Chobe, in northern Botswana, holds one of the largest elephant concentrations left in Africa — reasonable estimates put the population in the tens of thousands. The Chobe River is the reason: through the dry season it’s the only reliable water for a very large area, and everything comes to it, which makes for some of the most consistent elephant photography I’ve done anywhere.
Terrain and Wildlife
Floodplain, savanna, and woodland fringing the river itself, with lion, leopard, buffalo, hippo, and crocodile alongside the elephant herds. The river organises the whole park — where the water is, the animals are, especially as the dry season progresses.
Chobe is one of the few reserves on this list where I’d say the boat is the better platform, not the vehicle. Working from the water puts you close to eye level with animals on the bank rather than shooting down from a raised vehicle, and that single change in angle does more for an elephant or buffalo image than almost anything else I could do with a longer lens.
Best Time to Go
Late dry season for me — roughly July through October — when the river becomes the only game in town and animal concentrations along its banks are at their highest.
The Verdict
Worth building a trip around both a river cruise and a land drive rather than picking one — I’ve regretted it on the trips where I didn’t. If elephants are the animal you actually came to Africa for, this is the reserve I’d point you to first.
Prints from this reserve are mostly in the Elephant gallery.