Trip Tips
Travel tip: Reminder: Wet Season means water where once there was sand
A few posts back, we noted the Suvute Channel is a river after 20 years. That article created a bit of a buzz on several forums. For infrequent safari travelers, Spring and Summer rains from southern Africa and even central Africa mean many areas that are normally dry are quite wet. This translates to... »
Avoiding Overcrowding – A Small Tempest Brewing Around Safari Options
On my last trip to Chobe National Park, I heard comments from locals related to new controls on tour groups entering the reserves. For us, the question was whether we were considered an official ‘tour group’. More importantly, it was hinted that our methods for safari are in some jeopardy going forward. A little background: ... »
Savute Channel: The river that doesn’t flow … flows again
February 2010 Mysterious, forgotten, and now found again – The Savute Channel (or Savuti Channel), one of the greatest mysteries and fascinations of northern Botswana, is sparkling with light once more after nearly 30 years of lying dormant. Until recently, the channel was an open grassland, home to numerous animals such as large herds... »
Elephants – Minimizing the chance of a charge .. and How To handle a charge
We certainly don’t want to say that Chobe National Park is just about elephants, but they will be one of your most common sightings. If you look through the articles at ChobeSafari.com, you may have already guessed this. When in the park, (or even on the roads around the park) you will see elephants... »
How to spot a dodgy travel agent
This blog was written by Vanessa Hobson in mid-January at mySafari. Unfortunately, as Africa becomes a more poplular destination, there are those that attempt to take advantage of the less knowledgable traveler. I felt her blog ws full of good common sense, so we are reprinting it here. I’ve just finished reading about the whole... »
Photo of the Day: Leopard loses fight with prickly porcupine
Our friend, Harold Hester at Birdlife Botswana saw this photo and article and forwarded it to us. In his message, Harold notes that this actually was taken in Mashatu, not Chobe unfortunately, but he knew we are suckers for interesting wildlife photography. Mashatu is in the east of Botswana in the Northern Tuli... »
Cover to Cover: 5 favourite African reads
I found this blog by thefynbosguy in South Africa at mySafari (one of our recommended blog links) while surfing the web. We’ve recommended books on southern Africa in the past, but never commented on these five. Of the group, the only one I have personaly read is Michener’s “The Covenant”. It was a great... »
Livingstone – The Zambian Side of Victoria Falls
A ‘must see’ near to Chobe is Victoria Falls. While the view is grand, some are not so comfortable in Zimbabwe due to political and/or economic concerns. Since the falls are on the Zambia/Zim border, an alternative is to stay and view from Livingston, Zambia. We have written about the Falls previously, but didn’t... »
The Debate: What is most important on Safari
Johan Knols at PlanYourSafari recently suggested that the most important item for a safari is a proper bed. His argument: Waking up rested is the most important thing during your safari, even if all the next points fail. If you have to sleep on a mattress that makes your back arch like a hammock,... »
Pilot praised for quick reaction
For many travelers who visit both Chobe and also camps near Okavango or Moremi, small charter planes are used to save time and also due to the limited road structure in Botswana. Most of these plane operate out of Maun or Kasane. Accidents happen with all modes of transportation and in all countries. This... »