Reviews of Chobe Princesses
Wildlife sightings and reviews
71 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Chobe Princesses and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Not for us"
A small, very efficient staff team do everything, from guiding to housekeeping. Food was very good and you could help yourself to drinks and snacks.
There were 6 guests on board and the 3 couples were taken out separately in the late afternoon in small boats. This was a plus, as there is not much privacy on board, where we were sharing a small space with strangers. For a family or group of friends holidaying together, it could be a lot of fun, but 1 night was long enough for us.
We were surprised to be told at dinner that there would be no morning activity, as the boat had to be moved so that we could all get off at 9.30am!" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 5n in Zimbabwe; 4n in Botswana
"Great water based game/bird viewing"
Multiple tender boats allowed the group to undertake different activities at the same time, although the fishing trips provided better bird viewing results than tiger fish!" See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia
"A wonderful way to view the Chobe Park"
We were lucky to see from our speed boat a pride of 10 lions (including a big black maned male) feeding on a buffalo kill and a leopard wandering the river bank until she was chased away by a big baboon. We also saw the elephants crossing the Chobe River.
Altogether a very enjoyable experience!" See all these reviews: 23n in Namibia; 9n in Botswana
"Ichobezi Houseboats review"
Had a wonderful trip to the houseboat that afternoon immediately after leaving immigration, when we saw several types of birds and many animals, including elephants crossing the river. After we had arrived and had a welcome drink and the probable itinerary for the days we would be there, we went off on the small boat for our evening safari. We had morning and afternoon boat safaris the next day, and another on the morning of our third day, when we transferred to the first lodge.
Good to go with another couple, as only 8 people on the boat and some language problems with the other visitors." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia
"Ichobezi Houseboats review"
Dining on the upper deck while watching game and sunsets was too much fun." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
"Ichobezi Houseboats review"
After negotiating 4 border crossings and adding to the collection of stamps in our passports we arrived at the boat in time for lunch. It swiftly became apparent that information regarding Jane’s allergy to cheese had not been passed on as the chef had to quickly rustle up an alternative to the prepared meal – this turned out to be delicious!
Our cabin was comfortable although a bit cramped but then we didn’t spend much time in it other than for sleeping! Communal areas were comfortable and we had plenty of space even when all cabins were occupied. I even tried out the plunge pool which was bliss on my tired, dusty feet!
The atmosphere is very much that of a floating house party with communal lounging and eating so it was fortunate that we hit it off virtually immediately with our travelling companions, a group of wonderful Australian ladies. So much so that individual tender boats were abandoned and the groups joined up.
We noticed that there were quite a few houseboats on the river, in contrast to our previous trip, when only those from Ichobezi were seen. However, this is still a wonderfully relaxing way to see the animals and birds around the river – where else could we hope to watch a water monitor devouring lilac-breasted roller eggs from the nest while being dive-bombed by the parents and a passing kingfisher? The monitor, that is, not us!
We also glimpsed a leopard that morning who was still hiding in his bush when we moored up directly opposite him in the afternoon; perfect positioning! Ben, Patrick and the team took excellent care of us and the food the chef produced from his tiny kitchen was excellent.
A point to note is that any laundry has to be sent to Ichingo for washing so it is not practicable to get laundry done unless you are able to pick it up from the lodge or possibly staying on the boat for three or more nights." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia
"Great start to our trip"
The boat is lovely - spacious, beautifully decorated, with lots of different places to relax and admire the ever changing views. The rooms are smallish but very comfortable and well equipped and it was lovely to lie in bed and watch river life through the full length windows. The staff of five were great - attentive without being 'ever- present' and very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. Food, cooked and presented by chef Vincent was excellent and beautifully presented. We were lucky to be one of only two couples on board and even more lucky to have a very pleasant young South African couple as our companions.
We'd chosen to start our journey on the houseboats to have a relaxing start and the 8am morning call was great after an overnight flight the night before. The staff were very happy to let us choose what we wanted to do and when, and we had a couple of very good boat trips which were a perfect way to get up close to the wildlife and see the animals and birds from a different perspective. We saw a python sunning itself along the bank, lots of malachite kingfishers and big herds of elephant coming to the river to drink. The sundowner with elephants silhouetted against the sun was very special. We also had a trip to Vincent, the chef's, village with his brother as our guide, which was interesting and good fun, although there was singing and dancing, didn't feel at all like a show for the tourists.
We had two nights on the boat which was just enough, though a third wouldn't have been a hardship! Highly recommended as a good way to start of end a safari." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia
"Pride of the Zambezi"
Maritsa and Norman looked after us and did a superlative job, as well as the other staff, especially Robert the guide, who must be the best guide ever.
Saw lots of wildlife and birds and Robert gave us so much info. He managed to get the tender boat very near to many.
Food excellent.
Opportunity to visit a traditional village. Very interesting and worthwhile. I was concerned we would be seen as "gawpers" but that wasn't the case.
I can really recommend this houseboat." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 2n in Zimbabwe
"Ichobezi Houseboats review"
More game viewing the next morning provided close up encounters with large crocs, several species of antelope, some incredibly beautiful birds - kingfishers, fish eagles, rollers, bee-eaters...& a walk on the Caprivi floodplains before heading back for lunch with our fellow guests, then the boat moves off again towards Serondella. As there are only 4 cabins it never feels crowded & has a comfortable lounge area & sun beds on deck. Our cabin was more spacious than expected, had a very comfortable bed, good shower & a balcony.
The food was consistently great thanks to Eustace the chef who always came into the dining room before dinner and "announced" the menu which was a nice touch, and any likes or dislikes were always adhered to. We thoroughly enjoyed our 3 days on this well-run boat with superb game-viewing. Thank you to Raymond for a wonderful experience." See all these reviews: 5n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia; 2n in South Africa
"Peaceful cruising on the Chobe River"
The trips on the small tender boats were good, but watching the world go by from the viewing deck of the houseboat was even better." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia
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