All 4 in 3 days here: ~80%
Chobe National Park
🇧🇼 Botswana
Southern Africa, Botswana 972 spp. recorded
Chobe National Park in northern Botswana is a tropical savanna that hugs the Chobe River and stretches across flood‑plain grasslands and scattered woodlands. The park’s open plains meet river islands, creating a mosaic of water and dry land that supports large herbivore movements.
-18.690° S 24.195° E
🦜 Nature
532 Species sighted
73,281 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Dec Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 560 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: ~30%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~40%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~30%
Recent sightings in Chobe National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
55Jan
52Feb
58Mar
51Apr
49May
51Jun
48Jul
55Aug
54Sep
54Oct
55Nov
64Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Chobe River · west of Kasane
-
Chobe Game Lodge
-
Chobe River · boat trip (Botswana)
-
(Savuti region)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
A33 (Ngoma to Kasane)
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
2–3
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 636
🐒 Mammals 170
🦎 Reptiles 115
🐸 Amphibians 51
972 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
34 Threatened 10 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
64% 📊
Coverage (232 species at ≥5% of 972 in the inventory)
24% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 bird, 4 mammal, 1 reptile)
72% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
177 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
40 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
41 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.4
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
The park didn’t disappoint—on our drive through Thursday evening en route to camp, we spotted a welcoming committee of a dozen elephants and three zebras casually hanging out by the paved road, We saw so many zebras, it started to feel like we were stuck in an endless black-and-white movie.
We saw giraffes, elephants, warthogs, and plenty of antelope.
Elephant & royal ibis in the mud It didn’t stop there – we saw more beautiful birds (yellow-billed storks, yellow-billed egrets, ibises, and jacana just to name a few) as well as a new mammal for the day: the water buck, an antelope that can swim!
We see guinea fowl scuttling through the bush, a few kudus, and even the carcass of an elephant — a stark reminder of the circle of life that plays out here every day.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Chobe National Park?
972 species
Chobe National Park has 972 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Blacksmith Lapwing (about 80%), African Bush Elephant (about 70%), African Fish-Eagle (about 70%), Lion (about 70%) and Helmeted Guineafowl (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Nile Crocodile (about 60%); among amphibians, Grey Foam-nest Treefrog (about 10%).
When is the best time to visit Chobe National Park for wildlife?
March
In that month the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in April to February. That is one of Chobe National Park's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in Chobe National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 633 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and July (about 80%).
Can you see a Lion in Chobe National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 391 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August (about 80%).
Can you see a Southern Giraffe in Chobe National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Giraffe sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 313 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March and June–July (about 70%).
Can you see a Chobe Dwarf Gecko in Chobe National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chobe Dwarf Gecko sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May and November–December (about 30%).
Where in Chobe National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Chobe River · west of Kasane
The richest sighting zone is around Chobe River · west of Kasane, followed by Chobe Game Lodge and Chobe River · boat trip (Botswana), ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Chobe National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.7 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Chobe National Park rates 4.7/5: 43rd of 316 parks worldwide and 31st in Africa. 46 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
