Ellies! Hippos! You’re on a “Zambezi Queen” River Cruise!

Zambezi Queen

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See the hippos!” Gilbert, our Zambezi Queen guide, points to a jumble of large round boulders in the mud flats.

One boulder moves. We make out red-rimmed eyes and little piggy ears. Sure enough, it’s a hippo. It stands up, waddles sideways, and then plops down on top of other boulders, creating a grey ripple of hippo flesh.

You’ll see lots more hippos in the afternoon when they wake up to feed,” says Gilbert cheerfully.

Then he turns the boat toward a herd of long-tusked elephants on the riverbank, busy splattering mud over their bodies with their trunks.

When it came time to write this Zambezi Queen review, it was the hippos and elephants that stood out the most for us.

A Chobe River safari in Africa can be lovely. But what’s the point if you don’t get gob-smacking game viewing, like you do on a land-based Chobe safari?

You see hippos everywhere on this Chobe River safari on the Zambezi Queen!
You see hippos everywhere on this river-based safari on the Zambezi Queen!
Elephants on the Chobe River bathing and drinking
A herd of elephants enjoy bathing and drinking in the river

Zambezi Queen review

Zambezi Queen
The lovely Zambezi Queen offers unique African river safaris

We’d left our mother vessel, the Zambezi Queen, and were zipping along the Chobe River between Botswana and Namibia on a small aluminum boat.

We ducked into reedy shallows…

To watch an eight-foot Nile crocodile sleep in the sun (then leap into the river with a huge splash).

To see Egyptian geese, black-and-white kingfishers, white egrets and yellow-billed storks preening and fluttering about mauve water lilies.

To spot hippos and elephants.

The bird watching is as fabulous as the game viewing on a Zambezi Queen river safari
The bird watching is as fabulous as the game viewing on a Zambezi Queen river safari

These enthralling sights are just part of the rich game viewing and bird watching experienced on an African river cruise aboard the Zambezi Queen.

And all this adventure is delivered in style!

Zambezi Queen houseboat

The Zambezi Queen is more like a houseboat that floats on the river rather than a river cruise.
The Zambezi Queen is more like a houseboat that floats on the river rather than a river cruise

Part of the Zambezi Queen Collection, the Zambezi Queen is 138 feet (42 meters) long.

Built in the early 1990s, the luxury Chobe houseboat was taken over by the Mantis group in 2012 and reinvented for today’s river safari guests.

(The Mantis Group manages a collection of five-star boutique hotels, eco-lodges and yachts around the world.)

Two- and three-night Chobe river cruises can be booked on the Zambezi Queen. And it offers one of Africa’s most unique safari experiences.

On a Zambezi Queen river cruise, the ellie and hippo viewing is nothing short of amazing.
On a Zambezi Queen river cruise, the ellie and hippo viewing is nothing short of amazing

African safari river cruises

Normally on safari, you stay on land in a lodge or tent.

On the Zambezi Queen, however, you float on the water, soaking up the life of the floodplain.

Staterooms on this Chobe houseboat

Staterooms have balconies for sitting out and enjoying the views

Resembling a houseboat, the Zambezi Queen has 14 spacious staterooms on the lower two of its three decks.

Ten standard staterooms range from 215 sq. ft. (19 sq. meters) to 235 sq. ft. (218 sq. meters), while four master suites are a generous 300 sq. ft. (28 sq. meters).

They’re all lovely, with white walls decorated with sepia photographs of wild animals, gauzy curtains, small balconies and deliciously comfortable king-size beds with quality linens.

Ensuite bathrooms have faux wood floors and glass showers.

All staterooms have air-conditioning to keep you cool at night too (but you don’t really need it between May and September).

The only thing you have to be careful about on this Chobe houseboat is closing your balcony doors and outside metal shutters when it gets dark.

(After leaving the doors open and lights on one evening, we returned to find a bug party in our cabin – hey, this is Africa. But the staff kindly cleaned our room all over again.)

At 10 pm, the main lights are turned off, and the boat’s power is switched to back-up.

Getting to the Zambezi Queen river boat

Even getting to the Zambezi Queen, moored in Namibia, is an adventure

The journey to get to the Zambezi Queen is quite the adventure in itself.

The vessel awaits in the Chobe River on the Namibia side of the river.

Following our lion-oriented South African safari, we flew from Johannesburg to Livingstone, Zambia, where we were driven to the banks of the Zambezi River and ferried across to Kasane, Botswana.

(You may fly directly into the new Kasane International Airport in Botswana.)

After getting your passport stamped, you’re guided to a vehicle for transfer to the Kasane Immigration Office.

There, Zambezi Queen staff help you through passport control to exit Botswana and board a motor boat to cross the Chobe River to the Namibian Immigration Office.

Keep your eyes peeled, as you could spot ellies or other wildlife!

Giraffe drinking in Africa
Spot the animals on the way to the Zambezi Queen

After getting your passport stamped from the Namibian office, you clamber back into the boat for a high-speed ride to the Zambezi Queen.

Going through passport control and immigration has never been so much fun!

Welcome to this elegant Chobe river cruise boat!

Smiling staff welcomed us onboard the Zambezi Queen with African songs.
Smiling staff welcomed us onboard the Zambezi Queen with African songs

Once we were onboard, smiling Namibian staff (mostly women, wearing bright orange turbans and long dresses) greeted us with African songs.

Then we were ushered upstairs to the top deck for a glass of champagne.

And what a view awaited us up there!

The entire top deck, consisting of the lounge, library and dining room, is one open room.

As it’s completely open on three sides, you have unobstructed views of the African scenery. (At night, staff roll down see-through screens and turn the air-conditioning on.)

Zambezi Queen
Great views can be had from this top deck lounge and restaurant

Sipping our champagne, while reclining against zebra-striped cushions on a cream sofa, we watched an amazing tableau of perhaps 20 elephants munching away on a grassy river island.

Occasionally, they’d splash each other with water.

The setting sun cast a golden glow over the scene, a refreshing breeze kept us cool and the travel rigors of the day just melted away.

Game viewing and more on the Zambezi Queen river cruise

Water-based excursions

On a small boat excursion, we saw this baby elephant (mama wasn't too far away).
On a small boat excursion, we saw this baby elephant (mama wasn’t too far away)

We saw plenty more elephants on “water game drives” throughout our three-night African river cruise.

These small boat excursions brought us even closer to the river-based wildlife.

Crocs, comical-looking warthogs drinking from the river, mother and baby elephants, hippos galore (as promised by Gilbert) and an Audubon-worthy abundance of birds that would make serious birdwatchers swoon – we reveled watching all.

Chobe National Park excursion

Monkeys, impala, giraffes… So many animals to see!

A half-day is also devoted to a game drive on land in Chobe National Park.

The second biggest park in Botswana, Chobe has one of the largest populations of wildlife on the African continent.

Climbing into a six-person open Land Cruiser with a shade roof, we set off along red-sand tracks through the park.

The dry ochre-colored savannah, pockmarked by enormous “upside-down” baobab trees and thorny shrubs, was quite a contrast to the lush green scenes of the river.

So were the animals we saw.

Gangly giraffes, their heads peering over acacia trees.

Baby baboons, chasing each other and hitching rides astride their mothers.

Graceful impala, bounding across the bushland.

A Cape buffalo (they're quite cranky creatures and can be dangerous)
The animals you see in Chobe National Park are different than the ones you see on water-based excursions

We kept an eye out for lions.

But we didn’t see any. (Lions usually sleep during the day and hunt at night.)

If you're lucky, you'll see lions too on your game drive in Chobe National Park.
If you’re lucky, you’ll see lions too on your game drive in Chobe National Park

Rural village visit

You also have the opportunity to visit the rural Namibian village from which the Zambezi Queen staff are hired.

You learn how the local people live in clay huts and cook on open fires, and you can buy hand-beaded jewelry, wood carvings and other souvenirs from them too.

Not much cruising on Zambezi Queen cruises

Keeping eyes peeled for wildlife!
Keeping eyes peeled for wildlife!

With all the activities, the Zambezi Queen doesn’t do much actual cruising.

It mostly just glides along at a leisurely pace between two moorings about 15+ miles (25 kilometers) apart. In this sense, it’s more like a houseboat than a river cruise.

Indeed, we wished our Chobe river cruise was longer – so we could chill out more on a lounge chair or soak in the outdoor hot tub on the upper back deck, watching the wilderness scenery slowly unfold.

Dining onboard

Fine wines that complement those beautiful meals are included

We also still hanker for another slice of the heavenly lemon meringue pie served for dessert one day.

Focusing on quality not copious quantities, the food is delicious, with salads, quiches and fish for lunch and international specialties for dinner.

The lemon meringue pie is famous on the Zambezi Queen!
The lemon meringue pie is famous on the Zambezi Queen!

The last night is a special buffet of typical African foods – like spicy lamb stew and creamed spinach in peanut sauce and oxtail.

And the staff, dressed in grass skirts, coax all the guests to join them in traditional singing and dancing.

Still, for us, the river life stands out the most.

We couldn’t get enough of the elephants on the riverbanks, the rainbow-colored birds strutting in the grasses and the hippos, waking us up with their ho-ho-ho grunting – only in Africa…

The Chobe Princesses

The three Chobe Princesses are more intimate again than the Zambezi Queen
The three Chobe Princesses are more intimate again than the Zambezi Queen

If you prefer an even more intimate Chobe houseboat, you can book one of the three smaller Chobe Princesses.

After refurbishment, they joined the Zambezi Queen Collection in 2015.

They also underwent another facelift in 2019, with upgrades to the bathrooms and pool decks installation of new beds and furnishings.

Two of the Chobe Princesses are 60 feet (19 meters) long and have four staterooms.

The third Chobe Princess is slightly bigger and has five staterooms.

You won’t lack for comfort on a Chobe Princess

Like the Zambezi Queen, staterooms have king-size beds and air-conditioning.

Staterooms also have large sliding windows overlooking the ever-changing river views.

And each houseboat has a plunge pool too.

The Chobe Princesses also have their own smaller “tender” boats to take you out on daily river excursions.

Game viewing from the Chobe Princess
Game viewing from the Chobe Princess

Things to know about a Chobe River safari

The Zambezi Queen as part of a tour

Many guests take a Zambezi Queen cruise as part of a longer African safari tour packaged by AmaWaterways.

Booking on your own

If traveling independently, the Zambezi Queen and Chobe Princesses are typically booked for two or three nights.

Rates include all excursions, a premium selection of South African wines and boat transfers from the Kasane Immigration Office in Botswana.

Staggered transfer times are offered on the hour between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. If you take the 1:00 pm or 2:00 pm transfer, you’ll be greeted with lunch. (Snacks are offered if you take a later transfer.)

When to go

The best time to book this African river cruise is during the cooler, dry season from May to November.

Malaria

Take anti-malarial precautions, as the Zambezi Queen and Chobe Princesses are in a malaria area.

Other Zambezi Queen reviews

We’re not the only ones who love these river cruises.

The Zambezi Queen Collection clinched the title of “Africa’s Leading River Cruise Company” at the 2024 World Travel Awards – a prestigious honor it’s claimed for seven consecutive years.

Previously, it’s also won the title of the “World’s Leading Boutique Cruise.”

Booking your Zambezi Queen luxury African river safari

More information

For more information about the Zambezi Queen and Chobe Princesses, see the Zambezi Queen Collection website.

Also visit Victoria Falls

When in the area, be sure to also visit nearby Victoria Falls, one of the world’s seven natural wonders.

On the Zambia side of the falls, the top-rated Royal Livingstone Hotel is just a 10-minute walk from the thundering waterfalls.

On the Zimbabwe side, we loved our stay at the Victoria Falls Safari Club. It offers an exclusive hotel-within-a-hotel experience. (And it was fascinating to attend the unique vulture feeding experience!)

Explore more of Africa!

Zambia: Discover the best walking safaris in Zambia. (Just beware the lions!)

South Africa: What’s it like to go on a “Big Five” safari in Sabi Sands Game Reserve?

Zanzibar: Check out these 17 spellbinding things to do in Stone Town

Our top travel tips and resources

Hotels: Booking.com is perfect for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. We especially like Booking’s flexible cancellation policy!

Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).

Cruises: CruiseDirect offers amazing deals on cruises (including Holland America, Viking Ocean Cruises, Seabourn and other lines we’ve reviewed).

Flights: To book the cheapest flights, search on Google Flights or Expedia. (Just be aware Expedia tickets may be non-refundable.)

Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!

Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.

Car rental: Renting a car is often a great way to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the lowest rates.

eSIMS: Stay connected affordably with Airalo eSIMS covering 200+ countries and trusted by 10 million+ users, including us! (No more huge roaming bills!)

Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.

Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)

Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.

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Photo credits: 4, 12, 14 to 16, 18 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | Remaining photos the Zambezi Queen Collection


About the authors

Janice and George Mucalov are award-winning travel journalists who’ve explored all seven continents. They share destination guidesluxury hotel reviewscultural adventurescruise insightstravel tips and more on their luxury travel blog, Sand In My Suitcase. See About.

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33 Comments

  1. I just read your blog about your river cruise/safari on the Zambezi Queen. My husband and I are booked for May 6th and we can’t wait! Your pictures and descriptions indicate we are in for an experience of a lifetime.

    I’m struggling to pack the right clothes!

    I went to REI and Eddie Bauer to buy what I thought would be the perfect safari wardrobe. Then I read I shouldn’t wear black or dark blue because it attracts the Tsetse fly. I took it back and exchanged everything for beige, khaki and green clothes. Based on what I’ve read, it sounds like we need to cover ourselves from head to toe and wear long sleeves and long pants to avoid being bit by bugs.

    What did you wear or wish you had packed? We look forward to your suggestions!

    1. Yes, you’re going to have an amazing experience!

      Because we were doing other safaris on this trip too, we had to pack everything into one squishy duffel bag each (to fit into the small safari airplanes). So our wardrobes were limited!

      For game drives and boat excursions, we’d wear light-weight, safari-style pants and shirts – to protect against bugs as well as the sun. Beige and khaki colors are cooler and blend in with the scenery better (you don’t want to spook the wildlife with bright colors). A safari hat is essential for sun protection too.

      I (Janice) also packed linen pants and a couple of prettier T-shirts and blouses (plus leather running shoes) for dinners. I also had flip-flops, a swimsuit and a cover-up.

      Other guests on the boat dressed pretty similarly (i.e., casual), as most were also doing additional safaris – so they too were restricted in what they could bring.

      The main point is to dress comfortably and bring quick-drying clothes.

      Enjoy your trip!

  2. Have you actually been to the Royal Livingstone hotel?

    I haven’t, but I read on another travel blog that it was a budget experience at 5 star prices and that they absolutely would not recommend it.

    1. Yes, we stayed for several days at the Royal Livingstone Hotel. See our blog post. Don’t think of this as a budget experience – it’s definitely a top luxury resort! It’s a larger resort, however, not a small boutique hotel. We found it a great place to recharge (with all the convenient luxuries – air conditioning, plush bedding, lots of space, public swimming pool with lounge chairs by the river, restaurants, etc.) after one safari and before going into the bush in Zambia on another safari.

  3. Wow. Luxury in a place you’d least expect. It’s fantastic that such ventures would support the locals economically. I’m sure it must be a great experience.

  4. WoW what a unique experience. A safari has been high on my list for quite some time now and this river safari sounds perfect.

  5. What an exciting experience you two just had! What a lucky couple you are, I wish I had been there too :) Thanks for sharing this with us, at least we could live it through your eyes.

  6. Great review, I can’t wait for one of our clients to travel on this amazing way to see an incredible part of Africa. Thanks for the great preview.

    1. There’s no way to say this politely… but those single supplements suck for solo travelers, don’t they? The “Zambezi Queen” charges a 30% single supplement. See their rates.

  7. I had to share this on social media. It’s such a cool alternative to the usual safari! Must go someday. I loved my Rhine river cruise and this looks even more relaxing.

  8. I’m not to keen on ocean cruises but this sounds fabulous, such a wonderful way to discover Africa’s wildlife. Would love to do this myself one day.

  9. Have to chime in and agree with everyone else’s opinions about how utterly amazing this sounds. What a different way to visit this part of the world and get up close to so many animals. The thought of gently gliding along on a small luxurious boat, as opposed to the bumpy jeep ride….Well I would happily take part in either, but you can guess where my first choice would be. Dreamy!

  10. This looks absolutely amazing! What a magnificent way to see incredible wildlife and scenery. Like an over the top luxury version of The African Queen. Wow!

  11. This is incredible! Seeing this kind of wildlife is so high on my wishlist of things to do! How lucky you are to have experienced it!

  12. Your journey on the Zambezi Queen sounds intriguing. I see you can sign up for as few as two nights, which is what I would probably do since I’ve never been to Africa and definitely want to do the safari camp thing, too.

  13. This trip looks amazing! I have yet to travel to Africa, but I really would love to see the wildlife like this! I’m curious if you’ve done any larger boat cruises in Africa? Or do you tend to like these smaller ones instead? Thanks!

    1. This was the only “cruise” we’ve done in Africa (apart from Nile River cruises in Egypt). But we understand a few small cruise ships do some cruises calling in at Cape Town, Madagascar, the Seychelles and elsewhere. We could happily explore other places in Africa by cruise ship :-).

  14. Wow! Looks like a “dream come true” journey combining both luxury and amazing wildlife. We’ve yet to visit Africa but it’s on our radar and, with posts like this, our interest is increasing. Stunning photos.

  15. I’m reading this in Cape Town, South Africa. We will be heading northeast to a game reserve near Kruger National Park later during our trip. The Zambezi Queen seems like a pretty awesome alternative to a land-based safari lodge and the price is actually comparable to some we’ve seen. However, I must confess that we have a bit of a visceral reaction to the idea of small boat touring in Botswana. The University of Pennsylvania where my husband works is associated with a teaching hospital in Botswana and quite a few Penn docs have done teaching rotations there. Unfortunately, one was pulled out of a small boat and eaten by a crocodile. Shudder. He might have had a hand in the water—-but still……..

    1. Oh, horrible. The small boats on the “Zambezi Queen” are wide, steady, aluminum motor boats (not the dug-out canoes or “makoros” in Botswana) – they looked very safe to us…

  16. I have always been attracted to far-away lands and countries with exotic resonance, like Botswana, or Namibia… Unfortunately I haven’t been able to travel to Africa so far. Your post sounds so intriguing and your photos are so inviting that I wish I could go there someday.

  17. This looks beautiful – magical really. In 2008 I cycled from Tanzania to Victoria Falls – camping mostly so as a treat at the end I did a three night safari in Botswana at a beautiful lodge. I remember the ferry boat ride across the river – where Zimbabwe and Botswana share a border. Interesting to see that the wait was a week for the truck drivers. Truly a fantastic part of the world to visit.

  18. This is was a wonderful read and had me smiling the entire time! I travel quite a lot, but have yet to make it to Africa. It is my hope to touch the continent next year and then return again when my husband gets out of the military (as they will not issue permission for him to go there at this time…gotta love the military). Thank you for such a great experience through your eyes!

  19. What a breathtakingly beautiful river safari! Must have been so special to see the elephants on the riverbank and the hippos popping their heads up! I’ve only been on a river safari once in Tanzania and found it so magical – I would love to explore this area one day!

      1. Thank you! It was quite special – we were in Selous which is much less populated than the bigger safari areas like Serengeti – it was just so peaceful and we also spotted hippos and crocodiles whilst taking in the scenery – I think someone that day had spotted a leopard hiding on a rock on the banks but we weren’t quite as lucky with that! Still just magical though :)