Chobe National Park

World famous reserve, found in the 1960's and has the reputation to be the capital city from the African elephant. The reserve is the home of the largest elephant, zebra and lion population on the African continent, living in huge grasslands from the Savuti.

The question raise in 1931 to stop the intensive hunting by founding a reserve. One year later, an area of 24.000 km² was proclaimed to be a nature reserve. Another 31600 km² was added to the reserve in 1933 and by 1960 the name Chobe Game Reserve was given. Chobe becomes in 1967 the first national park in Botswana. The last human settlements were removed by 1975 and in the 1980's another 10.500 km² is added to the reserve. Chobe is a complex eco system from plains and forest from the Srondela in the northeast, the Savuti in the west, the Lynyanti Swamp in the northeast and the dry plains in the central area.

The dramatic annual zebra and wildebeest migration during the rain-season is very spectacular. Once the water supply is dried out, the thousands of animals migrate back to the permanent water supply in the north. The Chobe water supply is attracting thousands of elephants and buffalo during the dry season. About 120.000 elephants live in Chobe, the most dense population on our planet with about 5 elephants per 5 km². The elephant population in the region is even 3 times higher than human population in the area. The enormous elephant population (the elephants in the reserve are the largest in Africa) brings a lot of ecological problems, the pressure on the land is so high that scientists will have to take measurements to prevent total destruction of the landscape.