On Chobe Water – August 2019 – Go…See…Do…Be

On the first day of August we took a morning boat ride to explore a small section of the Chobe River, which flows between Botswana and Namibia in the northeast section of Chobe National Park. OT was our guide and boat driver as we motored through the channels and around islands claimed by Botswana.

A Whole Herd – Our first animal sighting was impressive: a herd of sable. Even OT, a very experienced river guide, was wowed! The week before we had seen a few sable in Savuti, but always one a time. The herd waited on the riverbank for a while before drinking, probably to make sure no predators where hiding in the area.

Hungry Lizard – In South Africa and other parts of Botswana we observed water monitors digging for bird and crocodile eggs to eat. This water monitor, however, opted for an easier-to-find meal, a tasty fish in shallow river water.

Gray Giants – Chobe River and National Park are known as elephant country, with estimates of about 120,000 living in the area. So we expected to see plenty of these critters on our morning boat ride.

Where’s the best swimming spot?
Quick dust bath after a morning swim

Swimming The Channel – OT explained that many elephants like to swim across the river to eat the greener, more plentiful grass on the islands. And we were fortunate to see two large, nearby elephants do just that. Usually a pachyderm swims with most of its body submerged, except for the tip of its trunk, eyes, and top part of its head. The two swimming elephants we saw, however, dove completely under the water several times as they journeyed across the river. Unfortunately we didn’t take a video of their time in the water.

Plentiful Crocs – We saw quite a few crocodiles basking in the warm sun during our boat trip. Because they do not have sweat glands, these reptiles sometimes open their mouths to cool off while sunbathing. And of course sliding back into the cool river water lowers their body temperature as well.

Feasting Crocs – We saw several boats stopped near an island, so we went to explore the area. We found more than 7 crocodiles tearing and eating an adult hippo carcass. Not a very pleasant sight. And more large crocodiles with bulging abdomens were napping on the edge of the island. OT said it is very rare for a crocodile to kill an adult hippo, so this critter probably died before the reptiles congregated.

Islands Vs. Mainland – Since lions, cheetahs, and leopards do not swim, Cape buffalo often venture across the river channel for safer grazing and napping on the islands.

Common Sight – Hippos live along the Chobe River all year long, so it wasn’t surprising that we saw these territorial animals during our boating adventure.

Bird Doubles – Yes, we took many photos of birds while on the river. And it was challenging to decide which photos to not include in this post. So here are three varieties of waterfowl with two pictures each.