Stefanie one of our German guides from Switzerland has the following to share from her recent Zimbabwe Botswana Game Tracker ZBag16 tour... Most of the time in the bush, game is seen either from a vehicle or on foot. If you are adventurous and got a bit of money you can also see game from a helicopter or small airplane. Or you opt for a boat cruise on the Chobe River!

The Chobe River rises in the central plateau of Angola on the slopes of Mount Tembo. There the river is called the Cuando (Kwando). It flows southeast along the Zambian border and once reaching the Caprivi Strip it turns sharply east and forms the southern border of Namibia to Botswana. In the dry season there are a few open channels through the swamps and marshes in that area and from this point on the river is known as the Linyanti. After passing the seasonal lake Liambezi, the river is known as the Chobe. Above the Kazangula ferry, where the four countries Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia meet, the Chobe flows into the Zambezi. The Cuando has a total length of 1500 kilometres during which it changes its name from Cuando (Kwando) to Linyanti and finally to Chobe while still being the same river.

Once arriving in Kasane, a boat cruise on the Chobe awaits the clients and it is always spectacular as you not only get to experience an amazing sunset but you will see wonderful bird and wildlife along the way. We arrived at the docking place where our boat was already waiting for us and once we were all seated and the cool boxes fitted in, we hit the river. It only takes a few minutes to the entrance ‘gate’ to Chobe National Park where all the boats stop to pay the entrance fees. After that was settled, all the other boats left to see what is out there but our guide took the boat just around the corner where a medium sized, very relaxed sunbathing Nile crocodile was lying on the bank of the river. The clients’ excitement rose quickly and they wondered how our guide knew this reptile was there … Many pictures were taken and this was only the beginning! Due to the fact that crocodiles are cold blooded animals and cannot control their own body temperatures, they need the surroundings to heat them up or cool them down. This is why they are often found on river banks with their mouths open warming themselves up in the sun.

We left that crocodile to see what else is out there and many clients were still busy looking at the pictures they just took when a smaller specimen of the reptile family, a Nile monitor (also called water monitor) was spotted also on the river bank. A truly beautiful animal with gorgeous colouring and the biggest threat to crocodiles! Yes, they are their enemies as they feed on the eggs that the crocodiles lay on land in a hole. Right next to this monitor there was a small elephant herd feeding on bushes and having a drink. The clients realised by then that there is no time to go through pictures as there are just too many things to see on this cruise!
Another nile monitor this time sitting on a tree branch overhanging the water, a fish eagle in the same tree sitting above us. Then a flock of white-fronted bee eaters sitting on branches and in front of their nesting holes along the sand bank with a crocodile submerged in the water right next to our boat. The cruise wasn’t even 30 minutes in and everyone was already sitting with big smiles on their faces. The gorgeous bee eaters put on a show for us, snatching insects in mid-air, sitting perfectly still on branches and posing for us, preening and sunbathing with spread wings on the sand bank. I made it my personal goal to get a picture of a bee-eater taking off, showing its beautiful colours. What a mission that turned out to be as they are so quick (otherwise they wouldn’t have a chance catching insects!) and I failed in all my attempts. The one time I managed to get a shot I only got the bird’s back-side and underside. Maybe next time …

Next thing we were in the middle of the Chobe where there was elephants feeding on grass and being very relaxed, even with the boat there. I love watching elephants feeding, they always have incredible ways of ‘preparing’ their food to their taste. Even the grass that is partially under water they collect and brush against their chest to get rid of the mud and dirt. And while elephants don’t tolerate the oxpeckers on them, the one elephant did tolerate a cattle egret having a free ride on its back! This white bird is known to follow cattle herds to feed on the insect that get disturbed and fly up when cattle is moving through the grass. So this egret was very focussed on the surroundings of the elephant not to miss a snack for dinner. Yet during the time we were there it didn’t get lucky.

All of a sudden our guide told us to sit tight and off we went in high speed to what seemed like a special sighting. After all pretty much all boats that were out were seen in that one spot and we all started to guess and wonder what was to be found? As a guide I know that vehicles (and boats) in such numbers only go at such speed and gather in such numbers when a cat is involved. And sure enough there was apparently a pride of lions a bit inland of the Chobe river bank. Yet it took us almost 10 minutes to get a glimpse! But a glimpse it was and a few minutes later we saw a lioness walking further inland. Sadly not all of our clients managed to spot the lions but what an amazing and rare treat it was to see these big cats on a boat cruise!

Sunset was slowly approaching and we made our way in the middle of the river again in search of the hippos. As we were pretty much the last boat to arrive at the lion sighting we were also the last with the hippos and had them to ourselves, another wonderful treat! It was just the time for them to show us their huge teeth and start becoming more vocal, some were already on their way out for their nightlong grazing on land. When the sun finally set and incredibly colours filled the sky, we put on our jerseys and jackets for the ride back to the dock where Greg was already waiting for us.
A fantastic game cruise ended with a lovely braai that Greg prepared while we were out exploring the amazing Chobe wildlife.