Our Heritage
THE EARLY DAYS
Chobe Safari Lodge is deeply rooted in the fabric of tourism in Botswana and the settlement of Kasane. Chobe Safari Lodge is Kasane's first tourism offering. A sign at the entrance long announced establishment in 1959, but the story of this iconic riverfront stay spans back over 100 years.
1895
The northernmost boundary of the Bechuanaland Protectorate is defined (between British and Germans) as the Chobe River. Three Batswana chiefs, Khama III, Bathoen and Sebele, and missionary, W.C. Willoughby, sail to Britain to share concerns about the rapid expansion of Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company. They wish for Bechuanaland to remain a protectorate.
1904
Victoria Falls Hotel and railway bridge built in Rhodesia.
1932
Vast Chobe lands declared non-hunting area by resident District Commissioner Charles Rey.
1959
Charles Trevor and his wife Ethnee Holmes à Court establish a hotel in Kasane. The Chobe River Hotel is born and it is later named, Chobe Safari Lodge.
1960
Chobe River Hotel opens to tourists. The larger hotel is still under construction, but camping and huts available, plus the liquor licence is approved. The Chobe Game Reserve is also proclaimed.
1967
Chobe is declared a National Park. The first in Botswana - and received its first two pairs of white rhino from the Natal Parks Board. “An independence gift from the President of South Africa to the President of Botswana”, writes Peter Hepburn.
1972
Chobe River Hotel is now known as Chobe Safari Lodge, “Botswana’s year around safari resort” and is a fully owned subsidiary of Percival Tours, Inc. There was also a Chobe Trading Store (which later became the site of Chobe Bush Lodge).
1981
Willem Vos buys the “ruins” of the once glamorous Chobe Safari Lodge. Kevin and Gonda Chadwick, along with Pat and John Tugwell take on the job of revitalizing the hotel.
2014
Chobe Bush Lodge opens.
2016
The Great Elephant Census, the first-ever pan-African survey of savanna elephants, reveals that Botswana has an elephant population count of 130 451. In total, 352 271 elephants were counted in 18 countries.
2019
Chobe Safari Lodge celebrates 60 years!
2024
Committed to maintaining the highest standards, Chobe Safari Lodge undergoes renovations from January 2024, which are due for completion in the third quarter of the year.
