Where We Be
If you want up-close-and-personal elephant
encounters, Chobe National Park is your place
Chobe National Park, Botswana
After nine intense days of safariing, we're ready
to slow things down a bit, and Chobe Safari
Lodge offers just the ticket. A short flight to
Kasane (Ka-sah-nay, Botswana's other gateway
town) and a five-minute taxi ride get us here.
Now, I should explain, this lodge isn't remote
like the bush camps we just stayed in: cars can
drive here, so we're not talking untouched
wilderness, but we are talking a lovely setting
along the Chobe River (which becomes the
Zambezi River not far from here). Right next
door is Chobe National Park, which is famous
for its huge elephant population, but you'll also
see hippos and Nile crocodiles aplenty, and, if
you're lucky, maybe even some big cats.

We spend four nights in our own private
rondavel (round traditional hut). The rondavel
has great wifi (what a relief after days without
it) and includes a scrumptious buffet breakfast.
Each day a three-hour guided game drive or
boat safari is included. We consistently opt for
the afternoon game drive or boat safari -- no
more early mornings for us for awhile! The pace
here is much slower and more relaxed -- which
is exactly what we're looking for at this point.
This is the elephant equivalent of living the good life
There's a pool for swimming and a raised patio that looks
out over the river -- perfect for relaxing with a drink in hand
The rondavels are built in a traditional style
and are located right along the Chobe River
Our rondavel (#35) as seen from the water
Speaking of drinks, we enjoy a glass of wine during each of our
two afternoon / sunset river cruises along the Chobe River
What else are you likely to see on a Chobe river cruise?
Antelope like kudu (above) and impala are fairly common.
You're also likely to see hippo -- sometimes all the way out of the water
Whistling ducks, roseate spoonbills, Egyptian geese, and kingfishers are common
The highlight of these cruises is the almost guaranteed up-close elephant sightings
So are yellow-billed stork
You might even spy a giraffe or cape buffalo hidden among
the reeds and foliage. Water-based lion sightings are more rare.
Nile monitors -- among the largest lizards in the world --
are frequently seen along the banks of the river
Just look at that wicked grin! Did you know crocodiles can live
up to 100 years and never stop growing bigger until they die?
Sunset on the Chobe River with drink in hand -- nice!
Another fine day in Africa comes to a close
What's not to like? Great wifi, comfy bed, and a
traditional thatch ceiling that's fun to stare up at
The stars of the show in Chobe are the elephants,
who seem quite happy with their lot in life
These hippo aren't yawning -- they're warning "Don't get too close"
Nile crocodiles are a little harder to spot but still likely
Towards the end of our final game drive, we
come across this adorable baby hippo on dry land
We've never seen a baby hippo out of the water this up-close before
Mama seems to realize her baby has wandered off
and comes out of the water to rescue her
The two are happily reunited and all's right with the world
On the drive back, when we get a little too close to the youngster on the left,
the protective "teenager" on the right mock-charges our open-air Land Rover...
Which is when I snap this super-close closeup and hope it's not my last
We finish our time at Chobe with one last spectacular sunset
Chobe River from above on the first of our two guided game drives
Chobe National Park is rich in wildlife. We get to watch a giraffe drink...
And see an elephant with a pierced ear...
And watch helmeted guineafowl take a dust bath...
And the jaunty way this little fellow struts his stuff
Just look at the unbridled joy of these young elephants throwing dust on themselves
And observe "teenagers" with plenty of 'tude...
And watch young baboons roughhousing
Chacma baboons, it turns out, have mesmerizing eyes
This one definitely looks ready for her photo shoot
Giraffe are always fun to see up close
And we never tire of watching baby elephants mimic mom's behavior
Okay, now, that's close enough
Too close! But that's the great thing about Chobe --
the elephants are habituated to vehicles so they hardly bat an eye
The main lodge offers a fine breakfast each morning --
with omelet station no less -- so we stay well-fed
Always happiest exploring
Tasteful decorations -- like this hollowed-out mokoro
couch -- make the lodge a fun place to hang out
And waterbuck with the white bullseyes on their butts
On our final game drive, we luck out and see lions
In fact, we have these four-year-old lionesses all to ourselves
for a good twenty minutes or so before other jeeps start to arrive
They appear to be watching elephants at a nearby river crossing
That's a yawn, not a roar, but what big teeth you have!
We hardly know where to look, what with young elephants on one side and lions
on the other. (That has got to be the muddiest young elephant we've ever seen.)
The elephants cross safely with little or no concern for the lions
Warthog and banded mongoose hang out right around the lodge.
Note how the warthog rests on its forelegs while grazing.
One rambunctious baby elephant  trumpets at this young
kudu and chases her off, seeming very proud of himself
Baby elephants like to experiment with their own trunks --
they don't gain control of them until they're about six months old