Things to do in Botswana

Chobe Game Lodge: where Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton

You might spot a leopard lazing in a tree, a lion lying in the grasslands or a herd of elephants wading through the water…

By Florence Kagiso

Senior Guide at Chobe Game Lodge

Opened in 1973 on the banks of the Chobe River, we were the first five-star lodge in Botswana and are still the only one to be built inside Chobe National Park. We have a famous history; Hollywood stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were regular visitors and married here in 1975.

The lodge is Moorish in design, with tiled floors, towering arches and Moroccan-style lanterns among the features. There’s a pool surrounded by gardens as well as a spa, gym and riverside deck offering views over the water, which looks especially spectacular at sunset. A la carte dining is served on the deck or patio, with all meals and drinks included and wines imported from South Africa. All of our rooms and suites offer private terraces with river views, and the three family suites and honeymoon suite have their own infinity plunge pools.

We’re aware of our responsibility in preserving the nature around us. All glass from the lodge is recycled, made into housing bricks and donated to the community, and all of our safari vehicles are electric. We also have a water treatment plant and use solar panels to generate electricity, including for our riverboats. All of this is managed by Albert Ndereki, who helped build the lodge back in 1971 and has been here ever since. Our head guide Vivian offers behind-the-scenes eco-tours of the lodge for guests wanting to learn more.

We also put an emphasis on the local community. We’re entirely managed by Botswana citizens, and we’re home to the country’s first all-female guiding team – when I started here in 2004, I was the only female guide, but I’m now part of a team of 17!

Being the only lodge in the park gives us exceptional access to the park’s wildlife. It also means guests can enjoy more time on safari, as other lodges can only access the reserve at set times. We offer daily game drives as well as riverboat safaris taking in the park’s wildlife, which includes the highest population of elephants in Africa (over 120,000) as well as lions, giraffes, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, antelopes and plenty of other species. You might spot a leopard lazing in a tree, a lion lying in the grasslands or a herd of elephants wading through the water – it’s not hard to see what lured Elizabeth Taylor!

Available in these itineraries…

Itinerary

Best of Botswana and Victoria Falls
by Adele Jones

Length11 Days

Price range£6,895 - £9,675pp
Itinerary

Rovos Rail to the Falls and Chobe
by Becky Souissi

Length11 Days

Price range£5,750 - £7,275pp

Alfred & Florence Kagiso

Florence grew up in a farming family in the Okavango Delta and has been a guide at Chobe Game Lodge for 17 years. When she joined in 2004, she was the first female guide at the camp - she now mentors a team of 17 women. Her work was recognised in National Geographic Traveller’s recent Reader Awards 2021, where she won The Innovator award.

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Louise, who's travelled extensively in Botswana. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember - the rangers who'll ensure you'll spot the best wildlife in Chobe, the village chiefs who'll give you an insight into local life and the helicopter pilots who can land you on an island in the Delta never visited by humans before.

Louise Dean

Africa Expert for Alfred&

When it comes to Africa, Louise is well versed. She’s flown into an empty Namibian beach to eat lunch on the aircraft wing, experienced Tanzania’s Great Wildebeest migration and listened to stories of the Anglo-Zulu War on the battlefields where it happened over a centennial ago. While she’s witnessed vast, incredible game including the last two northern white rhinos, it’s the people who she finds most inspiring; the native Maasai women whose lives are deeply rooted within the Olare Motorogi Conservancy and the local guides - resilient, highly knowledgeable, and ever smiling.
Harrison Mangwegape

Guide at Camp Xakanaxa

Harry was born in the Botswanan village of Thamaga, near capital Gaborone. He loved wildlife growing up and trained at the Okavango Guiding School in Maun to pursue his passion. He started working as a guide at Desert & Delta’s Savute Safari Lodge in 2010 and later joined Leroo La Tau in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, before moving to Camp Xakanaxa.
Keitumetse 'KT' Mogale

Guide at Camp Okavango

Keitumetse has been guiding for 12 years. He grew up in the village of Mogotho in the Okavango Delta and began his career as a tracker. He now leads walking safaris and game drives at Camp Okavango and enjoys sharing his stories with guests from all over the world.
Florence Kagiso

Senior Guide at Chobe Game Lodge

Florence grew up in a farming family in the Okavango Delta and has been a guide at Chobe Game Lodge for 17 years. When she joined in 2004, she was the first female guide at the camp - she now mentors a team of 17 women. Her work was recognised in National Geographic Traveller’s recent Reader Awards 2021, where she won The Innovator award.
Andrew Baker

Founder and Managing Director of Helicopter Horizons

Andrew grew up in Zimbabwe before moving to the US to train as a pilot. Botswana had always held a place in his heart, so he began his aviation career as a fixed wing pilot in the Okavango Delta. He founded Helicopter Horizons in 2004, offering photographic flights - without doors - for organisations such as the BBC and National Geographic. The company now offer scenic flights for tourists in the Okavango Delta, Linyanti region and the Makgadikgadi Pans, as well as transfers between safari camps.
Ollie Maitapiso

Guide at Leroo La Tau

Ollie grew up in the village of Xaxaba in the Okavango Delta and began his career as a trainee poler in 1999, taking guests out on mokoro trips. He started guiding in 2004 and joined Camp Xakanaxa in the Moremi Game Reserve in 2007, before moving to Leroo La Tau in 2014.