I have just returned this afternoon from spending a couple of nights on the Ichobezi House Boat on the Chobe River and here as promised is my report.
First off I must say that I was totally horrified at the amount of river traffic and lodges I saw between Kasane and the Chobe NP, not to mention the hoardes of people. The last time I did this stretch of River was back in 1997 and it was still very remote and peacefull but today it is just a nightmare for folks looking for a tranquil African experience, especially if you have just come from the Okavango Delta and Savuti/Linyanti areas. Besides all the little boats (if I may say) buzzing up and down I do beleive according to the locals that there can be up to 80 vehicles at a time on games drives in the Chobe NP now. Hence the reason why I was invited to experience the Ichobezi House Boat.
The Ichobezi House Boat is part of the Ichingo Chobe River Lodge which is situated opposite Kasane on Impalila Island in a remote part of the Chobe River rapids which no other lodge has access to. One must however bear in mind that there is very little game on this island, however it is a unique place in its own right.
Upon arrival at Inchingo where the Ichobezi is berthed you will clear immigration and then board the boat for a roughly 2 hour cruise through the buzzing mayhem to Elephant Bay which is the first stop for the night. Now, it is not such a bad cruise as besides all the game viewing along the way you have all the other guests in the little buzzers coming close to take photographs of this magnificent boat. You truly do feel special, like driving the latest Rolls Royce down 5th Ave NY (for lack of a better word as I am an African). Anyway you finally reach Elephant Bay and the boat docks on an island in the middle of the Chobe and you settle in for the rest of the day and night. By this time you don't mind the little buzzers as they have made you feel like royalty. You are now docked in the Chobe NP and the little buzzers now have to go back to their respective lodges and suddenly here you are all on your own in paradise with Elephants, hippo, fish Eagles, and so much more. The silence engulfs you and almost instantaneously the call of the Fish Eagle, the snort of the Hippo kicks you right into Africa, your Africa, and then your journey begins.
We opted to go Tiger fishing as I do beleive this is a very exciting part of experiencing an African River although I know that not all folks will do this but it is an experience that one should at least try. One has two options using the tenders, which you will see in the video and that is game viewing along the river or fishing and from many past experiences I always choose to fish as I get the best of both. I caught a small Tiger which I put back.
Let me describe the boat now.
The Ichobezi can accommodate a maximun of 8 guests in 4 bedrooms, I call them bedrooms because they are not cabins. They are extremely comfortable each with en-suite facilities, spacious cubhoards, 220 and 12V electricity which will accommodate all shavers and hair dryers and large windows which allow you a fantastic low level view along the river. The first morning I was awoken by the sounds of a hippo right next to the boat frolicking around and I jumped out of bed grabbed the video camera but by the time I filmed he was gone but on the video you will see what I am trying to say. This to me was pure heaven, a totally different experience, I really was part of the Chobe River system. Lying in bed and looking out at 05h30 in the morning and seeing life from a completely different view totally blew me away. I had no desire to jump in a landrover, as most of you know how much I love leopards and lions , and chase around looking for the Big Five, I had peace and tranquility lapping at my bedroom window. What a feeling!
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