Botswana Day 4 Kasane 1: Chobe River Cruise

【1】Chobe River Cruise Duration: 3h The Chobe River, shown as the Chobe River on Google Maps, is an important tributary of the Zambezi River and also serves as the boundary river between Namibia and Botswana. Along the Botswanan coast of the Chobe River, there are numerous docks, many of which are directly connected to various hotels. You can take a boat to tour the Chobe National Park. Boarding a boat from the dock, you first need to stop at a registration point to register. Then continue upstream, mainly touring around Sedudu Island in the river. Previously, Namibia and Botswana had a dispute over the sovereignty of Sedudu Island, which was later arbitrated by the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands. Since the water on the Namibian side of Sedudu Island is deeper, it is considered the main river of the Chobe, and therefore the sovereignty of Sedudu Island belongs to Botswana. Botswana has planted a flag on the island (P2). During the voyage, a variety of animals were seen, including: P1: African elephants. Two African elephants were drinking water by the Chobe River, first sucking water with their trunks, then curling it up to feed into their mouths. There are quite a few African elephants along the coast. P3: Great Egrets. As the small boat slowly approached Sedudu Island, these great egrets suddenly flew away. There were also kingfishers flying by, which most of the time hover in the air. P4: Water lizards. They have very good camouflage. They can grow up to 1 meter in length. P5: Nile crocodiles. Several Nile crocodiles encountered on the shore all started with their eyes closed, motionless. One Nile crocodile slowly bent its left forelimb when the cruise boat approached, and then at a certain moment, it rushed into the river at a very fast speed, only showing the upper part of its head above the water. They can grow up to 6 meters in length. P6: Cormorants and Egrets. The white birds are egrets; the black birds are cormorants, which keep their wings open, probably to dissipate heat. P7: African Jacanas and Grey Herons. The red bird is an African Jacana; the grey bird is a Grey Heron, basically motionless. P8: Osprey. Perched on a tree branch. P9: Impalas and Baboons. On the Botswanan side of the riverbank, there are many impalas with M-shaped black stripes on their buttocks, locally called McDonald's; below them along the river and in the trees, there are many agile baboons. P10: Egyptian Geese. A flock of Egyptian geese resting on Sedudu Island. There were also two larger Spur-winged Geese that landed among them. P11: Hippos. Most of the time they are eating grass with their heads down. There are small birds perched on their backs. P12: Cape Buffaloes. Their bodies are particularly dark, with very obvious horns. Most of the Cape Buffaloes seen were lying on Sedudu Island resting, with some also having small birds perched on their backs. P13: Waterbucks. With a white ring on their buttocks, like a toilet seat cover. It is said that there is a related story in the Bible's Noah's Ark. P14: Snakebirds. They have very long necks, like snakes. The snakebird seen was trying to eat a fish, which was clamped in its mouth, but it couldn't swallow it for several minutes. P15: Marabou Storks. A group of marabou storks standing on the island. There is a drooping pouch under their beak for storing food, which is expandable. P16: Cape Buffaloes. P17: African Elephants. After circling Sedudu Island, the boat went downstream along the Chobe River, back to the dock next to the hotel. The return trip coincided with the sunset over the grasslands (P18).