Safari - Chobe and Addo Elephant NP Experience
Jan 31, 2018, 5:39 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DCA, IAD, BWI
Posts: 196
Safari - Chobe and Addo Elephant NP Experience
We are looking at doing safari in Chobe River NP in Botswana and possibly Addo Elephants NP in Port Elizabeth in SA. Has anyone experience both? I think they both have herds of elephants. Are they similar which we would do just one or different then we would do both? Any recommendation of a lodge and Game Drive in Addo?
Thanks in advance for your info.
Thanks in advance for your info.
Jan 31, 2018, 8:00 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
No, Chobe and Addo are not at all similar. Climate, weather, vegetation, size, and so forth all are very different. For starters, Chobe is part of a very large conservation area, has a borderline tropical climate and is located on a fairly big river. Addo is tiny by comparison, has a very variable climate and is far less pristine.
Addo is a nice place to visit if you happen to be in the area, I wouldn't go out of my way to get there. If you are looking for a more "genuinely African" safari destination, pick Chobe. It has a wilder feel.
Johan
Jan 31, 2018, 9:13 am
#3
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,732
We stayed at Gorah inside Addo Elephant Park in December. We had a fantastic stay. It depends on your budget, though, as this is luxury. I used an agent who works for Travel Beyond to book. She lives in Port Elizabeth and is highly knowledgeable about the varied options.
3 days for game parks near Port Elizabeth, South Africa
3 days for game parks near Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Feb 1, 2018, 12:18 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DCA, IAD, BWI
Posts: 196
When? That matters, because elephant numbers at Chobe fluctuate seasonally.
Addo is a nice place to visit if you happen to be in the area, I wouldn't go out of my way to get there. If you are looking for a more "genuinely African" safari destination, pick Chobe. It has a wilder feel.
Johan
Addo is a nice place to visit if you happen to be in the area, I wouldn't go out of my way to get there. If you are looking for a more "genuinely African" safari destination, pick Chobe. It has a wilder feel.
Johan
Feb 1, 2018, 10:45 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
Late March is towards the end of the rainy season, so you should not expect high concentrations of game along the Chobe River. If you are really unlucky, elephants might even be a challenge to find. A lot depends on how good the rains have been so far this season.
Chobe is very close to Victoria Falls, and thus a convenient choice, but Zambezi National Park is even closer (it lies between the two, to get from the one to the other you drive right through it). It was on a game drive in the ZNP that I had the most elephant sightings ever. There were so many of them that I had a very hard time making it back to the gate by closing time. I was the only vehicle in the entire park, and the receptionist had already closed the office and was waiting for me with her handbag slung over her shoulders when I arrived at the very last second. This was in the 90s, I suspect the park is busier now.
Johan
Chobe is very close to Victoria Falls, and thus a convenient choice, but Zambezi National Park is even closer (it lies between the two, to get from the one to the other you drive right through it). It was on a game drive in the ZNP that I had the most elephant sightings ever. There were so many of them that I had a very hard time making it back to the gate by closing time. I was the only vehicle in the entire park, and the receptionist had already closed the office and was waiting for me with her handbag slung over her shoulders when I arrived at the very last second. This was in the 90s, I suspect the park is busier now.
Johan
