Chobe Safari Day Trip from Livingstone

A Chobe safari day trip from Livingstone, Zambia is a must. This national park in Botswana will give you picture-perfect elephant views over land and river. A day tour will include a fantastic lunch too. Pack your passport and book in advance to be sure you don’t miss out.

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Chobe National Park

Located in northern Botswana, Chobe National Park is the country’s first national park, covering an area of approximately 11,700 square kilometers (4,500 square miles). Established in 1968, it encompasses a diverse range of habitats, including lush floodplains, dense woodlands, and the iconic Chobe River, which serves as a lifeline for both wildlife and local communities.

Before becoming a national park, the land that is now Chobe National Park was initially set aside as a wildlife reserve in the 1930s to protect Botswana’s remarkable elephant population, which faced severe threats from hunting and habitat loss. Over the years, the park’s boundaries expanded, encompassing additional habitats and diverse ecosystems.

To normal folk like myself, it’s known for its amazing elephant population to be seen on both land and water.

Animals in Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park is home to a diverse range of animals. The park is famous for its massive elephant herds. However, there are also lions, leopards, giraffes, and buffalos. You’ll also spot antelopes like impalas, kudus, and sable antelopes. In the Chobe River, you’ll see hippos and crocodiles. The park is also home to over 450 bird species!

Land Safari

The first half of the day was a safari by land. We had excellent sightings of elephants, giraffes, and even lions!

Having gone on a couple of safaris in South Africa, the main draw for me was to see the elephants in the Chobe, rather than on land. I was so impressed! We saw several baby elephants, even some lying down!

We were in for a real treat when we stumbled upon a baby elephant still nursing. It was such an incredible experience! The little one was hanging out with its mom and older sibling, who looked to be about two years old according to our guide. We noticed that whenever the baby tried to nurse, the older sibling would push it away and position itself as a shield. It was their way of protecting the baby and keeping it safe. It was such a unique sight.

No matter how many times I see lions, they are impressive. We saw two young, male lions in the middle of their mid-morning naps.

And giraffes make me happy. I love their long necks!

We saw a couple of warthogs as well. A little family blocked our path on our way out of the park in the afternoon.

Generally, the scenes of the elephants along the Chobe River were my favorite and the reason I wanted to go on a Chobe safari day trip.

Boat Safari

After lunch, we embarked on the boat safari portion of the day trip. Here, our guide offered us some local beer while we zoomed around.

We saw hippos from a distance.

And even three crocodiles (though they were kinda hard to spot in the pictures!).

The best part of the boat safari was seeing the elephants play in the water! A couple of babies didn’t want to get out of the river when their mamas left and that was cute.

Our boat got stuck in the reeds and the guide spent some time getting us out—haha. But we had a great view and drinks so that didn’t matter.

How to book a Chobe Safari Day Trip

There are several options to book a Chobe Safari Day Trip. We organized our tour through Bushtracks Africa while staying at Camp Nkwazi (read about our wonderful stay). We were able to pay via credit card in advance over the website.

Wilhelm and I were staying a little outside of Livingstone and so we had to pay a surcharge to get picked up out of town (even though it was on the way to Chobe!).  Our tour cost USD 188 per person. If you’re staying in Livingstone, then the cost is USD 175 per person. Cost may vary by season and availability.

Driving along the Chobe River

Most Chobe safari day trip tours are similar based on what I saw online. The entire lunch spot we went to was filled with tour groups different than our own, and the place was full!

There are several reliable day trips on Viator, which I would recommend using if you’re not sure of your dates as there is usually free cancellation. Check out this tour with Cherish Travel and Tours. If you’re in Zimbabwe, check out this tour to visit Chobe Safari as a day trip from Victoria Falls.

What does the tour include?

The tour is an amazing deal and I highly recommend it. The cost includes all transfers, national park fees+entry, and a guide for the day for both land and boat safari. Additionally, it includes a breakfast of muffins and a full lunch buffet. Hot and cold drinks, including local beers during the boat safari, are also included.

Our lunch was at the Chobe Marina Lodge. I was surprised by how good the food was. I didn’t capture all the options well enough but there were a lot of options for veg and meat eaters. The brownie dessert was incredible and I had 4 pieces.

Chobe Safari Day Trip Logistics

The pickup for the Chobe Safari Day Trip is at 7am at your hotel in Livingstone and you’ll return around 6pm. The Kazungula border with Namibia and Botswana is just 1.5 hours from Livingstone and by 8:45 we completed passport control and entered Botswana. The two guides we encountered on our trip were lovely and informative.

The safari group can be up to 10 people, but our group only ended up being 4 of us—all from Joburg! Although there were several tour groups that we encountered, none were as small as ours. Likely, most people were traveling in larger groups.

There is an interesting germ/pollen/biomatter (?) removal system to enter Botswana where the car’s tires get washed and you’ll have to get out of the car to wash the bottom of your shoes on a pad when you enter and exit the country.

Our group switched from a van into a safari Landcruiser at the border and we then we had a light coffee/tea + muffin breakfast before entering the park at 9:30am.

The first part of the tour is all on land. Then, we stopped for lunch at 12:30pm before starting the boat safari at 1:30pm. By 4pm we were back on land and headed in a van towards Livingstone.

Borders

You’ll cross through the Zambia and Botswana border to get to Chobe National Park. Be sure to bring your passport and COVID vaccination cards. In April 2023, we didn’t need to show the COVID vaccination to get into Botswana, but we needed it for Zambia. We always bring out Yellow Fever cards too, just in case, so I suggest you bring that too. Please check your own visa requirements and ask your tour guide in advance. As US and EU passport holders we didn’t need to produce any other documents to get into the country.

A note that minors traveling through Botswana’s borders will be required to produce certified copies of unabridged birth certificates in addition to their valid passports.