Land safari and a boat ride

November 21, 2025

Today started early getting up at 5 for a 6am safari in Chobe NP Botswana. We were in an open Land Rover with theatre seating so everyone had a good view. The roads a really rough so we were bounced around a great deal. It took a while before we spotted animals but given that this part is 11,000 sq kms the animals could be anywhere. Mostly we saw impala but eventually we found baboons, a lioness and one elephant. There has been rain here recently so most of the elephants are at watering holes in the bush. Apparently there were more lions but they had taken cover by the time we got there. After our 3 hour safari we came back to an amazing breakfast complete with mimosas.

In the late afternoon I went on a boat ride on the Chobe River. This was the better event of the two. We saw an amazing number of animals and birds some of which were to hard to catch only with my iPhone. Nonetheless it was an experience not to be missed, far better than the land safari. We came in just before sunset and I didn’t bother waiting around because I have signed up for a sunset dinner cruise on the Zambezi River my last night in Africa.

An example of the road we travelled and this is the good part.

The Chobe River with Namibia on the other side.

An African grouse. The anti-poaching squad wear uniforms like these birds.

A troop of baboons complete with little ones.

A hippo out of the water which is unusual since they spend 90% of their time in water.

Image not found :( — A young male elephant feeding himself on plants. They have 65 muscles in their trunks and it takes 3 years before they know how to fully use it.

More warthogs just roaming around, they are everywhere on the property

A pair of fish eagles who like bald eagles mate for life

A small crocodile. They open their mouth as a way of cooling down

A small group of young male kudus. Note the stripes on their backs are different just light the zebra.

African buffaloes on the island to get away from the lions.

A very large female crocodile laying on a nest.

More hippos in the water where they spend most of their time. We saw a single hippo take after a small boat very quickly so I see why they are so dangerous. One bite can cut a person in half.

Lechwe antelope. Their front legs are shorter than the hind legs because they live in marshy land

A white egret sitting on the back of a hippo

A puku antelope native to Zambia but have migrated to Chobe NP.

The same hippo diving into the water, more like a belly flop.

A very unique hotel on the Namibia side of the river, very cheap I am sure. I checked it out and it has 5 cabins with full bathroom facilities, a common area and a private chef. It is specifically designed for photography tours and even has its own dark room. Seven days for $5K US.

Sunset from my dinner table. I have booked a sunset dinner cruise on the Zambezi River on my last night in Africa.

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