Savute

Savute, a remote and wild corner of the Chobe National Park, is situated south of the Chobe River. This is an area of open savanna grassland through which a seasonal river used to spill out into a marsh. It last flowed in the 1980s. Today, the channel and marsh are usually dry except after heavy rains, but several artificial waterholes offer breathtaking wildlife viewing. The landscape of Savute, with its almost desert-like feeling, is strikingly different from the lush Chobe riverfront. Sizable numbers of elephant bulls are invariably present at Savute and close encounters with these great pachyderms are commonplace. In the wet season, large herds of zebra and tsessebe feed on the Savute plains.

During the rainy season, Savute is home to the annual zebra migration, which peaks in January and February when the zebra and wildebeest congregate in vast numbers to graze on the sweeter grasses brought on by the rains. It is not uncommon to also catch sight of leopard, cheetah and African wild dog.

Savute also supports the greatest concentration of the king of all beasts - the lion. Savute is also a famous battleground for lion and spotted hyena whose ongoing fight for dominance has been captured in the brilliant National Geographic documentary film Eternal Enemies filmed by Deryck and Beverly Joubert.