The Zambezi Queen offers a safari from a different perspective as you float along the banks of the Chobe River. This luxury boutique houseboat offers two and three day boat safaris, with excellent game viewing from the tender boats and on deck. The luxurious cabins maximize views with large windows and each features a private deck. Zambezi Queen captures the ethos of a slow safari and is the perfect start or end to any African adventure.

The Zambezi Queen offers a safari from a different perspective as you float along the banks of the Chobe River. This luxury boutique houseboat offers two and three day boat safaris, with excellent game viewing from the tender boats and on deck. The luxurious cabins maximize views with large windows and each features a private deck. Zambezi Queen captures the ethos of a slow safari and is the perfect start or end to any African adventure.

The Zambezi Queen is the most luxurious houseboat on the Chobe, sailing on scheduled departures every Monday (two-nights or four-nights), Wednesday (two-nights) and Friday (three-nights).

Exploring approximately 25 km of the Chobe Riverbank showcases Chobe’s huge density of the African Elephant population, now calculated to be in the region of 120 000 animals. Chobe National Park is home to the Big Five, so it is not unusual to spot lion, buffalo and leopard. Sightings of the recently reintroduced rhino into the private areas of Chobe are rare but not impossible. Abundant birdlife makes the Chobe area a bird lovers’ paradise.

The daily itinerary is very flexible allowing guests to determine their own schedule of activities and hours of relaxation. The fourteen tastefully appointed suites are air conditioned and possess individual outer decks boasting uninterrupted views of the Chobe River and the landscape beyond.

A selection of morning and afternoon activities tempts guests with fishing excursions that include both conventional fishing methods (or an opportunity to do some fly-fishing), water- based wildlife viewing or a cultural village tour to 100 year-old Ijambwe, situated on the floodplains of the East Caprivi on the Namibian side of the Chobe River. This allows guests greater insight into the everyday living and culture of the local inhabitants. Guests may also choose to stay on board and take advantage of the on -deck swimming pool and enjoy a cocktail from the bar as they take in the sights and sounds of the River from the comfort of the Zambezi Queen.

Late afternoon sunset cruises in tender boats provide the perfect backdrop to sighting of big game as sundowners are enjoyed. Expect to see water-loving animals such as elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion, crocodile, zebra and a host of other antelope as they come down to the river to quench their thirst.
Custom-designed photographic safari boats are available on request, catering for 6 clients in individual photographic seats and hosted by experienced safari guides. The boat contains custom-designed swivel chairs offering 360-degree views for a wider range of subject matter. Mounting equipment for resting SLR cameras of all types is provided.

If selecting a three-night stay on the Zambezi Queen, guests are treated to a traditional African dinner on the third night, complete with tribal dancing and singing – a highlight for many safari guests to Africa.

The preferred time to safari on the Chobe River is between May and November when the bush is drier and the animals are more concentrated on the river. For enthusiastic photographers, the period from December to February makes for enthralling photographic opportunities as the landscape transforms itself following the first seasonal rains.

The Zambezi Queen is actually based on the Namibian side of the Chobe river, so a visit to the Botswana and Namibian immigration offices on the river is necessary before boarding the boat. A simple process.