A Chobe day trip with a lunch cruise is a full day in Botswana’s wildlife wonderland – available on request from Victoria Falls or Livingstone, with the finest seat in the house saved for lunch. After a morning game drive through Chobe National Park, famous for the great herds of elephant that gather along the Chobe River, you board a boat for an unhurried afternoon cruise with lunch served on the water. Hippos surface alongside, elephants file down to drink, and some of the biggest crocodiles in Africa bask on the banks. It is a rare way to spend an afternoon: a safari and a meal, all on the river.
Prefer lunch on shore? See the classic Chobe Day Trip.
Instead of a lunch stop on shore, your meal is served on board during a leisurely afternoon cruise – with elephants, hippos and birdlife often just metres from the boat.
Chobe holds one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, alongside lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe and antelope. The river brings the wildlife to you, at eye level and up close.
From a herd of elephant crossing the river to a golden-hour drift past basking crocodiles, a day in Chobe promises unforgettable sightings and lasting memories.
Wild Horizons runs two versions of the Chobe day trip, and this is the one built around the water. On the classic Chobe day trip the river cruise happens in the morning and lunch is enjoyed at a hotel on the riverbank. On the Chobe day trip with a lunch cruise, the order is reversed: you enjoy a game drive first, then board the boat in the early afternoon for a longer cruise with a buffet lunch served on board. If your idea of a perfect safari lunch is watching hippos surface while you eat, this is the trip to choose.
Chobe National Park lies in the far north of Botswana, near Kazungula, where Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana meet. It is Botswana’s first national park and one of its most celebrated, defined by the Chobe River that runs along its northern edge. That permanent water is why the park draws such extraordinary numbers of animals, particularly in the dry season when the river becomes a lifeline for miles of surrounding bush. Chobe is often called the elephant capital of the world: in the dry season, estimates of up to 85,000 elephants are dispersed through the park, and the majority gather along the river.
A Chobe day trip with a lunch cruise is a full-day experience of roughly eight to ten hours. Timings shift a little with border traffic and the season, but the shape of the day stays the same. You are collected from your hotel in Victoria Falls or Livingstone at around 07:00 and driven to the Kazungula border, where you change into a Botswana-based 4×4 and your guides walk you through immigration before continuing to Kasane. The safari opens with an open-vehicle game drive through the park, with excellent chances of elephant, buffalo, giraffe and antelope, and lion often not far away. The drive winds down towards midday. At around 13:00 you board a boat for a scenic cruise along the Chobe River, with a buffet lunch served on board. Two drinks per person are included – soft drinks, beer or water – with wines, spirits, ciders and extra drinks from a cash bar on board. Over roughly three hours the river becomes its own safari…. herds of elephant coming down to drink and cross, pods of hippo, some of the biggest crocodiles in Africa, and abundant birdlife along the banks. After the cruise you are transferred back to the border and returned to your hotel at approximately 18:30.
Chobe’s reputation rests on its elephants, but the river brings almost everything to you. On a typical trip you can hope to see:
Elephant – in large breeding herds, often drinking or crossing right beside the boat.
Hippo and crocodile – the Chobe holds big pods of hippo and some of Africa’s largest crocodiles.
Buffalo, giraffe and antelope – including impala, kudu, sable, puku, eland and roan.
Predators – lion are regularly seen, with leopard and the rare wild dog as special rewards.
Birdlife – the banks are exceptional, from fish eagles and bee-eaters to skimmers and storks.
Chobe rewards visitors year-round, but the dry season from May to October is the finest time for game viewing. As the bush dries out, animals congregate along the permanent water of the Chobe River, and the elephant numbers become truly remarkable – which is exactly where an afternoon cruise puts you. The green season that follows brings dramatic skies, newborn animals and superb birding, with migrants arriving from November. Whenever you come, the lunch cruise all but guarantees close wildlife encounters.
The rate covers return transfers, guiding, the game drive, the river cruise and lunch on board; Chobe National Park fees and any visa fees are excluded and for your own account. Because the day crosses into Botswana, a valid passport is required, and visa requirements vary by nationality, so check yours before you travel. Travellers aged 18 or younger must carry an unabridged birth certificate, and where one or both parents are not travelling with the minor, a signed affidavit of consent is required. Pack sun protection, a hat, a light layer for the boat, mosquito repellent, binoculars and plenty of camera storage; winter mornings from roughly May to August can be cool.
A Chobe day trip is the perfect centrepiece for a longer stay at Victoria Falls, where Wild Horizons has been welcoming travellers since 1981. Base yourself for a few nights and build a week that moves from the thunder of the Falls to the quiet of the bush — a guided tour of the Falls, the Helicopter Flight of Angels, white water rafting in the Batoka Gorge, or a sunset Zambezi river safari.
The elephant encounter in Victoria Falls offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with these magnificent creatures.
The Zambezi Sunset cruise is a superb way to relax and enjoy the Spectacular beauty of the Zambezi River.
The Greater Victoria Falls area, known as the adventure capital of Africa, offers a unique mix of natural beauty, thrilling activities, and cultural experiences. Discover the golden triangle where Chobe, Victoria Falls, and Livingstone converge with Wild Horizons.
Both visit Chobe National Park with a game drive and a river cruise. On the classic Chobe day trip, the cruise is in the morning and lunch is taken at a hotel on the riverbank. On the lunch-cruise version, the game drive comes first and lunch is served on board during a longer afternoon cruise on the Chobe River.
It is a full-day experience of roughly 8 to 10 hours, with pick-up around 07:00 and return to your Victoria Falls or Livingstone hotel at about 18:30.
It departs on request from both Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia. Guests are collected from their hotels in town and transferred to the Kazungula border, where a Botswana guide assists with immigration before the safari begins.
Chobe is famous for enormous elephant herds, along with hippo, crocodile, buffalo, giraffe, antelope and lion. The afternoon cruise brings you especially close to elephants drinking and crossing, and to exceptional birdlife along the banks.
Yes. On this version of the day trip, a buffet lunch is served on board the boat during the afternoon river cruise, and two drinks per person (soft drinks, beer or water) are included. Wines, spirits, ciders and extra drinks are available from a cash bar on board. The rate covers return transfers, guiding, the game drive, the cruise and lunch; Chobe National Park fees and visa fees are for your own account.
Yes, a valid passport is required because the trip crosses into Botswana. Visa requirements vary by nationality, so confirm yours before travelling. Travellers aged 18 or younger must carry an unabridged birth certificate, plus a signed affidavit of consent where a parent is not travelling with them.
The dry season from May to October offers the best game viewing, as wildlife congregates along the Chobe River. The park still rewards visitors year-round, with green-season birding and newborn animals from November.
This trip runs on request. Use the Enquire Now button to send the Wild Horizons reservations team your dates and group size, and they will confirm availability and the current rate. Chobe National Park fees and visa fees are for your own account, and a minimum group size applies for confirmation.