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An elephant and three calves walking in descending size along the riverbank in Chobe National Park

Sample journey · 7–9 days

Chobe and Victoria Falls with children: a safari from the water

Kasane, a houseboat on the Chobe, Chobe National Park & Victoria Falls

Photo: Rory Ashman / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Other Botswana journeys head for remote delta camps reached by small plane, where children often face age limits. This one is built on a family scale: one flight to Kasane, where everything is close, and days on the Chobe River, where wildlife is easiest to watch from a boat. On the water there's no dust and no jolting, the boat stops quietly, and elephant, buffalo and hippo often come very close: something children understand and enjoy from the first minute.

In the middle come two nights on a houseboat on the Chobe: cabins with windows onto the water, dinner on deck and smaller boats that take you to the banks and out fishing. Then a morning in the national park by vehicle, and to finish, Victoria Falls, only about an hour away by road. Transfers are short, the days are clear, and there's enough time for rest and the pool that the whole family comes home rested.

The route

The journey

  1. Kasane
  2. The Chobe River by boat
  3. A houseboat on the Chobe
  4. Chobe National Park
  5. Kazungula
  6. Victoria Falls
  1. Two elephants wading through the shallows and drinking near Kasane

    01Days 1–3 · Kasane & the Chobe River

    A first afternoon on the water

    Kasane is usually reached via Johannesburg, and from its small airport the riverside lodge is only a few minutes away. Two nights here, and the first afternoon goes straight onto the water: the boat runs along the banks of Chobe National Park, where large herds of elephant often gather in the dry season. They come to drink and bathe, and sometimes swim across with their calves, trunks raised like snorkels, a sight children remember for a long time. Crocodiles bask on the banks, hippos doze in the grass and pairs of fish eagles perch in dead trees. The next morning is free: the pool, games, perhaps a short walk with a guide around the lodge grounds, and late in the afternoon another boat trip, this time towards the sunset.

  2. Sunset over the Chobe River, with a small boat crossing the golden water

    02Days 3–5 · A houseboat on the Chobe

    Two nights on the river

    Two nights on a houseboat, a slow vessel with a handful of cabins that moves short distances along the river by day and moors at night. Cabin windows look onto the water, birdsong wakes you in the morning and breakfast is on deck. Several times a day smaller boats set off from the houseboat: into narrow channels around the islands, where buffalo and waterbuck graze, or out fishing, often one of the best days of the trip for children. In the heat of the afternoon, a book on deck or games in the shade; in the evening, dinner looking over the river and the low grunting of hippos in the dark. Life jackets, clear rules and a crew used to families mean parents can truly relax.

  3. A family of elephants playing on sandy ground in Chobe National Park

    03Days 5–6 · Chobe National Park

    A morning on the bank

    Back on land, one night at a lodge near the park gate, and this time the search is by vehicle. A dawn drive along the riverfront, where sandy tracks wind between old trees and open floodplain: giraffe, zebra and impala are often seen here and, with luck, lions resting after a night's hunting. We explain to children beforehand why they need to sit quietly and stay seated, and guides are happy to explain how to tell tracks apart or why an elephant throws sand over its back. In the dry season the park is hot and dusty, so drives are shorter than on other journeys: after a few hours it's back for lunch and the pool. Late in the afternoon, choose another drive or a final boat trip.

  4. Curtains of water at Victoria Falls plunging into the dark rock gorge

    04Days 6–8 · Victoria Falls

    The smoke that thunders

    From Kasane it's about an hour by road via the Kazungula border post to Victoria Falls, for the last two nights. Locally it is called Mosi-oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders', and indeed the cloud of spray is visible from far away. A path along the edge of the gorge runs through rainforest kept wet by the spray, past viewpoints where the water falls straight in front of you; at high water everyone gets soaked to the skin, and on a sunny morning a rainbow often hangs in the spray. On the second day, a gentler sunset cruise on the Zambezi above the falls, a visit to a local market or simply an afternoon by the pool. On the last morning, the flight home via Johannesburg from one of the nearby airports.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Elephants from the boat

    Elephant families drinking and bathing a few metres away, with no dust and no jolting.

  2. 02

    The houseboat

    Two nights on the river, breakfast on deck and fishing from a small boat.

  3. 03

    The Chobe riverfront at dawn

    A short, child-friendly drive along the river at first light.

  4. 04

    Victoria Falls

    A path through the spray-fed rainforest and rainbows above the gorge.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With younger children

    Some houseboats and lodges welcome very young children too; we then give more time to the boats and the pool and keep vehicle drives short.

  • With the delta

    Families with older children can add three nights in the Okavango Delta at a camp that welcomes children, stretching the journey to 11–12 days.

  • Choosing the season

    In the dry season (roughly June to October) the river usually draws the most wildlife; the falls are at their fullest around April and May and shrink considerably at the very end of the dry season.

  • With Cape Town

    Begin with a few days in Cape Town: penguins, Table Mountain and beaches before the bush.

Practical considerations

  • Northern Botswana and the Victoria Falls area lie in a malaria area, so it's worth speaking to a doctor or travel clinic well ahead about prevention for the whole family.
  • Houseboats, boats and lodges set different minimum ages for children, so we check them and choose to suit your family.
  • The road to the falls crosses an international border; before you travel we check current entry requirements for every member of the family, including any documents needed for children.
  • In the dry season mornings on the water are cool and the days hot, so warm layers, hats and sun protection are useful.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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