The Chobe day trip from Livingstone is a full-day Botswana safari: over the Kazungula Bridge after an early collection, onto the Chobe River by mid-morning and into the park after lunch, from $190.
POTUS Rentals & Tours arranges the whole crossing door to door — we collect you from your Livingstone hotel in the morning, and the same seat delivers you back in time for dinner. Two countries, one day, no logistics on your plate. This guide covers the route, the day’s structure, the $190 rate, the visa position and what to pair it with.
Why is Chobe worth a border crossing?
Chobe National Park is famous for one of Africa’s largest elephant populations, and the day is built to show it from two angles: by boat along the Chobe River in the morning, then by safari vehicle inside the park in the afternoon. Water and land are different safaris — herds come down to the river’s edge to drink while the cruise drifts past, and the game drive then takes you in among the woodland and floodplain.
The rhythm suits mixed groups well. Cruisers sit back with a drink while the photographers work the banks, and the afternoon drive gives everyone the classic safari-vehicle hours — one ticket, two very different encounters with the same park.
How do you get from Livingstone to Chobe?
The route runs to Kazungula, where the road bridge over the Zambezi — open since 2021 — replaced the old ferry crossing. The drive takes about 45 to 60 minutes from Livingstone, and the border operates from 06:00 to 22:00. Your guide walks you through immigration on both sides, so the paperwork stays a formality rather than a queue you manage alone.
We plan around those hours rather than against them: an early start puts you on the water while the morning is cool, and still leaves generous margin at the border on the way home.
What does the day look like?
Expect a collection at about 07:00, immigration at Kazungula, then the morning on the water. Lunch follows on the Botswana side, and the afternoon moves onto land for the game drive in Chobe National Park before the return crossing to Livingstone in the early evening.
Timings flex a little with the season and the border queue, so treat that outline as the operator’s working rhythm rather than a train timetable — the structure of cruise, lunch and game drive holds firm.
A full-day, all-inclusive safari on the Chobe River and in the Chobe game park — light breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks during the excursion.
POTUS Rentals & Tours
How much does the Chobe day trip cost?
The day starts from $190 per person through our Chobe Safari Day Trip. That is the standard provider rate — confirmed at booking and subject to operator availability — and it is genuinely all-inclusive once you are collected:
- Return road transfer from your Livingstone accommodation
- Morning boat cruise on the Chobe River
- Afternoon game drive in Chobe National Park
- Light breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks during the excursion
Do you need a visa for Botswana?
Most visitors do not. Botswana waives visas for travellers from more than 100 nationalities, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU states. Bring your passport for the border posts either side of the bridge, and confirm your own nationality’s position with our concierge when you book — Visit Livingstone keeps a useful overview of the day trip and the crossing. Keep the passport within easy reach for both posts; the bridge is quick when the documents are.
What should you pair it with?
A Chobe day returns you to Livingstone by evening, so we usually keep the following morning slow and put the next sunset on the water — the Lady Livingstone sunset cruise, from K1,200 per person, is the gentlest landing after a border day. In Devil’s Pool season, roughly mid-August to early January, many guests take the island swim from $159 the day before Chobe; Green Safaris publishes sitting times for Livingstone Island.
Prefer a grander finale to the week? The Royal Livingstone Express dinner train, from $220 per person, departs on Wednesdays and Saturdays with Mondays added in peak season — Bushtracks Africa operates it, and it books beautifully as a final evening after the Botswana day.
Travelling as a group or on business, we can also stage the day around your delegation’s schedule — the border’s 06:00 to 22:00 hours leave more flexibility than most guests expect.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Livingstone to the border?
About 45 to 60 minutes to Kazungula, where the road bridge carries you over the Zambezi into Botswana. The border operates from 06:00 to 22:00, and your guide manages the queue at both posts.
What time does the day start and finish?
Collection is at about 07:00 from your Livingstone accommodation, and you are back across the bridge in the early evening — comfortably in time for dinner.
Are meals included in the $190?
Yes — a light breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks during the excursion are all part of the rate, along with the river cruise, the game drive and your return transfers.
Do I need a Botswana visa?
Travellers from more than 100 nationalities — including the US, UK and EU states — enter visa-free for the day. Carry your passport, and check your nationality with us at booking.
Can I stay overnight in Chobe instead?
Yes. We quote overnight and multi-night Chobe extensions individually as part of a tailored itinerary — tell our concierge your dates and we will fold the extension, your Livingstone stay and the transfers into one proforma.
Plan it with POTUS
Give us a date and we will hold the seats, arrange your collection and send a personalised proforma — book on our booking page or WhatsApp +260 955 747 769 and add Botswana to your safari.
