is the lifeblood of the surrounding landscape, its floodplains, reedbeds, & riverine woodland giving way to drier mopane woodland & savannah further inland. The river’s permanence in an otherwise seasonally arid region draws wildlife in extraordinary concentrations, particularly during the dry winter months when animals converge on its banks to drink & graze. Large herds of African Elephant & African Buffalo are a defining feature of the Chobe, often seen wading into the shallows or crossing between islands, while Hippopotamus & Nile Crocodile dominate the water itself. Impala, Greater Kudu, Chobe Bushbuck, & Giraffe browse the riverine vegetation, providing ample prey for the area’s formidable predators, including African Lion, Leopard, & the highly social African Wild Dog. Birdlife is equally rich, with African Fish Eagle a constant presence overhead, its distinctive call echoing across the water, alongside the elegant Saddle-billed Stork & the aerially skilled African Skimmer, which feeds by slicing its lower bill across the river’s surface in flight. Curious what keeps photographers coming back? Read our piece on why photographers keep returning to the Chobe River.