Chobe National Park is a must

Zonkie

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1

Sunday, January 13th 2013, 5:46pm

The visit to Chobe National Park is a must if ever one would like to see a crocodile, hippopotamus, buffalo, elephant, kudu, impala, and various other animals and birds all in one picture. It is almost indescribable. Watch out for the diesel merchants to the north though (around Nata), got allot of kerosene mixed in with the diesel, once. Something the TDI Landy back then didn't enjoy at all. Don’t know how a D-4D would perform in such conditions. Maybe it would not be a bad idea to take some 2 stroke oil along just for in case.
And a ferry crossing into Zambia is a once in a lifetime experience. Apparently the river is so deep at the point of crossing that it would still be many years before the region would be able to get the funding for a bridge. Someone mention the depth to be almost 200 meters, I am not sure about this. But I can tell you there’s a lot of water flowing there in the mighty Zambezi.

Fortuner Fan101

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2

Sunday, January 13th 2013, 6:44pm

I must agree!

Hi Zonkie

I must agree with you Zonkie. I was fortunate enough to drive through Moremi into Savuti and finishing off in Chobe National Park. I did this trip in 2010 with my hilux SRX petrol so cant comment on the diesel problems. We saw amazing wildlife, experienced a really special atmosphere and managed to really relax. I have been that way a few times guiding overland trips but those visits were always very short. On this trip we did not manage to go over to Zambia but this is something I am planning fairly soon in my Fortuner and I will definitely use that fairy that you talked about.

Moremi, Suvuiti and Chobe are all very different places in there on right. In 2010 there was a lot of water around even in September. The Savuti Channel also started flowing in that year, which was the first time in 30 years. All the water made things a little tricky in Moremi especially navigating and staying afloat without a snorkel.

There are a couple of tips that I can give guys looking to do that trip

Do it soon as prices are getting really out of hand in Botswana
Make sure you have tracks for Africa
Long range fuel tank is also important as fueling points are only Maun and then Chobe. I used Jerry cans which also work if you have the space.
Raised suspension is also vital as the sand is very thick in places and the middle mannetjies are very high. Many vehicles especially rental 4x4 got stuck and many just turned around and left the park.
Roof tent because the Baboons rip any ground tent and have become a problem. Leaving a tent behind in a camp could end up very ugly.
Spares in terms of service parts + recover equipment
Snorkel which I did not have which did limit me due to the water levels.
The most obvious things are also included in this list

These are some of the pics we took.

Fortuner Fan101 has attached the following images:

Robert Bernatzeder
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Zonkie

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Sunday, January 13th 2013, 7:48pm

Really beautiful photos thank you. Ja, is maybe best to go visit outside school holidays. It is getting expensive. There fuel is a bit cheaper, it helps. Traveling down south to Nata in the rainy season is great, all the elephants along the road. Came across a bus once that had a scrap with a angry elephant. Luckily no one got hurt, but the annoyed elephant made a fine mess of the front body parts of the bus. :chainsaw:

Fortuner Fan101

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Monday, January 14th 2013, 10:12am

Yes, would love to see more of the south of Botswana. Planning a trip to Central Kalahari hopefully this year still. Got huge respect for Elephants :hail:

and it seems that most trips have at least one elephant encounter that is caused a few shaky knees.

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Zonkie

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Tuesday, January 15th 2013, 6:59pm

A fine place for a stop over when traveling from Palapye to Maun via Lelhakane is the Khama Rhino Sanctuary just north of Serowe. What a experience, the rhino roam free in this sanctuary, no fences to keep them away from the camp sight. Sat there next to the water hole on a rock quietly observing them. After their afternoon mud bath a big bull and a cow with a very playful calf, came and grazed a stone trow away. Spectacular! Groups of camp sites share a common ablution. The setup actually neatly planed so that although the campsites is not to far apart, it is still so well placed that you do not see or hear your neighbours. Lots of birds and squirrels to. And with a healthy population of bugs and beetles to keep the insect lovers busy as well. :thumbup:

jhcolclough

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Monday, November 25th 2013, 10:50pm

Seems most trips go from South to North Moremi up to Caprivi. We plan to do Caprivi Strip into Chobe and down to Moremi - any reason why not.

Slow

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 4:08am

We are looking at the same trip, north to south in the June school holiday
Any indication on cost?

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Jakals

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 7:35am

I think we got that Slow :pleasantry:

Internet lag... :thinking:

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 7:41am

Slow

Hakkel jy so bietjie ??

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Jakals

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 7:43am

Nee jong Grobbies, nie ek nie Slow...ek dink die spammers het hom beet gekry

GROBBIES

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 7:44am

Sorry Jakals

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 8:28am

Quoted from "jhcolclough"

Seems most trips go from South to North Moremi up to Caprivi. We plan to do Caprivi Strip into Chobe and down to Moremi - any reason why not.

No reason why you cant do the trip from North to South, when do you plan on going? The South North thing might just be us from Cape Town as the drive up is so long that we try get into the park as soon as possible and we are always driving north so it seems to be in our navigational minds. When do you plan going? What camps have you booked?

Quoted from "Slow"

We are looking at the same trip, north to south in the June school holiday
Any indication on cost?

June is a great time to go and cost can differ depending on your nationality and also if you use the community concession areas or the private camps. I would book less camps but stay longer at each, there is so much to see around each area.

One thing that I would highly suggest is tracks for Africa if you are planning trips up there. I did it without on my first trip and it was a serious adventure with some high tension situations .....

If you need any tips I would be more than happy to give input

Robert Bernatzeder
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jhcolclough

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 10:31am

Thanks for info. We are looking to do the trip in April/May 2014 but depends on sale of house. Also in Cape Town but are going to take a scenic route through Namiba. Have T4aA loaded on Garmin and ready. Will contact you when serious planing starts.

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 11:35am

bucket list...............

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 11:55am

As ek eendag groot is... sal ek dit ook wi doen! :golly:

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Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 4:22pm

Quoted

As ek eendag groot is... sal ek dit ook wi doen!

+1

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Slow

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Wednesday, November 27th 2013, 10:13pm

Ek is bly om te sien die hakkel id beter, maar daardie agter die rug, ons wil graag in die Junie skool vakansie dit aanpak.
Dan het ons darm 'n volle 3 weke vir die uitstappie.

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JurgenV

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Monday, June 23rd 2014, 7:11pm

Hi Guys, I see the last thread was posted 27 November 2013, not sure if anyone will sti see this? Is it possible/Safe to do botswana without a long range tank, snorkel or raised suspension? We are traveling through Moremi and then up North to Chobe and finishing off at Kubu island.

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Slow

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Monday, June 23rd 2014, 7:18pm

Yes you can, not very wet this time of the year.
You will need extra fuel, jerry cans will work just fine.

My trip has been postponed with a year. The company I worked for has been sold and new crowd is taking over in July.

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