Chobe Marina Lodge

Chobe Marina Lodge stands on the bank of the Chobe River in Kasane, the town that sits at the junction of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Every one of its sixty-six thatched rooms looks out over the river, and warthogs are a regular presence on the lawn below. Chobe National Park is a ten-minute boat ride away; Kasane airport is five minutes by road.

Activities run independently — you are not locked into a fixed schedule. The lodge offers three-hour game drives into Chobe, afternoon and private boat cruises along the river, a full-day game drive with a bush lunch and mokoro ride, and a village tour at Ngoma that includes a canoe trip. Game on the water and its banks includes elephant, hippo, buffalo, lion, leopard, and crocodile.

There are three restaurants on the property: Mokoros Family Restaurant for breakfast and buffet meals, Commissioners Restaurant on the upper floor with river views, and The Raft, a floating dining platform on the Chobe serving local food and craft beer. The open-air boma holds traditional dance evenings and campfire gatherings. The Kwa Maningi Spa offers deep-tissue, hot stone, and Swedish massages as well as facials.

Room categories are named in Setswana — Nare (buffalo), Tlou (elephant), and Puku (a red antelope). Each has air conditioning, a minibar, a safe, and a balcony facing the river. The lodge also holds a hundred-seat conference venue and two boardrooms, and runs a floating boardroom on the water.