Chobe Day Trip From Victoria Falls: Boat Cruise and Game Drive
3 min read
Short answer: the Chobe day trip with lunch is the most reviewed way to do it. It combines a Chobe River wildlife cruise, a buffet lunch and an afternoon game drive, and it picks you up in Victoria Falls or Livingstone. If you travel with children, sort out their birth certificates before you book: Botswana asks for them at the border.
Why this is a long day
Chobe National Park is in Botswana, so the trip crosses a border. The pages describe the same pattern: about an hour by road from Victoria Falls to the Kazungula border, immigration into Botswana, then a river cruise and a game drive, in either order depending on the wildlife and the weather. One listing’s timetable runs from a 7am pickup to a return to Victoria Falls at about 6pm. Two of the four are listed at 10 hours.
Documents. Bring your passport. The pages say that Botswana requires parents travelling with children under 18 to show a certified copy of each child’s unabridged birth certificate, and further documents, such as the other parent’s consent, if a child is not travelling with both parents. Ask the operator which papers apply to your family before you leave home; this cannot be sorted out at the border.
The four trips
| Trip | Price | Rating | What the listing says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day trip with lunch | €151.40 | 4.7 (910) | Chobe River wildlife cruise, buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Resort or Kumuzi Boma Restaurant, afternoon game drive in an open 4x4; pickup within 7 km of Victoria Falls or 12 km of Livingstone; listed at 10 hours |
| Chobe day trip by boat and game drive | €160.30 | 4.7 (308) | Boat cruise on the Chobe River, lunch at Cresta Mowana Lodge in Kasane (drinks extra) and a game drive; the description says park entrance fees are included; back in Victoria Falls around 6pm |
| Day trip with game drive and boat cruise | €160.30 | 4.6 (106) | A full-day game drive and boat cruise with a buffet lunch (drinks extra); transfers from Victoria Falls, Livingstone or Kasane |
| Small-group day safari | €142.49 | 4.5 (77) | Up to 15 guests; a game drive of about 4 hours, then lunch and a boat cruise in the afternoon; listed at 10 hours |
The small-group safari has three options, and they differ. Lunch and the boat cruise come only with the full-day and the extended option; the half-day option is the game drive alone. The extended option picks up at 5.30am and adds breakfast.
Park fees. The Chobe day trip by boat and game drive says park entrance fees are in the price. The day trip with lunch names national park fees of USD 25 per person, the small-group safari USD 30 per person. If you are unsure whether a fee is in the price, ask the operator before you compare prices.
Who it suits
It suits anyone who wants a big-game day and can spend most of it on the road and in a vehicle. It is a poor fit for a short stay in which you also want a calm morning at the falls: the day is long and leaves little room. If your time is tight, a helicopter flight is a better way to add something to a day at the falls.
Our recommendation
For most visitors: the day trip with lunch. It has the most reviews by a wide margin, names the restaurants for lunch and picks up on both sides of the falls. Choose the small-group safari if group size matters to you, and book its full-day option, because the half-day one has no cruise and no lunch. See all trips on our Chobe page.
