19 October 2017

I absolutely loved my time in Botswana the highlight of the trip for me was the Sundowner Cruise on the river. I would love to share my recent visit to The Chobe with you! Flying from Johannesburg is so easy as there are daily flights on SA Airlink departing from OR Tambo into Kasane International Airport. Chobe is only a 1 hour and 40 minutes away from the airport. Kasane Airport is small, but quick to travel through and immaculate! From the time we disembarked into the 37 degree Celsius heat, until we met up with our driver was an easy 15 minute process. There is no restaurant and/or shops, once you have gone through passport control on departure, so my top tip is to grab a snack first at the food kiosk in the check in terminal. Our knowledgeable guides where on time and waiting for us to arrive so that they could transfer us in an open vehicle (this was an incredible experience in itself) from the airport to Chobe Marina Lodge, and then on to Elephant Valley. My Stay at Chobe Marina Lodge: A quick 10 minute transfer from Kasane Airport and you find yourself on the banks of the Chobe River. Chobe Marina Lodge is wonderful for groups, offering plenty of activities both on the water and on the land. The hotel is located in the town of Kasane, it is close to shops, and to the banks. The rooms are comfortable, with fresh white bedding, flat screen tv and offer wonderful views over the river. We started our Chobe adventure with a boat cruise and could not have imagined the abundance of wildlife that we would get to see. Pods of Hippo pop up next to the boat, herds of buffalo, magnificent elephants and an array of birdlife. Snacks and drinks are served on the boat which go down well with the beautiful African sunset! We were on an all-inclusive meal package with 2 game activities, our drinks were additional but not overly priced. Meals were buffet style with a sufficient variety. The game drives take place around Sedudu Island, accessed through the Chobe National Park which is a short distance from the Lodge. Africa showed off yet again with elephants, lions, buffalo, plenty of plains of game and of course the antics of the baboons. The park is quite busy in season and there seems to be no restriction on the number of vehicles per sighting. Free WIFI is available throughout the hotel. On arrival back at the Lodge, breakfast was waiting for us and then our transfer company was ready to take us off to the next stop! My Stay at Elephant Valley Lodge From the river to the bush! 20 minutes from Kasane and we found ourselves in a tranquil oasis called Elephant Valley Lodge! Welcomed by thousands of beautiful white and yellow butterflies, this just set the tone for this special place. A 20 bedded tented camp in the valley overlooking a waterhole. Florian and Christine made us feel completely at home from the start. We decided to rather spend our time at the lodge and enjoy the hive of activity at the waterhole. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves settled in with the attentive staff only to happy to assist in whatever we needed. It was hard to leave! Regarding the accommodation, you have two choices – Forest Tents in the gardens, or the Valley Tents overlooking the waterhole which is where we were fortunate enough to stay. The Tents are rustic but quite luxurious with en-suite bathrooms, comfortable beds, tea and coffee station, mosquito nets and fans. All meals were included on our package, and the food was outstanding. Home style cooking and it was just delicious! We enjoyed dinner in the boma with herds of elephants giving us our own live Discovery channel show! Plus there is free WIFI in the communal areas only. The Chobe is a must do for anyone looking for that special ‘wildlife’ experience and we can’t wait to make your booking an exceptional one.