Zambezi Queen Luxury Houseboat - Chobe River, Botswana

Zambezi Queen Houseboat Overview

The Zambezi Queen is a luxury houseboat that offers guests a unique and elegant way of seeing and experiencing the wildlife, scenery, and atmosphere of the Chobe River and Chobe National Park. By spending either two or three nights on the Zambezi Queen guests are exposed to game viewing on land or by tender boat, fishing, birding, and fantastic photographic opportunities all the time maintaining a very high level of comfort and luxury. The boat has spared no expenses in delivering a truly opulent safari experience and is ideal for a honeymoon or romantic getaways.

The Zambezi Queen (as with all the Chobe Houseboats)  is based officially on the Namibian side of the Chobe River and therefore guests arriving from Botswana will be taken to Impalila Island (Namibian territory) to clear customs before boarding the boat. Given the fact that the closest airports are Kasane (Botswana), Livingstone (Zambia), and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), it turns out that nearly all guests for Zambezi Queen end up accessing the boat via Botswana territory.

It traverses the Chobe River, which is a perennial body of water that forms the border between northern Botswana and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. The Chobe River joins the Zambezi River not far from the launch and then flows over Victoria Falls. The boat is accessed from a launch on the Botswana banks of the Chobe River, very close to the Chobe National Park. The easiest point of access is flying into Kasane, Botswana, from here it is just a 3 km transfer. The other access options include an 80 km road from Victoria Falls or from Livingstone Airport in Zambia.  Either option of access ties in nicely with further highlights of this region, including Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, and the Caprivi Strip.

Accommodation on the Zambezi Queen

The Zambezi Queen is made up of three decks. The top deck houses the dining room, lounge, and pool deck area, all commanding sweeping views of the river and flat African savanna. The middle deck houses most of the 14 luxurious en-suite accommodation units, made up of suites and master suites. The lower deck contains a few more suites and the reading room, curio shop, and boarding area.

All 14 suites have their own private balconies from which guests can enjoy stunning and mutating views and of course en-suite facilities. The master suites of which there are four, are located at the bow (front of the boat) and are larger than the suites in that they have a private outdoor area as well. The suites do not have air conditioning due to the limited space for power production but all suites have ceiling fans and the boat has been fitted with strategically placed shutters to neutralize the effect of the hot African sun, and mosquito nets have been liberally used throughout the vessel to ensure a little extra enjoyment.

Activities aboard the Zambezi Queen

Safari activities on offer to the guests can be divided into two types, either activities conducted from the boat or activities in the surrounding area. Game viewing safaris from one of the tender boats is a very popular pastime and guests get amazing views of herds of elephants coming down to drink as well as other game. During season fishing is a great way to spend the morning or afternoon, and tiger fish and bream are the fish of choice. Bird watching in this region is prolific and can be arranged. Getting off the boat for a few hours gives guests the option of game drive safaris into the Chobe National Park. Cultural visits to a local African village give guests a deep and real insight into another way of life and are often one of the most cherished experiences for people, especially if they come from one of the bigger cities in the world.

The region itself is a renowned wilderness area encompassing huge wildlife areas both in and out of national parks. The river is home to many species of fish, including tiger fish as well as hippos and crocodiles while the banks are frequented by large numbers of African wildlife, including elephant, buffalo, lion, puku antelope, leopard, waterbuck, roan antelope, and more.

A typical day on board the Zambezi Queen

The Zambezi Queen operates on scheduled departures, so guests can choose between a 2 or 3-night journey:
Day 1 (for 2 and 3-night itinerary)
15h00 - 16h00- Guests are collected from Kasane immigration in Botswana (The border closes at 16h30)
16h00 - 17h30 - Game viewing small boat and transfer to Zambezi Queen
19h00 - Welcome aboard the Zambezi Queen and Briefing
20h00 - Dinner on board the Zambezi Queen

Day 2 (for 2 and 3-night itinerary)
06h00 - Wake up call
06h45 - Breakfast
07h15 - Departure for either a half-day game drive safari or game viewing excursion from a small boat
10h00 - Game viewing boat returns to Zambezi Queen
11h30 - Game drive safari guests return
12h00 - Zambezi Queen starts downstream
12h30 - Lunch
15h00 - Zambezi Queen stops for an overnight stay
16h00 - Depart for water-based game viewing safari
18h00 - Return from safari activities
20h00 - Dinner on board the Zambezi Queen.

Day 3 (for 2-night itinerary)
06h00 - Zambezi Queen leaves for home base
07h00 - Breakfast
08h30 - Zambezi Queen arrives at home base
10h00 - Depart for Kasane Immigration

Day 3 (for 3-night itinerary)
08h00 - Breakfast
09h00 - Guests can choose between a fishing excursion or game viewing by small boat
12h00 - Return to Zambezi Queen
13h00 - Lunch and subsequent departure to the overnight stopping area
14h00 - Clients have a choice of any safari activity (boating, fishing, game viewing by land)
17h00 - Return to Zambezi Queen in time for a final sundowner
20h00 - Dinner on board the Zambezi Queen.

Day 4 (for 3-night itinerary)
06h00 - Zambezi Queen leaves for home base
07h00 - Breakfast
08h30 - Zambezi Queen arrives at home base
10h00 - Depart for Kasane Immigration