The boat. Many moons ago my darling wife convinced me to go on a small boat cruise. I did not want to go, but I am glad I did. On a previous trip to the Caprivi, we spent some time on a houseboat. We will do so again this tip. The “Chobe Princess” is a six-cabin houseboat on the Chobe River, and I enjoy being on board immensely. There are only twelve guests and we all sit around one table for meals. The desire to see Africa’s wilds is the common thread and allows us to get to know each other quickly. After the ‘where else have you been so far” and “what have you seen” questions are out of the way the more mundane “where are you from” and “what do you do” are answered. In short order, everyone knows everyone else and the fun can start. By “fun”, I mean seeing Africa in the most laid back manner ever. You start on your first evening relaxing on the main deck with a beverage of choice sitting in the lap of luxury slowly cruising the river, watching the game come to the water to drink. The main lounge has sliding doors on three sides and are opened to allow the optimum airflow. If you want to get more up close and personal with the critters, there are twice-daily trips in covered launches to take you to view the animals or to a local village. In the smaller boats we were able to get to within 15-20 feet of elephant and buffalo feeding on the bank. Crocs and hippos were kept at a greater distance, but we were still close. Another launch option is tiger fishing. These ferocious fish are on my bucket list. I got one close to the boat last time, and I am going to get one in the boat this year.
The “Pride of the Zambezi” our home for the next 4 days.
Our private balcony allowed for up close game viewing. Sometimes I wondered if it was too close.
Our stateroom
Up close and personal.
A holdover from the time of the dinosaurs.
Soaking up some sun.
