Page 39 - Discover Botswana 2021

CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
Some who have travelled to Africa will say that their lives have been changed forever, that witnessing some of nature’s most intriguing patterns and closest secrets has left a lifelong
impression. The Chobe National Park has been called one of Africa’s best kept secrets. Some call it paradise. Some the Garden of Eden. We call it home.
Back in the 1930s, Botswana was a British Protectorate, known then as Bechuanaland. Sir Charles Rey, the resident Commissioner at the time, visited the Chobe River one day, and was so taken with the richness and beauty of the place that he proposed the whole region be made into a nature reserve.
Thiswasoneoftheearlymovesawayfrom game hunting, and indeed 2 years later it was formally declared a non-hunting area. In the early days, the people had survived on fishing, huntingandtimbertrading,butin1960the Chobe Game Reserve was officially created, and then in 1967 became a National Park.
Year after year, the Chobe National Park welcomes visitors from all corners of the world, some who are curious, some who have heard of the wonders of this place from far away. Flying into the tiny airport in Kasane, one is treated to a truly magnificent aerial view. There is a marvellous feeling of anticipation, the thrill of a new world of nature and wildlife about to be unfolded, of having arrived in paradise.
Previous Pages: The Pied Kingfisher is a common species found along the Chobe River. They are extremely efficient hoverers and hunters who fish frequently by diving out their small fish prey.
Current Pages: A visit to this majestic place can never be complete without witnessing the Chobe River Elephant crossings. Breeding herds and lone bulls cross the river, with a view of cooling off, drinking and finding pasture on Sedudu Island. Chobe is home to the largest concentration of Elephants currently in existence. Getting close to these gentle giants is truly an experience to remember.
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