I stayed four nights at Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana, hosted by the Botswana Tourism Organisation. I wasn’t required to write this post, but I thought it might be useful so I’m doing it anyway! All opinions are my own, honestly held, and I don’t accept freebies or payment in exchange for positive reviews. This post was typed by me with my own ten fingers and no AI was involved, so if you spot any mistakes, I take full responsibility.
On my first morning in Botswana, I woke early, twitchy to get out and make the most of every second in this exciting new country. With a cup of tea in hand, I slid back the glass door of my room and stepped out onto the balcony.
The day had not yet warmed up, and the morning was pleasantly cool. Directly ahead of me, a short stretch of bright green lawn, glistening from overnight rain, led down to the lazy Chobe River. On the other side, close enough to swim if it weren’t for the grumpy hippos and hungry crocodiles, I could see Namibia.
On a branch at eye-level to my first-floor vantage point, a pretty brown-and-orange bird (that I later learned was a white-browed robin-chat) launched into a jaunty song, lustily informing the world that a new day had begun. His welcome was heard not just by me, but by a family of vervet monkeys, which hopped about on the grass below, foraging for a breakfast of roots and seeds.
All this wonder without even leaving my hotel room. I knew immediately that I was going to love Botswana.
Introducing Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana
This wonderful oasis of tranquility was Chobe Safari Lodge, a 4* hotel in the town of Kasane, in the north of Botswana, right up next to the border with Namibia.
Kasane is one of Botswana’s two main tourism hubs, offering quick and easy access to Chobe National Park, one of the country’s most sensational wildlife-viewing destinations.
The lodge is located on the edge of Kasane, only about a ten-minute drive from the airport, and right next to the Chobe River, giving the hotel fabulous river views and easy access for wildlife-spotting boat cruises along the river and into the National Park.
Chobe Safari Lodge: at a glance
Here are some basic facts about Chobe Safari Lodge:
- Age: Established in 1959, Chobe Safari Lodge is nearly 65 years old! It was the first hotel to be built in Kasane.
- Number of rooms: Chobe Safari Lodge has 52 double rooms, four family rooms, and eight traditional riverfront thatched huts called Rondavels.
- Campsite: For the budget-conscious, the lodge also has a campsite offering 23 pitches with power points.
- Facilities: Chobe Safari Lodge has a pool, a restaurant, two bars, spa treatments and a gift shop. There’s no gym.
- Wi-Fi: There is Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, though it’s stronger closer to the main reception.
- Air-Con: All the rooms have air conditioning.
- Price: Prices vary depending on type of room and dates, but rooms start from about £250/$300 a night, on a room-only basis. More on room rates below.
Chobe safari lodges: which is which?
Before I get into my review, I’ll just clear up some confusion. Chobe Safari Lodge is by no means the only safari hotel or lodge in the Chobe area, and they all have very similar names! Which means that when I first arrived and was trying to get there from the airport, I got into a bit of a muddle and nearly went to the wrong one!
Here are some of the other safari lodges in Chobe that you might confuse it for (or want to consider for your stay in Kasane):
Chobe Bush Lodge
Chobe Bush Lodge is the recently-built sister hotel to Chobe Safari Lodge and sits just opposite, sharing the same grounds and some of the same facilities. Chobe Bush Lodge has 38 luxury rooms plus 4 family suites all facing directly onto Chobe National Park, so you don’t get the river views but you do get animals running through the garden.
Chobe Game Lodge
Unrelated to Safari and Bush, Chobe Game Lodge is a luxury five-star lodge run by Desert & Delta Safaris. Established in 1973, it was the first five-star lodge in Botswana and it remains the only permanent accommodation inside the Chobe National Park boundary, right on the shore of the Chobe River.
It’s also famously the place where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton remarried just over a year after they had divorced from their first 10-year marriage.
I stayed two nights at Chobe Game Lodge at the end of my trip, and there’ll be a separate review of my experience travelling with Desert & Delta coming soon.
Chobe Savanna Lodge
Also run by Desert & Delta, Chobe Savanna Lodge is a small boutique safari camp with only twelve chalets. It sits on the Namibia side of the Chobe River but you get there by crossing the river from Kasane.
Mowana Safari Resort
This one doesn’t have such a confusing name, but I’m including it here as another option for Chobe accommodation. Mowana Safari Resort is a very nice but big five-star hotel with two pools, a gym, Clarins spa, and 9-hole golf course. I didn’t spend the night here, but I visited daily for four days as it’s where the conference I was attending was held, and I thought it looked like another great place to stay in Chobe.
Chobe Marina Lodge
As the name suggests, Chobe Marina Lodge is also located on the Chobe River, just along from Chobe Safari Lodge. Rooms and suites are luxuriously decorated in a chic African style and it has a pool and spa, but at roughly £350/$430 a night for a standard room, it’s a bit more expensive than Chobe Safari Lodge.
Chobe River Lodge
Goodness me, there are a lot of places named ‘Chobe X Lodge’, aren’t there?! Chobe River Lodge is another very smart four-star hotel with a pool, 12 luxurious and newly-renovated rooms, and a riverfront setting. Prices start from $275 per person per night.
Rooms at Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana
Now that we’ve cleared that up, and you know which hotel we’re talking about, let’s get back to the matter in hand.
Chobe Safari Lodge has five different types of rooms, as follows:
- Safari Rooms: These are large doubles, relatively recently redecorated, set back from the river with gardens in front.
- River Rooms: This is the type of room I had. These are closest to the main reception and dining areas of the lodge, and look out over the Chobe River. They are a bit smaller than the safari rooms (though still large), and in mine at least the décor was a little dated and could do with being renovated.
- Bush Rooms: Large, modern rooms with garden or forest views and an open-plan design – so no separation between the bedroom and bathroom, though the toilet is in a separate room, don’t worry!
- Rondavels: These are the original accommodation: traditional thatched huts, right on the river, with riverfront verandas. They’re smaller than the other rooms but are totally private and you’ll feel like you’re right in the bush.
- Family Rooms: Made up of two adjoining doubles with two bathrooms.
Chobe Safari Lodge camping
If you’re on a budget, another great option is to take advantage of the campsite at Chobe Safari Lodge. There are 23 pitches, each with power points, and three bathroom blocks. I didn’t camp, but I met some fellow travellers who were camping and they seemed to be enjoying it. Take care not to walk around after dark as animals can come into the campsite.
Read more: 9 Tips For A Botswana Budget Safari Without Luxury Prices
Facilities at Chobe Safari hotel
Since it’s a reasonably-sized hotel, Chobe Safari Lodge has most of the facilities you’d expect, including:
Bar: There are two bars: a cocktail bar next to the restaurant and overlooking the river, and the Sedudu Bar which is a short walk away from the main building, also offering fabulous sunset river views. I’m lazy so I mostly ended up at the bar by the restaurant from where you can happily sit and watch the sunset and the boats returning from their sundowner cruises (see below).
Pool: The pool is located right next to the restaurant in the middle of the main area, and is quite small, though plenty big enough for cooling off after a hot and dusty game drive. I did feel like it was a bit central and everyone walking past can watch you swimming, so if you’re self-conscious in your bikini you might feel a bit exposed. But during the day most people are doing other stuff anyway.
Spa: I didn’t use the spa services, but you can book facials and massages at reception. There’s no gym, sauna or jacuzzi.
Laundry: A laundry service is available, but unlike at many other safari camps, you have to pay per item.
Room amenities: All rooms have a kettle with tea and coffee and a hairdryer. Irons and ironing boards are available on request. Shampoo, shower gel, body lotion and insect repellent are provided in the bathroom.
Food at Chobe Safari Lodge
You have two options for meals at Chobe Safari Lodge. Unlike at some of the other safari camps I stayed, the food is not included in the room rate.
Main restaurant
There’s a big restaurant in the main building, with some tables inside (where it’s spacious but quite dark) and some on a patio overlooking the pool and the river beyond. Food here is served buffet-style with a huge range of dishes to choose from.
At breakfast you can have eggs cooked to order as well as pancakes, waffles, fruit, cereals, pastries and bread, and some traditional Setswana dishes.
Dinner was similar, with a wide variety of things to try, different meats and fish, vegetarian options, some stuff pre-prepared and some quicker dishes cooked to order.
Overall I thought that as buffets go it was pretty decent – buffet-style food is never going to be the very best but I thought they did a good job. However, at 350 Pula per person for dinner (about £20 or $26) it was pretty expensive, but that’s what you get in a nice hotel in touristy Kasane!
Read more: Which Is The Best Botswana Safari Lodge? My Favourites With Photos
Chobe Bush Lodge à la carte
Guests at Chobe Safari Lodge can also walk across to the restaurant in the sister hotel, Chobe Bush Lodge, where meals are served with a menu, à la carte. They have a range of meat and fish dishes as well as some local options – you can even try crocodile tail! Prices start from about BWP 70 (£4 or $5.20) for a starter and BWP 170 (£10 or $12.60) for a main. At busy times it’s a good idea to book ahead.
Tandurei Restaurant, Kasane
As another option, just outside the main gate to the complex is a local restaurant, Tandurei. To save money we ate here once, and although the service was suuuper slow (and I’m not sure why as we were the only people there!) the food was pretty decent, and much cheaper than eating in the hotel. They have a huge menu of Indian and Asian dishes such as curry and noodles, as well as kebabs, steaks, ribs, fried chicken and fish.
Activities at Chobe Safari Lodge Botswana
Of course you don’t come all the way to Botswana to sit in the hotel! There’s wildlife to see and adventures to be had, and here’s where I thought Chobe Safari Lodge did great. Here are some of the activities and day trips they offer:
Game drives in Chobe National Park
Every day in the morning and late afternoon you have the chance to do a game drive into Chobe National Park. Depending on the season and weather, game drives typically start at 6 am and 3 pm, and last about 3 hours, before you return to the lodge for breakfast or dinner.
Game drives cost from BWP 360 (US$46) for an adult, with park entry fees of BWP 190 (US$20) not included.
The Sedudu Gate park entrance is about a ten minute drive from the lodge along the main road. After your guide has signed you in, you then drive around in an open-sided car, looking at all the amazing animals. On our first drive we saw impala, waterbuck, jackals, warthogs, crocodiles, hippos, a lion, buffalo and many, many birds, and on our second we saw more of the above plus two male lions, kudu and elephants.
Read more: Birds In Botswana: 40 Stunning Species To See On Safari
One thing I liked less about the game drives here is that due to the number of guests, the cars are quite big. Unlike the cars they use at the smaller lodges in the Okavango Delta, which tend to seat no more than 6 guests with everyone getting a window seat and sometimes even a row to themselves, the cars used by Chobe Safari Lodge are bigger, sometimes seating 9 or even 12 passengers in rows of three.
As a photographer I found this frustrating because I couldn’t always get a good angle on the thing we were looking at, and I had to shoot across people. Also more people means more noise and more opinions about whether you stay for a bit longer, or leave!
Read more: Amazing African Safari Animals – A Photo Guide
If you’re a photographer and this sort of thing matters to you, you have three options:
- Accept that this is just the way it is and that you will have better safari photography opportunities elsewhere in your trip.
- Pay more to book a private game drive (BWP 2860 / US$370 per car).
- Stay in a smaller lodge where they use smaller cars.
But no matter what, you’re going to have a fantastic time on your game drive. There’s loads of wildlife to see in Chobe National Park, the landscapes are beautiful and the guides are extremely knowledgeable and informative.
Read more: Using The Canon R5 For Wildlife Photography: A Full Review
Boat cruises along the Chobe River
The other activity you’re definitely going to want to do during your stay in Kasane is a wildlife boat cruise.
Chobe Safari Lodge occupies a prime spot on the bank of the Chobe River, just a short cruise from the riverside park entrance, where you pull in briefly to sign in before continuing your cruise into the park.
They have their own jetty with three or four boats of different sizes, including one large one with a rooftop viewing area and smaller ones for private cruises.
I took one of their sunset boat cruises, which leaves at 3 pm and returns around sunset, which when I visited in December was about 6.45 pm. This cruise costs BWP 350 (US$42) and does not include the park entry fee of BWP 190 (US$20) or any drinks you might want to buy from the on-board bar (you can charge these to your room so you don’t need to bring cash).
Game viewing from a boat is an incredible experience as the animals come right to the water’s edge to drink and you can get really close to them. On our 3-hour cruise we saw dozens of hippos and buffalo, as well as many storks, herons and other water birds, elephants, impala, baboons and crocodiles.
As the sun gets low in the sky it can shine right in your face under the canopy, so make sure you’re wearing suncream and bring a hat and sunglasses.
Read more: Top 50 African Birds: A Safari Photo Guide
Watch the sunset from the bar at Chobe Safari Lodge
One of the things I really loved about Chobe Safari Lodge was its west-facing river front location, meaning that you get really wonderful sunset views over the river.
If you’re not already out having sunset drinks on a boat cruise or game drive, a wonderful way to end the day is with a cold beer or an Okavanago gin and tonic at one of the bars, looking out as the sky turns from yellow to tangerine to rose to indigo and the cruise boats slowly make their way back to the jetty.
Visit Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is one of the world’s largest waterfalls, with a width of 1708 m (5604 ft). The falls sit on the Zambezi River on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, about an hour’s drive from Kasane (the thing that takes the time in getting there is not so much the drive, but the border formalities you have to do to be able to cross into Zimbabwe).
I only found out you could visit them from Kasane when it was too late for me to organise a trip, and I’m gutted I missed out. Everyone who’d been said a visit to Vic Falls is a must-do when you’re in Kasane, and it’s very easy to organise at the reception in Chobe Safari Lodge.
Day trips last from 8 am to 5 pm with most of the day spent at the Victoria Falls, and cost from BWP 995 (US$110).
Read more: What To Wear On Safari: My Detailed Safari Packing List With Photos
Kazungula Bridge
Another nearby point of interest that’s worth a quick look if you have time is the brand new Kazungula Bridge over the Zambezi River.
The Zambezi forms the border between Botswana and Zambia, and until the bridge opened in May 2021, the only way you could travel between the two countries was by ferry. This caused huge tailbacks and often the ferry would break down, making crossing impossible.
Eventually, in an epic work of international collaboration, the two governments got together and agreed to build a bridge, with border checkpoints at either end. The new bridge is a massive feat of engineering: at 923 metres (3,028 ft) long, it took 7 years to build and cost US$259.3 million.
There are road, rail and pedestrian sections, so you can walk over the bridge and admire the spectacular views.
One remarkable point of interest to look out for when you’re there (though sadly its not something you can actually see) is the only quadripoint in the world, where the borders of four countries meet. There are plenty of tripoints, but this is the only quadripoint.
Standing on the bridge you can see Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which is pretty cool. But there’s no marker post because the quadripoint itself is in the river!
Other activities
If you’re on honeymoon, feeling adventurous, or want to do something really special, there are a few other activities on offer at Chobe Safari Lodge, such as:
- Going fishing in the Chobe River
- Namibian village walk and cultural visit
- Romantic dinner cruise
- Scenic helicopter flight over Chobe National Park
Read more: Is Cardamom House In Vipingo The Best Beach Hotel In Kenya?
How much do Chobe Safari Lodge activities cost?
For ease of reference, here are the prices for all the activities Chobe Safari Lodge offer. These are 2023 prices, so may change in 2024.
Chobe Safari Lodge prices
So how much does Chobe Safari Lodge cost?
Well, let’s say you’re a couple staying in a standard room with garden view for three nights next March (which is the end of low season, when rates are cheaper). On top of this you want to do one morning and one afternoon game drive, and one morning and one afternoon boat cruise.
According to Booking Dotcom, that will cost you £772 ($986) with breakfast from £14 ($18) per person, or £845 ($1079) with breakfast included.
Your activities will cost £138 ($176) per person, or £276 ($352) for both of you.
On top of this you’ll need to factor in lunches, dinners, and any drinks you may want.
Is Chobe Safari Lodge family friendly?
I don’t have kids so I can’t really comment on exactly how family friendly the lodge is, but what I can tell you is that unlike quite a few Botswana safari camps where children under six are not allowed, Chobe Safari Lodge welcomes children of all ages and allows them on game drives and wildlife viewing activities.
They also offer babysitting services and run a kids’ club over the Christmas period.
Whether you’d want to bring very young children on safari in Botswana is a different question, and one only you can answer.
How to get to Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana
Chobe Safari Lodge is just a 10-minute drive from Kasane International Airport. There are no direct flights from the USA or Europe to Kasane, but you can easily get a flight to an African hub like Johannesburg or Addis Ababa, and from there connect with a flight to Kasane. The flight from Johannesburg to Kasane with Airlink took about two hours.
Chobe Safari Lodge Botswana: my final verdict
So after all that, what did I really think about Chobe Safari Lodge and would I recommend it?
While it wasn’t my favourite place I stayed during my three weeks in Botswana, that may partly be because I was lucky enough to stay in some truly amazing places, and I much prefer the smaller, more intimate bush camps to a larger hotel like this one.
But as a place to start your Botswana adventure, I think Chobe Safari Lodge is great. It has everything you need, it’s in the perfect location close to Chobe National Park, there are loads of activities, and it’s a great way to ease yourself into the safari vibe – a sort of halfway step between the modern comforts and practicality of home, and the raw wonder of being deep in the Botswana wilderness.
After a few days of settling in here, you’ll then be ready to go all-out into the remote corners of the Okavango Delta or Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, to really get up close and personal with Botswana’s incredible landscapes and wildlife.
If you want to know more about that, there are loads more blog posts on the way, so why not subscribe to get an email alert when they’re posted?
Where to next?
If you liked this post, why not read some of my other Africa adventures?
- How To Train For Kilimanjaro: A Complete Overthinker’s Guide
- 7 Best Weekend Trips from Kampala, Uganda
- 28 Brilliant Things To Do In Uganda
- Kenya Vs Tanzania: Travel Experts Decide
- How To Climb Kilimanjaro In 10 Easy Steps
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