Chobe Princess African River Safari
We flew with SA Airlink from Port Elizabeth via Johannesburg to Kasane in Botswana. The flights were all pleasant, it was a nice aircraft, great staff and food. The Kasane Airport was renovated a year ago and it is so modern and well organised.
We were met by Ernest and then went down to the river to clear immigrations to head off to Botswana before getting on a tender, crossing the river and clearing immigrations for Namibia. The river is the border so you are in both countries whilst on the river.
We did some game viewing on the way to our home where we spend 2 nights on the Chobe Princess II. Two of the 18-metre Chobe Princesses contain 4 cabins, while the third is slightly larger with 5 suites. They are nice sized cabins that can be made up as a twin or double bed, air-conditioning, mosquito-proofed windows and en-suite bathrooms with a shower, toilet and basin. You can take just one cabin and get to meet new people or go as a group of friends and family and have it to yourselves.
All the boats give you 3 lovely meals a day, snacks in between, beer, wine and soft drinks.
We settled in, our captain explained how everything works, we got to meet all the men who would be taking care of us and enjoyed a great lunch. At 16h30 we hopped onto the tender boat again for some more up close and personal game viewing. It is a birders paradise and our guide Allan was great in letting us know the calls and identifying the birds. We saw lots of crocodiles and went up close to some huge ones with smelly breath.
We saw loads of hippos in the water keeping cool during the day, elephants, buffalo and buck on the banks.
It is a lovely experience and a relaxing way of spending a couple of days.
The sunrises and sunsets were spectacular, I could not stop taking pictures and videos.
The Princesses can travel up to 50 km of the river depending on the time of the year and the water levels. You can enjoy the sights from the plunge pool dining table or the lounge area. The glass sliding doors can protect you from the elements or open air as you are part of nature.
You decide what you would like to do while on-board and the staff do their best to make it a wonderful experience.
Things to remember to pack: Camera, cell phone, chargers, binoculars, medication you may need (limited medical assistance available), formal attire is not necessary as our evening dress is casual, pack comfortable shoes, slip slops, costume and your Passport. Be sure to keep in mind to check your visa requirements for both Botswana & Namibia
. Things you can do from the houseboat:
* Water-based game viewing from tender boats which allow up-close encounters.
* Tiger and bream fishing in season (tiger fishing is strictly catch and release)
* Bird-watching from tender boats
* Chobe Princess Cultural experience at a local Namibian Village
* Photographic Safari – photographic boat to be pre-booked. (Availability dependent
Winter: The drier winter months from June to August see greater concentrations of game along the banks of the Chobe River. Summer: The summer months from November to May see the birdlife explode with the addition of the summer migrants to the area. The river is a malaria area so be sure to get advice on whether to take or not, you are required to take out medical insurance.
We got to visit the Zambezi Queen 5 Star, she was full so we could not stay on her. The Queen has 14 lovely cabins and can take 28 people.
It was a memorable experience and I can highly recommend it.
After the 2 nights on the Princess we went to the Ichingo Lodge for a night, to read this blog visit https://bit.ly/2QAabhg. Feel free to contact me to find out more info.