"Chobe camping trip excellent value for money”

by Debs
(Australia)

We booked the two days two nights camping trip through Victoria Falls Guide who went above and beyond helping us - letting us park our car securely at their house and getting a flat tyre fixed for us!

The Chobe trip was excellent. Once we had gone through customs we headed to their office by the river for breakfast/morning tea and then off on the cruise. There is nothing like cruising on an exotic waterway. We saw elephants, hippos, crocodiles, antelope and an endless stream of birds. I especially loved the kingfisher that hovers and then darts into the water. But the highlight had to be watching an elephant swim across the river! The boat captain knew exactly how far to stay away to encourage the elephant to make the crossing.

The next stage was a truck safari. There was a bit of confusion at this point - getting everyone into the right truck - but it was soon sorted and off we went into Chobe National Park. There was an elephant around every bend - I thought that we may see all 100,000 elephants in one afternoon! At dusk we drove into our campsite which looked very neat and pretty with a ring of kerosene lanterns surrounding it.

Our tent had two sleeping pads (surprisingly comfortable) and space for bags in the middle. It was also tall enough to stand in (although we are not really tall :)

The toilet had a tent surround with a seat on a frame above a freshly dug hole. No flies but a spade with a nice pile of dirt and a roll of toilet paper. I am describing this to say that it wasn't too bad at all.

We had a lovely hot dinner. They did a great job of catering for about 18 people. There was always a thermos of water for tea or coffee. Then an early night in anticipation of the 5:40am call.

After a light breakfast we headed out in the trucks. It was a great drive with a beautiful dawn. Our driver, Lance, was first to find 7 lions (females and cubs) on the riverbank so we got the best view before they slunk off into the bushes. Plenty of other animals including a honey badger and watching lions eat a giraffe. Then it was back to the campsite for brunch. Again lots of lovely hot food. Then a shower and nap before heading out at 2 for another drive. Unfortunately the Leopard eluded us but the sheer volume of animals was amazing.

Back to the campsite for another lovely meal and early morning call. This was officially our drive out but we swung by the river and saw those lions eating a buffalo. This time there were 2 males as well with very full bellies!

This was a great trip - excellent value for money. You get all the animal experiences for a relatively small price. And nothing beats waking up with the thought that you are camping in Africa with no fences between you and the wildlife!

My thanks to Victoria Falls Guide, Kalahari Tours and our driver, Lance (the best name) for a wonderful African experience.