Chobe

Chobe National Park in northern Botswana is known for elephants, and in the dry months it has some of the largest gatherings on the continent. As water inland dries up, herds come down to the Chobe River every afternoon to drink, swim and cross.

Much of the best viewing here is from the water. A boat safari brings you close to elephants on the riverbank, hippos, crocodiles and a long list of water birds, and the river is at its most beautiful in the late afternoon light.

Further south, the Savuti area is drier and quieter, with lions and other predators. Chobe sits next to Victoria Falls, so the two are often combined in one trip.