Chobe National Park day trip: Game drive & river safari
Two wildlife encounters in one day across the Chobe River and savanna
A full-day tour from Livingstone to Chobe National Park in Botswana combines a morning game drive or river cruise with an afternoon of the opposite activity, plus lunch and all border formalities. Hotel pickup starts at 7am, and you return by 6pm. The guide decides the order based on wildlife patterns and conditions on the day.
Step-by-step itinerary
Full day Chobe Safari from Livingstone
- Pickup from hotel in Livingstone
- Drive to Kazungula border
- Complete passport formalities
- Meet Botswana guide at border
- Drive to Botswana office for briefing
- Morning game drive or river cruise
- Lunch break
- Afternoon game drive or river cruise
- Drive back to border
- Return to hotels in Livingstone
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from Livingstone.
- buffet lunch.
- bottled water and snacks.
- national park entry fees.
- English-speaking guide and driver.
- air-conditioned vehicle transport.
- Every day 07:00
Information
Full-day Chobe National Park tour from Livingstone with game drive, river cruise and lunch included: cross into Botswana, spot elephants and lions.
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The experience
The day begins with a 7am pickup from your Livingstone hotel and a 70km road transfer to the Kazungula border crossing. You'll handle passport formalities for both Zambia and Botswana at the newly constructed Kazungula Bridge, then meet your Botswana guide on the other side. After a short briefing at the office, the guide chooses whether to start with a game drive through the park or a cruise on the Chobe River: the order shifts based on where the animals are moving that morning.
Chobe National Park holds one of Africa's largest concentrations of wildlife. The savanna and riverbanks support African painted dogs, blue wildebeest, Cape buffalo, giraffes, hippopotamuses, hyenas, leopards, lions, zebras, and herds of savanna elephants. The river itself carries crocodiles and more hippos. A morning game drive (9:30am–12:30pm) takes you through the park in an air-conditioned vehicle with your guide narrating in English. The afternoon activity (1:30pm–4pm) puts you on the water or back in the vehicle, depending on what the morning covered.
Lunch is a buffet served between the two activities (12:30pm–1:30pm). Bottled water and snacks travel with you throughout the day. You'll be back at the border by 4:30pm and dropped at your hotel around 6pm. The whole outing runs about 10 to 11 hours door to door.
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 17 years); Child (5 to 9 years); Infant (under 5): free.
What animals am I likely to see in Chobe National Park?
Chobe National Park is home to savanna elephants, lions, leopards, Cape buffalo, giraffes, hippopotamuses, zebras, hyenas, crocodiles, and African painted dogs, among others. The park holds one of the largest game concentrations in Africa, so sightings depend on where the animals are on the day you visit.
Do I need a visa to cross into Botswana for this tour?
A current valid passport is required. The operator recommends obtaining a Kaza Uni-Visa ($50 per person, paid at your first port of entry) before traveling. This visa allows you to move freely between Zambia and Botswana for 30 days and covers day trips to Botswana without additional visa fees. Bring cash if possible, as card machines at the border are not always reliable.
What's included in the full-day package?
Hotel pickup and drop-off, the game drive or river cruise (whichever order the guide chooses), buffet lunch, bottled water, snacks, national park fees, and an English-speaking driver-guide are all included. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle.
How long is the drive from Livingstone to Chobe?
The road transfer from Livingstone to the Kazungula border is about 70km and takes roughly one hour. After border formalities and a brief office briefing, the game drive or river cruise begins around 9:30am.
Operated by Cherish Travel and Tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated yesterday
Chobe National Park day trip: Game drive & river safari
10h–11h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 200 per person
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