Botswana has about 130,000 elephants, which is more than any other country in the world. A huge number of them live in and around Chobe. Every afternoon during the dry season, enormous herds walk down to the Chobe River to drink and cool off. Boats drift slowly among the hippos while elephants wade past, squirting water over their backs.
Elephants are very clever animals. They live in family groups led by an older female called a matriarch, who remembers where to find water and food even in a drought. Baby elephants stay close to their mothers and aunts, and the whole family helps to look after the little ones. You can often see young elephants playing together, splashing in the river or chasing birds.
Chobe is also full of other amazing animals — lions, leopards, African wild dogs, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and more than 450 types of birds. The park was Botswana's first national park, established in 1967. Today it covers about 11,700 square kilometres — about the size of the Jamaican island multiplied by ten.
Visitors explore the park by jeep on land, or by boat on the river. Sunset boat trips are especially popular because the golden light makes the elephants look like they are glowing as they walk into the water.