These full-day safaris combine open 4x4 game drives through Chobe National Park with boat cruises on the Chobe River, with pickups from Victoria Falls or Livingstone. Prices run from $170 to $250 per person and include lunch, park fees, and border assistance into Botswana.
Free Cancellation 10-hour small group day trip from Victoria Falls: border transfer, 4x4 game drive, Chobe River boat cruise, buffet lunch.
Free Cancellation 9-hour Chobe day trip: 3-hour river cruise, lunch, and 3.5-hour open-jeep game drive, with Victoria Falls pickup.
Free Cancellation Full-day Chobe trip from Livingstone: 07:00 pickup, Kazungula border crossing, game drive, lunch and river cruise.
Free Cancellation Full-day trip from Livingstone to Chobe: border crossing, river cruise, game drive, lunch, about 10 hours total.
Free Cancellation Full-day Chobe safari from Victoria Falls: morning boat cruise on the Chobe River, buffet lunch, afternoon 4x4 game drive.
Free Cancellation Full-day Chobe tour (11h): morning 4x4 game drive, buffet lunch at Moana Safari Lodge, afternoon river cruise.
Free Cancellation 5-hour Chobe day trip from Livingstone: morning game drive, lunch, afternoon boat safari, with hotel pickup.
Free Cancellation 12-hour Chobe tour from Victoria Falls: 3-hour river boat cruise, lunch at Cresta Mowana, and an afternoon game drive.
Free Cancellation 10-hour full-day Chobe tour: morning river cruise, buffet lunch, and an open 4x4 game drive.
Free Cancellation Full-day Chobe trip with a 3-hour game drive, lunch, snacks, and hotel pickup and drop-off.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Chobe National Park — from practical tips to personal highlights.
A Chobe safari tour packs two very different viewing angles into one day: an open 4x4 game drive through the park's Riverfront, and a 3-hour boat cruise on the Chobe River where elephants drink and swim within metres of you. Most tours run 9-12 hours door to door, picking you up in Victoria Falls or Livingstone around 07:00, crossing the border at Kazungula, and returning by about 18:00. In between, you're inside the park with the densest elephant concentration on Earth — an estimated 50,000-70,000 animals.
Dry-season herds of 60-plus elephants converge on the Chobe River to drink in the late afternoon, crossing sandy tracks within metres of the vehicle. Guides keep at least 10 m of distance and give every herd an exit path, so the encounters are close but never blocked-in.
Three hours on the water gets you hippos, crocodiles and African fish eagles at eye level, plus buffalo crowding the shoreline at dusk. The signature sight is elephants swimming between banks with trunks raised like snorkels — best in the morning or at sunset.
Mid-morning drives follow the Riverfront loop from Sedudu Gate, 8 km west of Kasane, tracking giraffe, lion, leopard and buffalo. Botswana-registered guides take over at the border and know where the prides that hunt elephants tend to linger.
Kingfishers, storks and carmine bee-eaters work the floodplains year-round. Between December and March, migrants from Europe and Asia swell the list further, so bring binoculars even on a game-drive day.
Most full-day tours break at Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge or Chobe Safari Lodge for a buffet lunch overlooking the river, with tea and coffee included. It splits the drive and cruise halves of the day neatly.
The border run is part of the day: one stop clears both sides, and tour operators assist with immigration paperwork. It's the quad-point where Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia nearly meet, roughly an hour from either Victoria Falls or Livingstone.
Ten tours run to Chobe from Victoria Falls and Livingstone, all full-day trips pairing a game drive with a river cruise, and the differences are mostly in what's included and where they collect you. Here's what to sort out before you pay.
Every tour on this page is a guided day trip with an English-speaking Botswana driver-guide, but formats differ. The Small Group Day Safari from Victoria Falls caps vehicles at 8 guests; the Chobe Full Day Safari Trip offers guides in German, Italian, French and Spanish; and several operators run private transportation. Shorter options exist — one 5-hour Livingstone trip compresses a drive, lunch and boat safari — but the full-day versions deliver the most game time.
July to October is peak season and lodge-based day tours fill up ahead of time, so book at least a few weeks out if you're travelling then. Group sizes run small (max 8 per vehicle on several tours), which limits daily capacity. Operators confirm pickup times the day before, so keep your phone reachable.
Check the inclusions carefully: some tours (like the Livingstone day trip at US$210 and the 11-hour tour at US$210) fold all fees and taxes into the price, while the Small Group Day Safari charges the park entrance separately at US$20 per person in cash. Paid at the gate yourself, the fee is BWP 120 (~US$11) for international adults under the current schedule. A gazetted increase to BWP 270 was postponed on 31 March 2026, so confirm the rate before you go.
You'll need a valid passport, and Botswana requires an unabridged birth certificate for travellers under 18 — a phone photo is accepted on some tours. A KAZA visa (US$50, obtainable at entry points into Zambia, Botswana or Zimbabwe) allows multi-day entries across the region's borders, which matters if you're touring from Livingstone via Zimbabwe.
Victoria Falls town is 80 km (one hour) from Kasane, and Livingstone is 70 km, so most people combine a Chobe day with a falls visit — Devil's Pool on the Zambian side runs in low-water season. The Okavango Delta is the classic Botswana pairing, reached via Maun on a full-day drive or a short charter flight. Multi-country self-drive loops through Namibia's Zambezi Region are possible from Ngoma Gate.
Several tours are listed as fully wheelchair accessible, including transportation and surfaces — the Chobe Safari Day Trip from Livingstone and the 12-hour Victoria Falls trip both are. Inside the park there's no paved trail infrastructure, so a vehicle-based tour with crew-assisted boat boarding is the practical route. Some tours flag against spinal injuries, pregnancy and cardiovascular conditions due to bumpy tracks.
All ten tours offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure — book early without penalty risk. One caveat: no refunds are issued if you miss the tour because a cruise ship arrives late. Sightings themselves can't be guaranteed, since animals roam freely.
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| Small Group Day Safari (Victoria Falls) | Livingstone Day Trip with All Fees | Multilingual Full Day Safari (Victoria Falls or Livingstone) | Extended 12-Hour Safari (Victoria Falls) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 10 hours, pickup 07:00-07:30 | About 10 hours including border crossings | 9 hours door to door | 12 hours with return transfers |
| Best for | Travellers who want a guaranteed small group — max 8 guests per vehicle, rated 4.6 from 141 reviews | Zambia-based travellers who want everything prepaid — wheelchair accessible, rated 4.9 from 52 reviews | Non-English speakers — guides in German, Italian, French and Spanish, plus families (infant seats available) | Photographers after maximum time in the park — morning cruise, afternoon drive, tea and coffee included |
| Includes | Open 4x4 game drive, boat cruise, buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana, hotel transfers, border assistance (park fee US$20 cash extra) | Private transportation, lunch, all fees and taxes, hotel pickup anywhere in Livingstone | Hotel pickup, lunch, game drives, boat cruise, bottled water, driver-guide (gratuities extra) | Return transfers, lunch, in-vehicle air conditioning, parking fees (gratuities extra, pack your own breakfast) |
| Price from | US$170 | US$210 | US$185 | US$250 |
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Park gates run on two seasonal schedules: 06:00–18:30 from April to September and 05:30–19:00 from October to March. No driving is permitted after sunset and night drives are banned inside the park, so tour timings fit around daylight.
Four operational gates serve visitors. Sedudu Gate is the main tourist entrance, 8 km west of Kasane and 10 km from Kasane Airport, handling over 90% of day-trip and Riverfront visitors. Ngoma Gate sits at the western Riverfront end on the Namibian border, while Ghoha Gate and Mababe Gate serve remote access to Savuti. Ihaha, Savuti and Linyanti gates also serve the campsites.
Campers must exit the park by 11:00 on departure day. Tour pickups from Victoria Falls and Livingstone run between 06:50 and 07:30, with returns around 17:30–18:00 depending on border formalities.
From Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe: about 80 km, one hour via the Kazungula Border Post — the route most tours on this page use, with guided packages from around US$170 per person. From Livingstone, Zambia: about 70 km, one hour via the Kazungula Bridge over the Zambezi.
By air: Kasane International Airport (BBK) sits 6 km from Kasane town and 10 km from Sedudu Gate. Air Botswana flies Johannesburg–Kasane daily (1 h 40 m nonstop, one-way fares around US$224), and Kenya Airways connects Nairobi four times a week. Most lodges provide airport transfers; taxis are inexpensive in Kasane.
From Maun: roughly 600 km and 8–10 hours by road via Nata, entering Savuti through Mababe Gate — a 4x4 is essential. From Namibia's Zambezi Region: cross at Ngoma Bridge, about two hours from Katima Mulilo. Self-drivers need vehicle registration, insurance, customs documents and an international driver's licence; drive on the left.
May to October (dry season) is prime. Vegetation thins and animals concentrate at the permanent Chobe River, with August–October the strongest months as elephants, buffalo, lions and giraffe crowd the riverfront. This is also peak season — book tours and lodges well ahead.
May–August has the most comfortable weather: afternoons around 27–29 °C, nights around 6–8 °C, and the fewest mosquitoes in July and August. Pack a fleece and beanie for cold open-vehicle mornings.
November–March brings hot, humid afternoons around 33 °C and January–February downpours that can make Savuti and Linyanti roads muddy or impassable. The offset: December–March is the best birding window, when migratory species from Europe and Asia swell the park's 450+ species list, and the zebra migration (November–March) moves herds toward the Makgadikgadi pans. October is the hottest month at up to 35 °C.
Several tours on this page are fully wheelchair accessible — the Chobe Safari Day Trip from Livingstone and the 12-hour Victoria Falls trip both list accessible transportation, surfaces and boats. Chobe River cruise boats can generally be boarded with crew assistance.
Inside the park there is no paved or wheelchair-specific trail infrastructure; terrain is deep sand and rough tracks. Specialist operators such as Endeavour Safaris run wheelchair-friendly 4x4 vehicles with lifts and adapted tents on Chobe and Savuti itineraries. Independent visits with standard rental vehicles aren't realistic for wheelchair users.
For older travellers: a Kasane-based visit with a 3-hour cruise and short game drive (BWP 498/person) involves minimal walking, with lodge transfers from the airport. Skip the 5–6 hour deep-sand drive to Savuti. For children: under-8s enter free (ages 8–17 pay the child rate), guides recommend 8+ as a minimum and 12+ as ideal, and Botswana immigration requires an unabridged birth certificate for under-18s crossing borders. Boat cruises suit children well.
Tours lunch at riverside lodges — Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge and Chobe Safari Lodge both serve buffets overlooking the Chobe, with tea and coffee on several tours. Kasane, 8 km from Sedudu Gate, has full services: ATMs (Standard Chartered, ABSA, FNB), taxis and lodges.
Inside the park, facilities are rustic. There are no ATMs, and card machines at gates frequently fail — withdraw pula in Kasane before entering. Public campsites at Ihaha, Savuti and Linyanti are unfenced, and Ihaha (USD 50/night for internationals) is routinely full 4–5 months out; reserve through DWNP or SKL Camps before locking in dates.
Fires are only allowed in designated fire pits at licensed campsites, generators and loud music are banned, and you must pack out your rubbish. There's no firewood collection — bring or buy your own.
Entrance fees are per person, per day — including your departure day — and re-entry requires a new fee, so keep your receipt. International adults pay BWP 120 (~US$11) under the long-standing schedule; a gazetted increase to BWP 270 was postponed on 31 March 2026, so confirm the rate at Sedudu Gate or the DWNP office in Maun.
Driving: speed limit 40 km/h (30 km/h in high-wildlife areas), no driving after sunset, drive on the left. On-the-spot fines run BWP 500–5,000 for speeding, off-road driving and littering; vehicle impoundment and expulsion follow serious or repeat offences, and poaching or weapons offences carry court prosecution and imprisonment.
Wildlife: stay in your vehicle except at designated picnic sites and campsites, keep at least 10 m from elephants, never encircle animals or block their path, and keep 300–500 m between vehicles at sightings. Feeding wildlife is banned with zero tolerance. Drones are prohibited without a rarely-issued DWNP permit — flying one risks fines of BWP 500–5,000, expulsion or vehicle impoundment. No collecting plants, rocks, bones, feathers or horns, and no washing in the river or at boreholes.
Expect 9-12 hours door to door. Tours pick you up between 06:50 and 07:30, drive an hour to the Kazungula border, then spend roughly eight hours inside the park split between a game drive and a 3-hour river cruise. Returns land between 17:30 and 18:00 depending on border formalities.
It depends on the tour. Several trips — like the Livingstone day trip at US$210 — include all fees and taxes, while the Small Group Day Safari from Victoria Falls (US$170) charges the Botswana park entrance separately at US$20 per person in cash. Paid directly at the gate, the fee is BWP 120 (~US$11) for international adults, though a 2026 increase to BWP 270 was postponed, so confirm the current rate.
Yes, a valid passport is required on the day of travel since all these tours cross an international border at Kazungula. A KAZA visa (US$50, obtainable at entry points into Zambia, Botswana or Zimbabwe) covers multi-day entries across the region. Children under 18 need an unabridged birth certificate — some tours accept a phone photo.
The park holds an estimated 50,000-70,000 elephants — the densest concentration on Earth — and dry-season herds on the riverfront regularly number over 60 animals. From the boat you'll see hippos, crocodiles, buffalo and elephants at the water's edge, sometimes swimming trunk-up between banks. Lions, leopards, giraffe and 450+ bird species round it out, though no operator can guarantee specific sightings.
May to October, with August–October the strongest months — animals crowd the Chobe River as water sources elsewhere dry up. May–August has the most comfortable temperatures (afternoons 27-29 °C, mornings 6-8 °C so bring warm layers for open vehicles). Book well ahead for July-October; December-March is best for birds and the zebra migration but hot, humid and wet.
Most tours welcome children with an adult, and infants can sit on laps or in provided infant seats. Guides generally recommend ages 8 and up as a minimum because days run 9-12 hours and malaria prophylaxis is advised in Chobe district. Remember the unabridged birth certificate requirement for under-18s at the border.
Yes — several tours on this page, including the Livingstone day trip and the 12-hour Victoria Falls trip, list fully wheelchair-accessible transportation, surfaces and boats with crew assistance for boarding. Independent visits with a rental vehicle aren't realistic since park tracks are deep sand. Specialist operators like Endeavour Safaris run adapted 4x4 vehicles with lifts for longer itineraries.
All the tours listed here offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. One exception to watch: no refund is issued if you miss the tour because a cruise ship arrives late, so cruise passengers should build in buffer time.
Yes. Chobe district including the park is a CDC-listed malaria transmission area, with risk highest roughly November to June. Take antimalarials as prescribed, use repellent with at least 30% DEET, and cover arms and legs at dawn and dusk — which is exactly when the game drives and cruises run.
Easily. Victoria Falls town is 80 km (one hour) from Kasane via Kazungula, and Livingstone is 70 km on the Zambian side, where Devil's Pool runs in low-water season. Most tours depart from and return to hotels in either town, so a falls visit plus a Chobe day fits into two or three days. The KAZA visa makes multi-country hopping straightforward.
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This full-day trip runs about 10 hours from Victoria Falls, crossing into Botswana at the Kazungula border, where a Botswana guide takes over and drives you straight into Chobe National Park. Pickup and drop-off at your Victoria Falls hotel lobby are included. The day combines an open 4x4 game drive with a boat cruise on the Chobe River, so you cover both land and water. Chobe has a high density of elephants, and sightings on the river stretch are close to guaranteed. A buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge is part of the package, as are bottled drinking water, an English-speaking professional guide, and assistance with the border formalities. The Botswana park entrance fee (USD 20 per person, cash) is not included. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
Nine hours door to door. Pickup is from your lodge or hotel in Victoria Falls or Livingstone in the morning, then you're transferred across the border into Botswana via Kazungula, where the guide meets you. The day splits into two halves. First a 3-hour boat cruise on the Chobe River inside the park, looking for elephants, buffalo, lions, and giraffe from the water. Then back for a buffer lunch before the second half: a 3.5-hour game drive in a 4x4 open jeep. Lunch, bottled water, hotel pickup and drop-off, and the driver/guide are all included; gratuities are not. Guides work in English, German, Italian, French, and Spanish. Two border notes. If you're travelling with children, carry their birth certificates — immigration at the border requires them. A KAZA visa is the practical choice, especially for guests picked up in Zimbabwe; from Livingstone, Zambia, you cross straight into Botswana without transiting Zimbabwe. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian, French, Spanish
Pickups start around 07:00 from hotels and lodges in Livingstone, Zambia, then it's about an hour by road to Kazungula, the single border stop where you clear passport formalities on both the Zambian and Botswana sides after crossing the new Kazungula bridge. A Botswana-based guide meets you there and takes you to the local office for a short briefing. From there the day runs in two halves — a game drive and a river safari cruise, with lunch between them. The guide decides on the spot which order works better that day. Lions are most active on the early drive, so the earlier start usually favors the game drive first. The park is home to lions, leopards, African painted dogs, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, Cape buffalo, hyenas, zebras, wildebeest, puku and savanna elephants, among others. You leave the park at 16:00, roughly nine hours after arriving (the park stop is listed at 540 minutes). Private transportation, lunch, and all fees and taxes are included; guiding is in English. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
Pickup from your Livingstone hotel runs 6:50–7:00 am (be ready 15 minutes early), followed by a 45–60 minute drive to the Kazungula border. On the way you pass through Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, where wildlife can sometimes be spotted from the road. At Kazungula you clear passports for both the Zambian and Botswana sides, then cross the new Kazungula Bridge into Botswana, where your local guide takes over. The border stop takes about 20 minutes. After a short briefing at the Botswana office, the day in Chobe runs about seven hours. The guide decides the order on the day: either a game drive first, then lunch, then the river safari cruise — or the reverse. The game drive uses an open-sided vehicle with 360-degree views, good for spotting elephants, Cape buffalo, lions and antelopes at distance. The Chobe River cruise puts you on the water among the elephants that gather along the banks. Lunch is a buffet at a lodge on the riverbank. Total duration is around 10 hours. Included are both the boat cruise and the game drive, lunch, bottled water, soft drinks, tea and coffee, air-conditioned transfers, and all fees and taxes. The guide speaks English. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
Pickup is at 07:00 from your hotel or lodge anywhere around Victoria Falls town, then it's a drive to the Kazungula border, where you're assisted through immigration on both the Zimbabwe and Botswana sides. The day inside the park runs about eight hours, split into a three-hour mid-morning game drive, an hour for lunch, and another three-hour drive in the afternoon. The tour actually starts on water: after the border crossing you're taken to the jetty for a boat cruise up the Chobe River before the first drive. Mineral water and soft drinks are served on both the boat and the game drives. Lunch is a full buffet at Chobe Safari Lodge, and the afternoon drive uses a 4x4 vehicle. Included are lunch, bottled water, all fees and taxes, and air-conditioned transport. Guides speak English. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
Eleven hours, split between land and water. The morning goes to a 4x4 game drive through Chobe National Park; the afternoon switches to a river cruise on the Chobe, which gets you close to hippos, crocodiles, and elephants at the water's edge. Lunch is a buffet at Moana Safari Lodge, overlooking the river. Park entry fees, lunch, bottled water and drinks, both the game drive and the boat safari are included in the price. Nothing extra to pay on the day. Guides speak English. Pickup runs from your hotel or lodge — the driver arrives with a sign carrying your name and confirms with reception. You'll be contacted the day before to confirm timing. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
A 5-hour day trip from Livingstone, run with pickup at your accommodation (the operator confirms the exact time the day before). The day starts with a game drive through the park, followed by lunch, then a boat safari on the Chobe River in the afternoon before the transfer back to Livingstone. Entrance fees, lunch, the boat safari, and the game drive are all included. The guide speaks English and drives as well, so you'll have the same person with you for the whole day; written and audio guide materials in English are also provided. One thing to check before booking: 5 hours is tight for a game drive, lunch, and a boat safari plus round-trip transfers from Livingstone, so expect the pace to be quick. There's no restroom on board, and bicycles aren't part of this tour. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This is a full-day, 12-hour trip run out of Victoria Falls, with pickup from any hotel or lodge in and around town — return transfers are included. The day splits into two halves: a 3-hour boat cruise on the Chobe River in the morning, followed by an afternoon game drive inside Chobe National Park. Lunch is served at Cresta Mowana Lodge, and tea and coffee are provided during the day. Bring your own packed breakfast — it's not included. The vehicle has air conditioning, and parking fees are covered. Gratuities are not. Guides speak English. Expect elephants and other big game coming down to the riverbank on the cruise, plus plains game and some of the Big Five on the drive. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This 10-hour day pairs two safari formats: a morning boat cruise on the Chobe River, then a guided game drive in an open 4x4 after a buffet lunch. From the boat you'll watch elephants and other animals at the water's edge, close enough for photos; the drive covers the park's interior roads with a guide narrating in English. The tour is built for travelers staying in Livingstone, Zambia, or Victoria Falls Town, Zimbabwe. Private transportation covers hotel pickup and drop-off on both sides, and the operator helps with immigration at the border crossings. Included are the buffet lunch, snacks, and bottled water. Bring your own camera, binoculars, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a sweater — mornings on the river run cool. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This full-day trip pairs a 3-hour game drive inside Chobe with a road trip to Kasane, the gateway town on the park's edge. The drive crosses the park's four ecosystems, and you'll be looking for buffalo, giraffe, hippo, lions, leopards, and elephants — the park holds roughly 50,000 of them, plus over 460 bird species across 11,700 square kilometers. Halfway through the game drive, the tour stops for light snacks and refreshments. Lunch comes later in the day, and bottled water is on hand throughout. A professional English-speaking guide runs the trip. Pickup and drop-off are included from hotels, the port, or designated meeting points in the area — list your hotel when booking so the operator knows where to collect you. Government fees (park entry) are not included; bring cash or card for those at the gate. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English