While in Victoria Falls with the family we took the Chobe Day Trip into Botswana and it was a trip worth it. The day trip consists of a 3 hour boat cruise, a 3 hour Game drive and lunch at the Chobe Safari Lodge. Silwane Tours & Safaris picked us from Villa Victoria at 7:30am and we arrived at the Kazungulu Border post about an hour later.
At Kazungulu the Chobe Riverflows into the Zambezi River. Our guide tells us that we are not allowed to take photos at the border post. Factor in a day trip to Chobe Day when you travel to Victoria Falls.
After crossing into Botswana, my first time, we are collected by a guide from Botswana. His name is Walter and he tells us that his parents fought in the liberation struggle. They left for Zimbabwe after the struggle but he remained in Botswana.
When we arrived at Chobe Safari Lodg, where we were picked up for the boat cruise from 9:30 until 12:30pm. The Chobe River is 23 metres deep at Chobe Safari Lodge. The Chobe River is the border between Botswana and Namibia and the deepest part of the river is the international border.
My family, Pauline, Natalie and Michael Goredema together with a couple from Durban on a game drive in Chobe National Park, Botswana
Kazungulu
Kazungulu is also famous for having the only point in the world where 4 countries meet, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Here there is the much disputed bridge between Botswana and Zambia, so until that is resolved and built they will continue to use the ferries.
Lion (8), a group of lion cubs were guarding an elephant carcass which was suspected to have been shot by poachers from Namibia.
For the afternoon drive we saw a wide variety of game. Chobe is well known for its huge elephant, Hippo and Zebra populations. Unfortunately we didn’t see any Zebra! But we did see hundreds of elephants.
Impalas in their thousands.
Bird Watching
There was a variety of birds which include White fronted Beeater, Pied King fisher, Ground Hornbill, Ox pecker, African Darter, Reed Cormorant, Guinea Fowl, Blacksmith Loopwing, African Jacana. Great White Egret, Water Dikkop, Egyptian Goose, Glossy Starling, Spoowing Goose, White-backed Vulture, Maribou Stork. Grey Heron, Cape Wagtail, Hornbill, Turtle Dove, Fish Eagle, Fork Tailed Drongo, Yellow Billed Stork, White Tailed Swallow
Chobe National Park
After lunch we headed off for Chobe National Park for the game drive which is about 6kms from Chobe Safari Lodge.
The Giraffe male moves from one herd to another looking for females on heat. The darker the spots on a giraffe, the older it is and the horns of the male have a bare top while the females have tufts of hair.
Justin our captain had a very good eye and spotted game along the river. He was very knowledgeable and didn’t need the bird book to identify the birds.
Vultures feeding in a dead elephant which probably drowned. The Maribou storks aka The Undertakers take advantage of the vultures. The storks’ beaks are not strong enough to shred the meat so they let the vultures do the shredding. The storks then scare them away to take their share.
Sitings
Nile Crocodiles (10)
Hippo (30)
Monitor Lizard (1)
Mongoose (4)
Warthogs (12)
Kudu (12)
Cape Buffalo (15)
