Chobe Game Lodge : Reviews : An African Eden

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Chobe Game Lodge an African Eden



The Pretoria News Tuesday October 20 1987 By Daan De BeerChobe Game Lodge, a beautiful riverside retreat with an air of serene luxury, is one of Africa’s most exclusive safari resorts. Indeed, guests do not even have to move from under the giant acacia trees that shade their private patios to observe a wealth of bird and animal life in its natural habitat. Set in the heart of the Chobe National Park, the lodge has become a Mecca for tourists from abroad who require superb accommodation and personalized game-viewing excursions. The two-storey structure was inspired by Moorish architecture: graceful arches, barrel-vault ceilings and tiled floors lend an air of cool spaciousness.The lodge, which offers the only permanent accommodation in the park, has four luxurious suites with private pools and 45 well-situated double rooms, each with large private balconies that face towards the property’s rolling lawns and central swimming pool. All the rooms have bathrooms en-suite, air-conditioning and an unrestricted view. A valuable collection of tribal sculpture in wood and ivory is housed in the public areas and genuine spears have been welded into the wrought-iron palings that surround the bar area. In addition, a fine collection of mounted animal trophies from pre-conservation days has been preserved. Game viewing is one of the prime attractions for tourists and while many of the major game areas in Africa have changed dramatically over the past few decades, Botswana is still one of the finest – if not the finest – of wildlife sanctuaries. No visitors to the Chobe Game Lodge will fail to be impressed by the ease with which game can be viewed. Wild monkeys cavort in the nearby treetops while a family of warthogs trots across the lawns. Under the stars The staff is occasionally required to shoo elephants out of the gardens, although the great pachyderms are more often sighted, sometimes in herds numbering hundreds, on the river banks less than 1 km from the Lodge. Huge herds of buffalo are not uncommon, and at night the grunt of hippo or the haunting cry of the African fish eagle add a touch of magic to the experience of dining under the stars. If any particular animal has become the hallmark of Chobe, it is the African elephant. An estimated 30 000 of these impressive creatures roam the 11 700 sq km of the Chobe Game Park. Experienced rangers are able to drive extremely close to these elephants and other members of the big five – rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard. Literally hundreds of baboons can be seen romping at close range and the impala, kudu and the rare Chobe bushbuck grace nearby vistas. The Chobe Reserve also offers more than 470 species of birds. Guinea-fowl and vultures, parrots and owls inhabit in-land areas while the waterways are home for African fish eagles, herons, terns and a myriad of other fascinating water birds. The riverside setting also means that the Chobe Game Lodge is greatly prized by fresh water anglers. Bream is a valued catch although the area is known principally for its tiger fish, an outstanding game fish whose fierce fight is the crowning point of many a fisherman’s yarn. For the traveler, Chobe is a central point from form which to visit Southern Africa’s other major tourist attractions.Because it is situated on the banks of the Chobe River, which forms the boundary between Botswana and the neighbouring Caprivi Strip, it is close to Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the natural world, is 80 km away and the Okavango Delta, a renowned wildlife reservation of lush woodlands and wide waterways, is within easy reach. There are daily flights from South Africa to Victoria Falls by SAA or Air Zimbabwe, and it is an hour’s journey from there by tarred road to the edge of the park. An alternative route is on Air Botswana to Gaborone and from there by charter to Chobe.