Chobe vs Kruger: Which is Better?
Chobe and Kruger are two of the best safari destinations in Africa. So, if you want to visit an African safari, you you may narrow down your choices to these two locations Chobe Vs Kruger .
To make your choice easier, we’ve compared the two Chobe vs Kruger national parks against each other. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to tell how Chobe National Park differs from Kruger, and which is better for you.
Differences Between Chobe and Kruger: At a Glance
| Chobe National Park | Kruger National Park | |
| Location | Botswana | South Africa |
| Landscape | Mixture of rivers, grasslands, and floodplains | Rivers, bushy vegetation, and mountains |
| Accommodation | Few opportunities for budget travelers | Available accommodation for a range of budgets |
| Big Five | Little to no rhino sightings | Higher chance of rhino sightings |
| Best Time to Visit | May – October | May – October |
Overview of Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park boasts the largest elephant population in Africa, estimated to be at least 50,000.
The park is also famous for the 300m- wide Chobe River located within its premises. This river attracts a host of wildlife, such as hippos, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. On entry to the park, you may find herds of elephants and a few other animals bathing, playing, or drinking the water from the river.
The spectacular birdlife that frequently crowds Chobe National Park is also worthy of note. The park is touted to contain at least 495 bird species. You can expect to find birds like the African Fish Eagle, Meyer’s parrot, African skimmer, squacco heron, and long-toed lapwing.
Most of the lodges around Chobe conduct animal sightings through open game drives or boat safaris on the Chobe River.
Overview of Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is the largest safari park in South Africa. It is renowned for offering excellent opportunities for viewing the Big 5: Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Cape Buffalo and Rhino. Other animals like Impala, giraffe, zebra, kudu, wildebeest, and warthog frequently appear around the park.
Kruger also houses 350 bird species like the saddle-billed stork, ground hornbill, martial eagle, lappet-faced vulture, and brown-headed parrot.
The safaris at Kruger National Park are conducted through open game drives on paved roads or guided walking safaris. One-day tours are available at the park, but you can also hire a tour operator to take you on a full-length five-day safari.
Comparing Chobe and Kruger National Parks
Location
Chobe and Kruger national parks are both located in the Southern part of Africa. But while Chobe is in Botswana, Kruger is situated in South Africa.
Accessibility
Kruger National Park is more accessible than Chobe. We’ll explain why using the following parameters:
- Traveling to Chobe vs Kruger
Chobe National Park is in a remote location, far away from Major cities and international airports. So, there are only a few ways to visit the park.
Most tourists get to Chobe by flying into Maun Airport, Livingstone Airport or Victoria Falls Airport and transferring by road to Chobe. We recommend using the Livingstone / Victoria Falls Airport route because you can make a quick stop at Victoria Falls before heading to Chobe National Park. This route is available on our Botswana Focus Safari tour package.
The least traveled route to Chobe involves taking a direct flight to Kasane, the town where Chobe is located. This route is only available to tourists from African countries.
Kruger National Park is within reach of many international airports. A road trip from major airports like Hoedspruit Eastgate, Phalaborwa, or Kruger Mpumalanga international airports to Kruger National Park takes less than one hour.
- Road Network
The road network to Chobe is limited, and the roads are usually congested, especially after floods. For this reason, it takes a relatively longer time to tour the area. Luckily, the landscape is flat enough for tourists to see wildlife from afar.
Kruger National Park boasts an extensive road network, comprising 850 kilometers of tarred roads and 1444 km of gravel roads. If you visit the area with an experienced tour guide, you’ll be able to visit the hot spots in the park within a day or less.
Landscape
The majority of the landscape at Chobe National Park is covered by the large Chobe River, flat grasslands, and sandy floodplains.
The gushing river encourages the resident wildlife to come out in the open, especially in the dry season. Animals spend long stretches of time grazing and drinking at the river.
The flat terrain at Chobe also makes it easier for tourists to see the animals.
Kruger National Park is bounded by several major rivers like Limpopo, Sabie, Letaba, and Crocodile Rivers. The landscape bears a mixture of sparse and bushy vegetation. Certain regions around the park also contain tall mountains.
The bushes and hills at Kruger National Park can shield you from seeing the safari animals in their full glory. That’s why we collaborate with specialized safari lodges that drive deep into the bush to give you an up-close look at the resident wildlife.
Animal Diversity
Most animal species in Chobe are buffaloes, hippos, giraffes, antelopes, and elephants. Chobe has at least 80,000 elephants. Some wild dogs, leopards, and lions also inhabit the park, but they are quite challenging to see.
In contrast, Kruger has a more diverse wildlife population. The big cats, such as lions, leopards, tigers, and even cheetahs, are more likely to be seen at Kruger. Antelopes, zebras, giraffes, and warthogs also frequent this location.
In addition, Kruger guarantees sightings of endangered wildlife like the Black rhino, grey-headed parrot, lappet-faced vulture, and Kori Bustard.
Big Five Viewing
Sighting the Big Five predators is easier at Kruger than at Chobe National Park.
Although all the Big Five predators are present at Chobe, you might be unable to view the entire set.
You’ll surely see elephants and Cape buffaloes, but lions and leopards might erode your sight. Book the night game drive for a better chance at spotting the cat members of the Big Five prowling the park in search of their nocturnal prey.
Rhinos at Chobe National Park have decimated so much over the years that only a few of them are left at the park. So, even if you are lucky, you probably won’t see them.
Kruger offers higher chances of Big Five sightings. It is one of the few parks in Africa where you can easily catch the endangered rhino lurking around. Lions and leopards are also more common here than at Chobe National Park. Elephants and buffaloes are available at Kruger National Park, but they aren’t as many as the ones in Chobe.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Chobe National Park is in the dry season, between May and October. The absence of rain at this time forces the animals to move to the Chobe riverfront to quench their thirst.
If you wait till August before visiting Chobe, you’ll get to see the wild animals in their large numbers. But you’ll also have to contend with the heat, as it is the hottest time of the year.
The dry season in Kruger offers the best opportunities for wildlife viewing. September and October are the optimum months for this activity, as the drought has lasted long enough to push even the most obstinate animals into the open. The only difference here is that Kruger weather is cooler than Chobe weather in the dry season.
Accommodation
Kruger offers more opportunities for low-priced accommodation than Chobe.
Most of the accommodation facilities at Chobe National Park are brick buildings with tastefully furnished rooms and luxurious ensuite bathrooms.
These private lodges overlook the Chobe River and other prime game-viewing locations. However, they are usually too expensive for budget travelers.
There are also a few campsites outside Chobe that are more suited to tight budgets. But these facilities offer few opportunities for game sightings. The long distance between the campsites and the park drastically reduces the duration available to guests for safari experiences.
The lodges in Kruger National Park are suitable for a variety of budgets. These facilities exist as rest camps bordering the surrounding rivers in the park. Differences in pricing are reflected in the quality/ availability of amenities like electricity or air conditioning, instead of relative proximity to the park like in Chobe.
Additional Tourist Activities
Apart from game drives, walking, and boating safaris, birdwatching is the only other activity for tourists in Chobe vs Kruger.
However, Kruger National Park boasts a range of side attractions like:
- bush walks
- hiking trails
- scenic drives
- hot air balloon rides
- stargazing
- birdwatching
- Bushman walks
Pricing
Visiting Chobe National Park is more expensive than a trip to Kruger National Park.
The average day tour at Kruger will cost between $100 – $500 per person. But if you visit Chobe National Park instead, you might need to spend at least $150 for each day you spend at the park.
Conclusion
Chobe vs Kruger are best for tourists who enjoy watching undisturbed, pristine animal sightings. You’d also enjoy visiting Chobe National Park if you love to see how animals interact with other members of their own species.
Kruger National Park is more suitable for first-time safari tourists. This is because it offers you the opportunity to see a diverse range of wildlife up close.
Will You Visit Chobe or Kruger?
If you’ve decided to visit both Chobe vs Kruger: Chobe National Park, you might want to check out our Botswana safaris that include a trip to Chobe National Park.
If your choice is Kruger National Park, you’d love our Explore South Africa package. Aside from Kruger, our package also includes neighboring tourist attractions in South Africa, like the Apartheid Museum and the Regina Mundi Church.
Social Media Ideas
- Schedule a series of polls: with each one asking people to choose the best place for sighting a specific animal. For example: Where is the best place for elephant sightings?
Option A: Chobe National Park
Option B: Kruger National Park
- Create a carousel, where each slide focuses on a specific difference between the 2 parks. Express the differences in pictures.