Chobe River Camp

Highlights

• Twenty solar-powered tented chalets on the banks of the Chobe River
• Morning, sundowner and full-day boat cruises through the river channels
• Guided Canadian canoe trips and walking trails on the floodplains
• Day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana and Victoria Falls (150 km away)
• Birding drives with a guide through the Zambezi Region's grassy plains
• Family rooms with sleeper couch for up to two children

You Should Know

• Boat cruises are seasonal and water-level dependent; access to river channels is limited between September and December
• During the rainy season the access road is passable only by 4x4; non-4x4 vehicles park at Ngoma Police Station and guests are transferred to the camp
• Children up to 5 stay free; children 6–13 are charged 50 per cent of the bed and breakfast rate
• WiFi is available only in the main lodge area
• Swimming pool is unheated

The Details

Chobe River Camp sits just four kilometres from the Ngoma border post between Namibia and Botswana, on the Namibian side of the Chobe River in the eastern Zambezi Region. The camp looks out across the floodplains where elephant, buffalo and antelope move with the seasons, and the surrounding wetlands draw a heavy bird population year-round.

Part of the Gondwana Collection, the camp is built with sustainability in mind: Mopane timber and canvas chalets, solar power throughout, and a low-impact footprint on a sensitive riverbank. The mood is rustic rather than polished, and the location is what carries the stay, with Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls both within reach as day trips.

Accommodation

Twenty tented chalets are arranged along the river, comprising fifteen twin rooms and five family rooms. Each chalet is built from Mopane timber and canvas, solar-powered, with en-suite bathrooms, mosquito nets over the beds, air conditioning, tea and coffee facilities, a safe, and a private deck looking across the Chobe River. Family units add a sleeper couch that accommodates up to two children under thirteen.

Activities

The river is the centre of the experience. Morning and sundowner boat cruises run roughly three hours and two hours respectively, exploring the channels for elephant, hippo and birdlife, with refreshments included. A full-day cruise and shorter guided Canadian canoe trips are available on request. On land, a guide leads walking trails across the Chobe floodplains and birding drives through the surrounding grasslands. Cultural visits to the open-air Mali Village give a window onto the traditional life of the Masubia people, the largest sub-ethnic group in the eastern Zambezi Region. Boat-based activities are seasonal and depend on water levels, with limited channel access between September and December.

Dining

The main lodge houses a restaurant and bar overlooking the river, where meals are served daily. The published rate covers bed and breakfast, with lunch and dinner charged separately. A curio shop and swimming pool sit alongside the main building.

Price Includes

• Accommodation in a tented chalet
• Breakfast daily
• WiFi in the main lodge area
• Use of the swimming pool and curio shop
• Lunch, dinner, drinks, boat cruises, canoe trips, walking trails, birding drives, transfers and excursions to Chobe National Park or Victoria Falls are charged separately