After Cape Town, this was the start of our real safari adventure. We decided to visit Botswana’s Chobe National Park, which is located just outside a town called Kasane, and not far from the Zimbabwe border.

It is about a 2-hour car journey from Victoria Falls. This national park also borders with Namibia, separated by the Chobe River.

We flew from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, and was supposed to get picked up by a car and driver at the airport. However, the driver never showed up.

Therefore, we had to take a taxi to the Zimbabwe border, get out of the taxi, go through both countries’ border controls (and no-man’s land!), with our suitcases. Then take another taxi in Botswana to our hotel. It was quite an adventure.

The Republic of Botswana is a sovereign country entirely enclosed by land. Formerly a British protectorate, Botswana became independent within the Commonwealth in September 1966. The country is topographically flat, of which 70% of its area is the Kalahari desert. Its neighbours include South Africa to the south, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe and Zambia to the northeast.

The nation’s capital is in Gaborone, and the country has a population of over 2 million people. Formerly it was one of the poorest nations in the world, but has since transformed itself into one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. Its economy is now mainly in mining, cattle and tourism.

Namibia is a country with the Atlantic Ocean as its western border, Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. It does not border exactly with Zimbabwe, but about 200 metres of the Zambezi river separates the two countries.

Namibia gained independence from South Africa in March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. It has a population of over 2 million people, and the capital is Windhoek. The Namib desert dominates the country’s land, and the economy is largely dependent on agriculture, herding, tourism and mining.

Recommended Tour Operators

Zambezi Safari & Travel (UK-based).

Recommended Hotels

Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana, bordering with Namibia.

Recommended Safari Park

Chobe National Park, for land games and water safari.