Africa’s Great Elephant Herds, From an Open Vehicle
Game Drives in Chobe: The Riverfront at Its Busiest
Chobe is one of the few places in Africa where the wildlife arrives on a schedule. Through the dry season the herds come down to the Chobe River each afternoon to drink, and a game drive along the riverfront puts you in the middle of it. Elephants cross in single file, buffalo gather in their hundreds, and the predators that follow them are rarely far behind. Drives run in open 4×4 vehicles with a guide who knows where the herds moved yesterday and where they are likely to be today. It is unhurried, and on a good afternoon you barely need to move at all.
What a Chobe Game Drive Involves
Drives run twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, each lasting around three hours. Morning drives leave at first light when predators are still active and the air is cool. Afternoon drives run into golden hour and finish near sunset, which along the Chobe riverfront is when the elephant traffic is heaviest. Vehicles are open-sided 4x4s with tiered seating so everyone gets a clear view, and your guide is in radio contact with others in the park, so a good sighting is shared rather than kept quiet.
Timing, Seasons & Comfort
The dry months from May to October concentrate wildlife along the river and are the most reliable for big herds. The green season from November to March brings dramatic skies, newborn animals and excellent birding, with the game more widely spread. Mornings are genuinely cold in an open vehicle in winter, so bring a fleece even when the afternoon will be hot. Otherwise: neutral clothing, a hat, sun protection, and a camera with more battery than you think you need.
Plan Your Chobe Game Drive
Chobe sits comfortably alongside Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta on a wider Southern Africa itinerary. Tell us your dates and we will place your drives where the game is best.