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Chobe National Park has the highest concentration of elephants on earth – over 120,000 of them – and this full-day trip from Victoria Falls puts you right in the middle of it. You cross into Botswana at the Kasungula border, spend the morning on a game drive through the park in an open 4×4, sit down to a buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Lodge on the Chobe River, then spend the afternoon on a river cruise watching the same elephants swim midstream. Everything is handled – borders, permits, park fees, transfers. You just show up.
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- | 07:00 | Hotel pickup in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe |
- | 07:00–08:30 | Drive to Kasungula border (70km, approximately 1 hour) |
- | 08:30–09:30 | Border crossing – Zimbabwe exit + Botswana entry (your guide handles paperwork) |
- | 09:30–12:30 | Morning game drive in Chobe National Park (open 4×4 safari vehicle) |
- | 12:30–13:30 | Buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Lodge on the Chobe River |
- | 13:30–16:00 | Afternoon river cruise on the Chobe River |
- | 16:00–16:30 | Return border crossing – Botswana exit + Zimbabwe entry |
- | 16:30–17:30 | Drive back to Victoria Falls |
- | ~17:30 | Drop-off at your Victoria Falls hotel |
- **Total duration: approximately 10–11 hours.**
The Morning Game Drive
Your day begins with a 3-hour game drive through Chobe National Park in an open 4×4 safari vehicle. Open sides mean unobstructed 360° views and the ability to stand up for photographs. Your guide drives the park’s established game drive circuits – varying the route based on fresh wildlife intelligence from other guides operating in the park that morning.
The drive covers Chobe’s riverine woodland and open savanna – prime habitat for lion, leopard, elephant, and giraffe. The park’s network of waterholes acts as a magnet for wildlife during the dry season. In peak months (July–October), it’s common to encounter multiple lion sightings and large elephant herds within a single morning drive.
Lunch at Cresta Mowana
Between the game drive and the river cruise, lunch is served at Cresta Mowana Lodge – a riverside property with an outdoor terrace directly overlooking the Chobe River. The buffet is generous: a full spread of hot dishes, salads, and desserts, with all dietary requirements catered. While you eat, hippos are frequently visible in the river 30 metres below and elephant herds pass along the opposite bank. It is, without question, the finest lunch setting of any day trip in the Chobe region.
The buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Lodge accommodates all dietary requirements including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal options. All your requirements are catered for during lunch.
"The combination of land and water gives you a genuinely different perspective on the wildlife. Things you'll see from the boat — hippos at eye level, elephants swimming midstream — simply aren't visible from a land vehicle."
The Afternoon River Cruise
The river cruise is what makes this trip. After the game drive, you board a purpose-built, stable safari boat with open sides and an elevated viewing deck. For the next 2–3 hours you drift along the Chobe River as the afternoon heat builds and the wildlife converges on the water.
What you see from the boat is genuinely different from what you see from the vehicle. Hippos surface at eye level – enormous pods of 20–30, bellowing and jostling in the current. Elephants wade in to drink, then swim midstream – bulls crossing from bank to bank, calves being lifted by the current. Crocodiles lie motionless on every sandbank. Fish eagles call from overhanging trees. The late afternoon light turns golden over the river, and the photographs from this hour are the ones people frame.
Your guide positions the boat throughout for the best sightings and photography angles.
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Chobe is famous for elephants, but the park’s ecosystem supports an extraordinary range of species across both land and water. Your morning game drive covers the savanna and riverine woodland; your afternoon river cruise gives you water-level access to the Chobe riverbank – two completely different perspectives on the same wildlife.
- Elephants, almost certain; often seen swimming across the river
- Hippos, large pods visible from the river cruise
- Crocodiles, sunning on the riverbanks
- Buffalo, large herds in the dry season
- Lion, frequently spotted near the river
- Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Kudu, commonly seen throughout
- African Fish Eagle, iconic call, spotted on nearly every river cruise
- Kingfishers, Herons, Storks, outstanding birdwatching from the boat
**Will I definitely see elephants?**
Yes. In more than five years of running Chobe day trips from Victoria Falls, we have not completed a single trip without multiple, close-range elephant encounters. Chobe’s 120,000 elephants are active and visible year-round. In September and October, herds of 200+ gather daily at the river.
Inclusions
✅ Return hotel transfers from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
✅ Border crossing assistance – Zimbabwe exit + Botswana entry at Kasungula
✅ Morning game drive in open 4×4 safari vehicle (licensed guide)
✅ Buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Lodge (riverside setting, all dietary requirements catered)
✅ Afternoon river cruise on the Chobe River (2–3 hours)
✅ Bottled water throughout the day
✅ National Park entry fees (Chobe, Botswana)
✅ Professional licensed guide throughout
Exclusions
❌ Botswana visa fees (most nationalities visa-free – confirm below)
❌ Gratuities for guide (optional)
❌ Alcoholic drinks
❌ Personal travel insurance
Victoria Falls to Kazungula
The 70km drive from Victoria Falls to the Kasungula border passes through the Zambezi National Park wildlife corridor – an unfenced conservation area that is itself a significant wildlife zone. Elephants, buffalo, giraffe, and lion are regularly seen from the road on the way to the border. Your guide will stop for notable sightings. By the time you reach the border, you’ll have already had a warm-up encounter with Zimbabwe’s wildlife.
The Border Crossing – What to Expect
The Kasungula border post connects Zimbabwe and Botswana and is the standard crossing for all Chobe day trips from Victoria Falls. Your guide handles all paperwork and accompanies you through both immigration counters.
- **What you need at the border:**
– Valid passport (minimum 6 months remaining validity)
– Children under 18: original birth certificate required
– If a child travels with only one parent: signed letter of consent from the absent parent
- **Processing time:**
Typically 10–45 minutes each way. Early morning crossings (07:30–09:00) are generally faster. Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings tend to be busier.
- **Do I need a visa for Botswana?**
Most nationalities – including UK, USA, EU, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and most African passports – do **not** need a visa for Botswana for stays under 90 days. If you are unsure about your nationality’s requirements, contact us before booking and we will confirm.
Best Time of Year for the Chobe Day Trip
The Chobe day trip runs every day of the year, but the experience varies by season.
**Dry Season (May–October) – Recommended**
This is peak wildlife viewing. As water sources dry up across the broader landscape, animals concentrate near the Chobe River. Game drive and river cruise sightings are at their most intense. September and October produce the most dramatic wildlife scenes – elephant herds of 200+ at the river daily, predators following prey, thousands of waterbirds. Temperatures climb in October (30–38°C) but morning and afternoon activities avoid the worst heat.
**Green Season (November–April)**
The park transforms into lush greenery after the rains. Wildlife spreads out across the park making sightings slightly less concentrated, but the landscape is beautiful, newborn animals appear from November, and birdwatching peaks as migratory species arrive. Visitor numbers are lower and prices are typically reduced.
**Our recommendation:** July–October for maximum wildlife impact. May and June offer a good balance – excellent wildlife with more manageable temperatures and fewer visitors than peak season.
Typically 10–45 minutes each way. Early morning crossings (07:30–09:00) are generally faster. Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings tend to be busier.
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