Etosha, Caprivi and Chobe trip report

I met the clients in Chobe after they relaxed at Chundukwa River Lodge near Livingstone, Zambia for 3 nights enjoying wonderful activities that included a Victoria Falls visit, swimming in the Devil’s Pool (on the edge of the falls) and an Elephant Back Safari. We enjoyed a great afternoon game drive in Chobe with elephants all over the place. Chobe has the highest concentration of elephants on earth with a population of more than 120 000 elephants.

The following morning we were up early and into our open 4×4 safari vehicle for an early morning game drive in Chobe. The early morning game drives is a great time to see some of the bigger cats still out and about and we were not disappointed as we came across an opportunistic leopard feeding on a dead elephant. Since the hyenas and lions have not discovered the carcass at that point the leopard could feed in peace although it had a tough time to get through the very tough skin. We also had great sightings a big buffalo herd, plenty of giraffe and red lechwe that congregate on the floodplain.
After a lunchtime siesta we departed on an afternoon boat cruise which always produces great photographic opportunities. We were again not disappointed as we came across endless numbers of hippo, elephant and buffalo. Giraffes, impala, waterbuck, kudu and baboons were all relaxing on the banks of the river. We were treated to a special sunset.
From here we spend the next few days in Namibia’s Caprivi Strip or Zambezi region as it is now called. This wonderful wildlife area offers a wonderful wilderness experience with the same wildlife and habitats as the Okavango Delta but without the number of tourists as in Chobe and a lot more affordable. It is one of the last wilderness areas of Southern Africa.
From here we made our way to Etosha where we spend the next 4 nights. The first two at stayed at the beautiful Mushara Lodge and we explored the game rich eastern section of the park. This section of the park has a huge giraffe population and we were lucky to see both black and white rhino, the endemic black-faced impala and Damara Dik-dik and this young male lion on the move. The local lion prides have been fighting over territory so there was a lot of lion movement going on which gave us a good chance to see them.
Our last two nights in the park were spend at Okaukuejo Resort inside the park famous for its flood-lit waterhole where we had lions, black rhino, elephant and giraffe drinking on both nights. During the day there was a constant coming and going off gemsbok, impala, springbok, warthog, black-backed jackal, zebra and wildebeest. Etosha National Park is wonderful for lion sightings and we had no fewer than 7 encounters with these impressive big cats including two mating pairs. We also had a few very nice hyena sightings. Another highlight was a herd of Eland which is always a special sighting.
From here we made our way to Swakopmund where the clients enjoyed a few days of relaxing before finishing off at Sossusvlei, one of the most scenic places in Africa. Our Etosha, Caprivi, Chobe and Vic Falls safari is our most popular safari and we have set group departure dates during different time of the year. We look forward to seeing you in Namibia soon.