Tag Archives: Chobe National Park

Come along on a boat ride on the Chobe River

During our tour of Botswana in June we set off on an afternoon boat ride from the launch site in Kasane, following the Chobe River upstream into the Chobe National Park and later returning along the main channel – the border between Botswana and Namibia – around Sedudu Island by sunset. Game-viewing and photographic opportunities from the boat was excellent as we floated low to the water to almost within touching distance of Nile Crocodiles, Hippos, Buffaloes, Elephants and a wide array of other animals and birds which were all surprisingly unworried by our proximity. Certainly an experience to savour and never be forgotten!

The Chobe River at Kasane

Schalow’s Turaco

Guinea-fowl Butterfly

Spur-winged Goose

Big Red Lechwe ram

African Darter

Nile Crocodile

Nile Monitor

Nile Crocodile

Pied Kingfisher

White-crowned Lapwing

Banded Mongooses

Banded Mongoose

Nile Crocodile

Pied Wagtail

Game-viewing by boat on the Chobe River

Cape Buffalo

Serenity on the Chobe River

African Darter

African Fish Eagle

Cape Buffalo

Baboon of subspecies Papio ursinus griseipes

Baby Baboon of subspecies Papio ursinus griseipes

Baboon of subspecies Papio ursinus griseipes searching for seeds in elephant dung

Baby elephant

Elephant youngster

Hippos

Cape Buffalo

Cape Buffalo and cattle egret

African Spoonbills

Yellow-billed Storks

Red Lechwes

Great Egret

Black heron “canopy feeding” on shoals of small fish disturbed by the moving buffalo

Game-viewing by boat on the Chobe River

Resting hippos

Spur-winged Goose

Red Lechwes

Marabou Stork

Waterbuck family

Marabou Stork

Pink-backed Pelican

Water Thick-knee

Goliath Heron

Namibian fisherman in a traditional mokoro

Red Lechwes

Large flock of Black-winged Pratincoles settling down on an island for the night

Sunset over the Chobe River

Come along on a game drive through Botswana’s Chobe National Park

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We made an early departure from Senyati in order to be at the entrance gate into Chobe National Park by the time it opened at 6am. One of the first animals we saw was a leopard stalking a herd of impala, a good indication as to the quality of the game-viewing we enjoyed for the morning we spent exploring the park.

Leopard seen early morning in the Sedudu Valley

Sunrise over the Chobe River

Lechwes on the bank of the Chobe River

Red-billed Spurfowl

White-crowned Lapwing

Buffalo feeding in the Chobe River

Meyer’s parrot

Baboon of subspecies Papio ursinus griseipes

Puku

Red-billed Spurfowl

African Hawk-Eagle

Swamp Boubou

Tropical Boubou

Baboon of subspecies Papio ursinus griseipes

Impala

Bradfield’s Hornbill

Little Bee-eater

Neddicky

Warthog

Vervet Monkey of the race C. p. ngamiensis photographed in the Chobe National Park

Serene scene on the Chobe River

Plains Zebras

Plains Zebra

Giraffe

Puku

Nile Crocodile

Great Egret

Elephants making their way to the Chobe River

Nile Crocodile

Hippo

Elephants on the banks of the Chobe River

Elephants making their way to the Chobe River

Elephants drinking from the Chobe River

Squacco Heron

Kudu cows

Kudu cow

Impalas congregating next to the Chobe River

The highlight of the day was finding three lions strolling across the Puku Flats. At one point they flushed a roan antelope from a patch of long grass, but it made a safe retreat. Eventually the lions found a shady spot in which to rest and we moved along.

Lioness

Young lion male

Lioness

Roan Antelope

Young lion male

Lioness

Young lion male

Lioness

Young lion male

We made it as far west as the Kabulabula Peninsula before we had to turn around and head for the gate again, as we had another exciting excursion booked for the afternoon. More about that in the next post!

Senyati Safari Camp

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Following our amazing Gospel on Safari experience, colleague and friend Hannes Rossouw and I extended our stay in Botswana a little by heading further north to explore the Chobe National Park and surrounds, basing ourselves at Senyati Safari Camp. Senyati is located in the Lesoma Valley, just 15km from Kasane, gateway into Chobe, and offers accommodation, camping, a restaurant and a fabulous sunken hide from which you can get some terrific images of the animals and birds that come to drink at the camp’s waterhole day and night.

Sable Antelope just outside Senyati’s camping area

White-backed Vulture soaring over Senyati

Blue Wildebees walking away from Senyati’s waterhole

Egyptian Goose at Senyati’s waterhole

Three-banded Plover at Senyati’s waterhole

Red-billed Spurfowl

Arrow-marked babbler

Giraffe making its way around Senyati

Giraffes making their way around Senyati

Cape Turtle Dove

Warthog approaching Senyati’s waterhole

Campsite #19 at Senyati Safari Camp

Senyati’s sunken hide

Elephants at the waterhole seen from the deck above Senyati’s restaurant

Elephant from Senyati’s underground hide

Elephants from Senyati’s underground hide

Chobe Dwarf Gecko

Bradfield’s Hornbill

In upcoming posts I’ll share some more pictures taken on a drive through Chobe National Park, a boat ride on the Chobe River, and at Victoria Falls in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Back from the Wilderness – for now

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I’ve just returned from the most amazing two weeks in neighbouring Botswana, which included a day spent across the border at the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. There are thousands of images to go through and lots of stories to tell, and I’ve just made a quick selection here. There’s still two more trips to the bush in the rest of this month; please bear with me if I am a bit slow in responding to your kind comments!