Chobe National Park, Botswana

Situated in the northern-most corner of Botswana, the Chobe region fills the squat triangle made by the meeting of the Namibian, Zambian and Zimbabwean borders with those of Botswana.

The Chobe National Park is a vast reserve of about 12 000 square km and it is mainly flat and sparsely wooded. Chobe is said to contain the highest concentration of elephants in the world, with an estimated winter population of around 25 000. That's more than two per square km. A tourist's delight, this has placed massive pressure on the natural resources of the area, and elephant damage is particularly noticeable in the narrow riverine forest along the grass-covered flood plains of the Chobe River.

There are a number of natural pans in the park which are dry for most of the year. The only surface water during the dry season is provided by the Chobe and Linyanti Rivers in the north and northwest, and pumped by waterholes at Savuti, Nogatsaa and Tshinga and Ngwezuma dam. There are a few other pans that hold water for part of the dry season, particularly in the northeast.

Large areas of the park are covered by mopane and mixed woodland, including kiaat and Zambezi teak. There are belts of acacia savannah, particularly in the south. The woodlands are interspersed with extensive areas of grassland. The wildlife viewing is renowned, and makes this area a prime tourist destination. The annual zebra migration is a special feature of the area, but the visitor may see a wide range of antelope including sable, roan, oribi, reedbuck, and the strikingly colourful Chobe bushbuck, which has much stronger white markings than those found further south. Small herds of lechwe can be found on the grassy floodplains, and this is the only area south of the Zambezi River where puku can be seen. Giraffe and warthog are common, and lion occur throughout the area but are most frequently seen around Savuti.

Bird watching is very rewarding, with over 350 species recorded in the area. In the vicinity of the Chobe and Linyanti Rivers visitors can watch saddle-billed storks, long-toed plovers, pink-backed pelicans, African skimmers, Bradfield's hornbills and the jewel-like carmine bee-eaters. Heuglin's robin is a delight to hear in the early morning.

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