Chobe Safari Lodge

Chobe Safari Lodge sits on the Chobe riverfront on the western edge of Kasane, immediately outside the national park boundary. It has been there in one form or another for sixty years, and it is the property most travellers picture when they picture Kasane: a big riverfront terrace, boats going out at four, and elephant on the far bank.

Rooms and camping

Botswana Tourism records 80 rooms and 160 beds. The lodge divides them into 32 Safari Rooms, 20 River Rooms, 16 family rooms and eight of the original 1960s rondavels. A 23-stand campsite with power points runs alongside, and a sister property, Chobe Bush Lodge, sits behind.

Facilities at Chobe Safari Lodge

A riverfront dining terrace and a central dining room, swimming pools, a spa and a safari shop. Boat safaris, private boat hire, fishing, game drives, scenic flights and Victoria Falls day trips are booked on site.

Location and access

Tar the whole way. The lodge describes it as about a ten-minute drive from Kasane International Airport, with guest shuttles available. No 4×4 required.

Outside the gate, and what that costs you

Chobe Safari Lodge is not inside the national park. That means your game drives begin with a run to Sedudu Gate and end when the gate closes, and it means you share the riverfront road with the Kasane day-visitor traffic in between.

In exchange you get a much wider choice of room, a campsite, a town within walking distance and a great deal more flexibility about how you spend a day. For most travellers doing Chobe as part of a longer trip that is the right trade — our Chobe National Park guide sets out the gates, the fees and the seasons so you can judge it for yourself.

The river is the reason, not the rooms

What distinguishes this property is the water frontage and the boat operation on it. A late-afternoon boat on the Chobe in the dry season puts you level with drinking elephant and buffalo, which no vehicle can do, and the lodge runs its own fleet rather than sending you to a third party.

The rooms themselves span a wide range, from the original rondavels to river-facing rooms, and the experience differs accordingly. If the river view matters to you, book the category that has one rather than assuming.

Who it suits

• First-time Chobe visitors who want the riverfront, a boat and a game drive without organising any of it separately.
• Self-drivers, for the powered campsite with a lodge kitchen and pool alongside.
• Travellers crossing to Victoria Falls, since the day trips and the Kazungula borders are close — see our Botswana and Victoria Falls guide.

It suits you less if you want a small camp, or if you want to be inside the park at dawn.

Plan the rest of your trip

• All accommodation in Chobe and Kasane
• Chobe and Kasane destination guide
• Chobe National Park
• Accommodation in Botswana