Chobe

One of the greatest concentrations of African savanna elephants in the world, at over 50,000 animals

Area

11,700 km²

Protection category

UICN II

Parque nacional — what the IUCN categories mean

Declared in

1967

Region

Southern Africa

Climate

Tropical, Árido / desértico

Best time

May to October

Length of its routes

2–3 days

Difficulty of its routes

Fácil

Savanna

Plan your visit

Best time: May to October
Length of its routes: 2–3 days
Difficulty of its routes: Fácil
Area: 11,700 km²

Highlight

One of the greatest concentrations of African savanna elephants in the world, at over 50,000 animals

Declared in 1967, it was Botswana's first national park. It holds one of the greatest concentrations of African savanna elephants on the planet, with estimates of over 50,000 along the Chobe River alone — a figure high enough to have set off an intense scientific and political debate over whether the ecosystem's carrying capacity has been exceeded, and one that led Botswana in 2019 to lift a hunting moratorium in place since 2014, an extremely controversial decision internationally. Its sunset river cruises on the Chobe, with whole herds of elephants bathing alongside hippos and crocodiles, are reckoned among the finest water-based safaris anywhere in Africa.