Botswana is enchanting! It’s home to incredible, remote and untouched wilderness, intriguing local culture and history. Outside of the wildlife and beautiful landscapes, what truly makes Africa so special are the people who live there, and Botswana is definitely a must visit destination for so many reasons. If you are designing Zimbabwe or Zambia in mind, it is very easy to plan a visit to Chobe National Park Botswana. Plan for Chobe day trip from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe by crossing the border, it takes just an hour!
Planning to visit Victoria Falls from Zambia. Read through our Victoria Falls Zambia Guide.
Planning to visit Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe. Read through our Zimbabwe Travel Guide.
Trust us you won’t regret the decision of visiting this beautiful nation. You have found the right website to help you know everything you’re curious about. Our Day Trip To Botswana travel guide would help you plan an unforgettable trip to Chobe National Park along boat safaris that you would cherish for lifetime.
Chobe National Park is located in the far north of Botswana where the four countries of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet. The highlights inside the park includes spotting hundreds of elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles, hippo, giraffe, kudu, zebra, lions, leopard and many others. Chobe National park also has a large variety of bird species making it a paradise for all the bird watchers.
Things to know before you visit Botswana:
1. Best time to visit Botswana
Botswana is a wonderful year-round destination. However, depending on the activities you’re interested in, you might consider these months. May to October is the dry season making it the best time to visit the country for safaris. With hardly any rainfall, the animals flock to the waterholes, making it easy for you to spot the elusive animals. Rainy months starts from November to April, transforming the barren terrain into a lush green landscape which is perfect for bird watching.
2. How to travel around Botswana
We booked our transfers and related activities with Victoria Falls guide, and we are so glad that we did it with them. Would highly recommend you to consider this operator for cultural reservations and adventures- all you need to do is sit back and relax and leave everything on them. Plus it is really a good idea to get a local travel agent who can put together the logistics for you in this country that would honestly save your energy, time & money.
3. Is Botswana safe
Yes, absolutely. We didn’t feel unsafe or uncomfortable for a single moment. The people are so friendly and polite they helped us with everything possible they could. Would suggest not to travel alone late at night and stay watchful with your belongings.
4. Medication you need before travelling to Botswana
As Malaria risk is high in areas of Zimbabwe mainly in Zambezi valley and Victoria Falls, and Botswana is their neighbour it is advisable that you start your malaria medication before you travel. You would need a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate to enter Botswana. Make sure to carry mosquito/insect repellent along with you every time and everywhere there.
5. How to get Botswana Visa
Current Botswana immigration requirements state that in the vast majority of cases, visas must be applied online, using the e-Visa system. An eVisa for Botswana application is generally processed within a few business days. Once approved, a copy of the online visa will be sent to the traveller via email. However we were unable to receive our visas online, hence got it processed directly from the Botswana embassy. Large number of nationals doesn’t require a visa to enter Botswana, including all European Union citizens, South American and African natives.
Click the link to know more apply for Botswana E-visa
6. Currency in Botswana
The currency in Botswana is the Pula. 1 USD is equivalent to about 11 Pula. Also US dollars can be easily used in all hotels and restaurants.
7. How to reach Botswana
We stayed in Zimbabwe and made a day trip to Botswana from Victoria Falls. From there we crossed the border which was just an hour drive and reached Chobe National Park and got our visas stamped from the entry post. You can also check with the available flight options you have, depending on the origin of your departure and directly fly to Sir Seretse Khama International Airport which is the international airport in the capital city Gaborone.
8. Language in Botswana
English is the official business language of Botswana. Setswana is the national language and is spoken by most of the population.
9. Where to stay in Botswana
Most accommodation in this area of the Chobe National Park (Chobe Riverfront) is situated in the town of Kasane. You can also check out this luxury ‘Safari Chobe Lodge’ that has en-suite bathrooms and a lounge facing the Chobe River.
The Ultimate Safari Game Drive at Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park is a true wildlife paradise and one of the untouched and least explored national parks in Southern Africa. Chobe National Park is extremely lush because of the many waterways and the Chobe River that flows through the park draws many animals and birds during the dry season, which is just mesmerising to witness. You need to pay 20USD as a park fee before entering.
The gateway to Chobe is Kasane, which is a small town near the borders of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. The operators would arrange a pick up and drop off from anywhere in the city centre or hotels wherever you are available. Book your trip with Victoria Falls guide.
Don’t miss going for Chobe boat safari cruises which is a fantastic mode where you can experience the game viewing by watching hippos, zebras, crocodiles besides herds of antelope, eland, giraffe kudu, water-buck, impala as well. You need to pay additional 10USD for the boat ride from where it departs. At Chobe there is the highest concentration of elephants globally, and herds of elephants frequently cross the Chobe River while the Hippos and crocodiles bask in the sun next to the water. It made us go gaga watching herds of elephants at a same time at the same spot.
Surely it was an incredible experience! Envisioning the lovely end to this amazing time at Botswana. So guys hope you find this blog helpful planning yours, and if you have any queries please write it down in the comment section below. We would try to help with the best of our knowledge.
