Savuti (Chobe National Park)
The Savuti is an arid region located in the southern part of Chobe National Park. The landscape ranges from sandveld to mopane forest, acacia savannah, marshlands to rocky outcrops. The Savuti Channel connects the marshlands with the Kwando/ Linyanti river waterways. However, the Savuti River has not flowed since 1981, and the marshlands are currently dry.
Game viewing opportunities here are usually excellent. Savuti, like the northern part of Chobe National Park, is known for its elephant. The area also contains large populations of zebra, eland, kudu, roan antelope, sable antelope, waterbuck, tsessebe, wildebeest, impala, and many other members of the family of ungulates (hoofed mammals).
The predator population is correspondingly tremendous. The Savuti is famous for its lions. Within a two month period prior to my recent visit, lions had killed 19 giraffe in the area.
On one game drive, we parked within 15 feet (5 m) of a pride of nine lion and turned off the engine. I was sitting next to the driver in the open land cruiser. A very large male and a large female lion walked by within five feet (1.5 m) of us. They both stood taller than the driver and I were sitting, and they could have easily dragged us out of the vehicle had they wanted. I simply held my breath and reminded myself that I was quite safe inside the vehicle!
Other predators include leopard, cheetah, wild dog, spotŽted hyena, black-backed jackal and bat-eared fox. Hyena have tremendous crushing power with their jaws; they have been known to chew hinges offof refrigerators in camps in the Savuti in order to get at the food inside.
On another game drive we spotted impala, five greater kudu, warthog, elephant, two black-backed jackals, steenbok about 50 tsessebe, a herd of blue wildebeest, twelve bat-eared fox, tawny eagles, yellow-billed hornbills and kori bustards. We followed vultures to a warthog kill where we found only the head remaining and a large male lion in the bush nearby.
Sometimes during the dry season 70 to 90 elephant gather at the water hole (a borehole) at once. They are usually lone males gathering together; females tend to stick close to permaŽnent water.
Game viewing is excellent February-May and just after the next season’s rains (usually in November). Burchell’s zebra migrate from the Mababe Depression, which is south of the Savuti Marsh, northward to the Linyanti Swamps in May and return to the Mababe Depression in November. Game viewing in the region is also good June-October, however, it is very dry and dusty.
A few Bushmen paintings may be seen not far from the camps listed below. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are necessary for the Savuti.
Accommodation - Class B:
Camping:
Related Information
Linyanti Swamps
Linyanti Swamps The Linyanti Swamps, situated northeast of the OkaŽvango Delta and northwest of the Savuti, are predominately papyrus marsh and are home to many crocodiles, hippo, sitatunga, and lechwe, along with some elephant and buffalo. The Kwando and Linyanti Rivers form the region's border with Namibia. The Kwando River flows southeast and then meets the end of the Great Rift Valley. This causes the river to flow northeast, and at this point it's name changes to the Linyanti River, and later it's name changes again to the Chobe River, which eventually meets the Zambezi River. This seldom visited "mini-Okavango" is prolific in
Chore National Park
Chore National Park (Chore River/Serondela Region) Famous for its large herds of elephant, Chobe National Park covers about 4250 square miles (11,000 km2). The park is situated only about 50 miles (80 km) from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe with the Chobe River forming its northern and northwestern boundaries. Across the river is Namibia's Caprivi Strip. Birdlife is prolific, especially in the riverine areas. The four main regions of the park are Serondela in the northeast near Kasane, the Corridor around Ngwezumba and Nogatsaa, the Linyanti Swamps in the northwest, and the Savuti (discussed above) in the west. The Serondela region is famous for