Explore the Chobe River, Botswana

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival and the Chobe Princess Houseboat

Your journey begins the moment you land at Kasane International Airport. A road transfer brings you to the Kasane Immigration Office on the Botswana side of the Chobe River, where a boat carries you across to Namibia and on to the Chobe Princess, the houseboat that's your home for the next two nights.

Life aboard the Chobe Princess is defined by the river. Viewing the Chobe from the water gives you an entirely different perspective from a standard game drive. You're at eye level with a drinking elephant, you can hear the low grunt of hippos before you see them, and the water's surface catches the gold and orange of an African sunset in a way no land-based viewpoint can match. Settle in as the river slips by and the evening draws in.

Day 2: A Full Day on the Chobe

With a full day on the water, the Chobe reveals itself. Guided water-based game viewing excursions take you out by tender boat into the quieter channels and backwaters. The floodplains draw extraordinary concentrations of wildlife: buffalo moving in tight herds, crocodiles basking on muddy banks, and the occasional leopard slipping through the treeline on the opposite shore.

If you've brought a camera, the non-professional guided photographic safaris are a treat. The golden-hour light, the reflections, and the sheer proximity to wildlife make this a photographer's ideal setting, whether you're shooting on a smartphone or a DSLR. Birding is just as rewarding, with African fish eagles, carmine bee-eaters, and hundreds of resident and migratory species moving through the reed beds. 

Day 3: Transfer to Ichingo Chobe River Lodge, Impalila Island

A boat transfer to Ichingo Chobe River Lodge marks a shift in atmosphere. Impalila Island sits at the meeting point of four countries: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The sense of being at the edge of the map is palpable. The air smells of river mud and wild sage, and at night the sky is uninterrupted.

The water-based activities continue here, with guided excursions into the rich wildlife channels of the Chobe and Zambezi systems. Ichingo also adds something new: guided walks on Impalila Island, available exclusively to lodge guests. Walking in the bush is a different experience entirely. You notice the detail, the tracks in the dust, the alarm calls of birds, the bark stripped by an elephant, while your guide reads the landscape in real time.

Day 4: Impalila Island and a Local Village

Today, the rhythm of the island settles around you. Continue exploring the channels by boat, or take to the trails on another guided bush walk, where every step brings something new to notice.

A guided cultural village tour adds a further layer of depth. Spending time with the local community on Impalila gives you a genuine connection to the people who live alongside this extraordinary environment. It's thoughtful, unhurried, and quietly memorable, a fitting way to round off your final full day.

Terms and Conditions

INCLUDES: return flights from Johannesburg to Kasane, all road and boat transfers, two nights at Ichingo River Lodge, two nights onboard Chobe Princess, all meals, all non-premium brand drinks on Princess, all local beer/wine/soft drinks at Ichingo, all lodge and boat activities (activities include: game cruises, birding, island walks, fishing, local village visits).

4 Nights From R36,125 per person sharing