Reviews of Chobe Princesses
(96%) From 55 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Chobe Princess was a highlight of our trip
We could not fault our time on the four room Chobe Princess house boat which was a very relaxing way to end thee and a half weeks in Namibia. We had cabin one with the balcony and it was very spacey and luxurious with everything we needed. The other cabins looked pleasant as well.
The food and drink were excellent an we always seemed to be eating. All the staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The two top decks were very comfortable and gave great views over the Chobe and river and park and communal lands on each side.
Our itinerary was after going on board we had a drink, were shown around our cabin then had a leisurely lunch as we cruised slowly up river to our mooring location. We then went for a pleasant sunset cruise on the small tender boat and saw a lot of the elephants that Chobe is famous for. The next morning we had a sunrise cruise again in one of the small boats with one other couple. After breakfast we went on our own on a birding boat trip while the other passengers went on a game viewing trip on the other small boat. Back for lunch as we cruised slowly further up the Chobe river. After lunch there was another game viewing sunset trip that included a spectacular viewing of a leopard drinking at the waters edge. A wonderful day during which we were accompanied by Raymond, a great guide with a passion for birds.
The next morning as we cruised back to Kasane we were sad to leave our houseboat.
Chobe Princess
The 3 Princesses and Queen are based on the Namibian side of the Chobe river. After the very interesting customs experience (into Botswana / out of Botswana / into Namibia in the most interesting way) we joined one of the three Princesses. There were four rooms and we were given the one at the front which had beautiful views, was very clean and bright and had air conditioning. We joined the other guests who were having their lunch. All of the guests dine at one table. We shared the boat with a lovely family of 4 and another nice couple. All were German and went out of their way to speak in English so we were included in any discussions which was very much appreciated.
The 3 Princesses slowly cruise down the river to set moorings against the river bank and they move to another spot every day. They do not travel huge distances so do not expect that. They are also not allowed to moor or go on the Batswanan side of the river. The only excursions offered were the village visit or tender trips: fishing was not offered to our boat. These limited activities did not bother us at all but might disappoint others.
From the Princess you get in tenders which cruise down the river spotting whatever you can along the way. Each trip was different. We saw many birds, kudu, impala, crocodiles, hippos etc from the water. The highlight was watching many elephants walking along the riverbank at sunset and then swimming across the river for better feeding. Taking advice from previous reviews I had requested, and received, the photographic boat which has 6 fixed spaces for cameras although several were not working. We had a lovely trip the afternoon we joined and we stayed out for sunset. The next day we had an early morning trip, back for breakfast and then another trip afterwards with a further trip in the afternoon/evening. On the morning of departure the Princess slowly cruised back to the home mooring and we were off the boat at around 10am.
The guides were knowledgeable and respectful of the wildlife (unlike some others on the river!). The boat staff were lovely and around when needed but not obtrusive. The food was very tasty indeed and wine and beer plentiful.
The Princess has a small plunge pool on the front deck which was wonderful for dangling our toes in to cool down. There is a generous seating area inside as well as on the outside deck. Numerous books and games were available.
We really enjoyed our stay, it was relaxing, it suited us and was a great way to begin this holiday.
The highlight of our trip
As soon as we stepped onboard we were overwhelmed with the warmth and brightness of the boat and the friendly, efficient and friendly service of the staff, led by Robert. The rooms were bright and airy, with very good hot showers. The food was excellent. We saw a lot of birds and other wildlife on our morning and evening boat trips and they were expertly and safely guided. We were in a less populated area of the Chobe river, so there were not so many boats, which made the experience so much more enjoyable. We did the village walk, which was interesting, and participated in the compulsory dancing! Also unsuccessfully tried tiger fishing off the small boat.
Overall, I cannot recommend this experience highly enough, we shall certainly return.
Chobe Princesses review
This was a very nice way to spend a couple of nights at the end of our holiday. The boat itself was comfortable and the staff very good. We felt the rooms, particularly the bathrooms and toilets, needed some refurbishment and the boat looked a little 'tired'. The only activity provided was boat trips by small tender along the Chobe River bank - this became a little predictable.
We weren't offered any other activities, such as fishing from a smaller boat. We suspect that because there was a larger group of seven AustralIans aboard the activity was centred on what they wanted and we were expected to tag along. We didn't see a lot of game on the riverbank but this was not an issue as we had already seen plenty in the Delta. The high water levels also restricted the movement of some of the wildlife - we were told that large herds of elephants regularly cross the river when the water level is lower.
Having said that, the bird life was exceptional and the scenery and sunsets spectacular.l
Chobe Princesses review
The best part of the Chobe Princess was the ease with which we could arrange our own program. We were there to take photos and could re-arrange the program accordingly. The photographer's boat with built in tripods is out of this world amazing.
The guide was very good at spotting birds and animals and putting us into the right angles. We had the front facing room which was super.
There are differences in the cabins with the front one and upper deck one being a notch higher than side-cabins.
top cruise on the river
simply gigantic and relaxing with a great view of the animal
Read more about the whole safari
Disappointing
There are three Princess houseboats in addition to the Zambezi Queen. We travelled on a Princess with 5 cabins. This was the only accommodation on the trip which we would not return to. It markets itself as a luxury experience and it is not. We felt it was very much oversold. It was a somewhat tired vessel and cabin 4 next to the generator needs some serious tlc. We understood that every cabin had its own small boat to enable guests to choose what they might want to do. It was obvious on arrival that the staff wanted to treat all the guests as a 'group' doing activities together in a larger boat. After some pressure we managed to get a boat but there certainly was not a boat for each cabin. We enjoyed the excursions on the larger boat when we did them.
One other aspect to point out is that as Namibian registered vessels they have to follow that country's bank of the river. Most of the game is on the Botswana bank and that side of the large island which appears in the dry season.
Relaxing finale to exhausting safari holiday!
We were extremely fortunate to be a party of seven - grandparents, parents and three boys (16, 12, & 7) - so we were able to have the entire houseboat to ourselves which made the whole experience wonderful. After an exhausting twelve days on safari followed by the chaos of typical African Passport Control and Immigration in Botswana and Namibia, it was magical to have the peace of the Chobe river and, of course, the gentle giants.
On our arrival on the boat we were welcomed quietly but enthusiastically and introduced to the mainstays of our three day visit - Vincent, Patrick and David. Vincent was the boat manager and was very efficient. Patrick lovingly took care of the three boys and their father when they went fishing on the three evenings. David looked after my husband, my daughter and myself on the six game trips and was very knowledgeable with a great sense of humour.
We saw a tremendous variety of game and birds on the banks of the river - lion, hippos, impala, kudu, buffalo, crocodiles, giraffe, vultures, storks, fish eagles, etc. - but for the three of us it was the antics of the elephants that was so enthralling. We were amazed at how the herds crossed from one side of the river to the other, not a passport in sight, with the matriarch guiding the herd across. On a couple of occasions we watched the tiniest of elephants (only days old according to David) swimming alongside their mothers and then being helped up the bank the other side, when we all breathed a sigh of relief.
However, apart from all the wildlife, we thoroughly enjoyed our accommodation and had no complaints whatsoever. All in all, a great way to chill on our last few days before the long twenty four hour trek home to the U.K.
Good, but not great
We thought our stay on the Chobe Princess would be the highlight of our trip. Somehow it wasn't quite that. Our room was lovely though the aircon controller holder was falling off the wall, and the toilet seat was wobbly, even after trying to adjust it myself. We had a deck all to ourselves and that was brilliant.
The activities consisted of the same thing - trips in the tender boat up and down the river. We saw lots of elephants and hippo, water monitors and birds, though we felt it was all a bit of the same each time, and we seemed to spend ages just going slowly next to reeds. Most of the water activity involved the tender boats whereas we had thought we'd be cruising up and down on the main boat.
The plunge pool seemed to be filled with brown river water rather than clear water and as a result nobody got in despite the heat, which was a pity and didn't match up to the images of clean clear water on their website.
Food was OK but had the feel of microwaved pub food you get in the UK. The staff were perfectly nice and friendly though we felt they didn't go out of their way to make sure we had a good time as much as other lodges. It was still a good experience but in our opinion we would only do this once.
Fantastic river safari experience
I was unsure what to expect as this was a recommendation by Expert Africa. Since our family had already done a land safari, on a previous trip, and we knew we would be doing them at sites after Chobe, this river safari was really special. It gave us an experience and a view of the animals that is almost impossible to get from land. Also, we've been on river boats before.
I really liked that our cabin was above water rather than below. We got as close as humanly possible to elephants and crocodiles. All the activities on the smaller boats were great as well. We took advantage of fishing one morning as well as seeing the animals much more closely. Our main guide's talks about the animals and the village on the river were very informative.
The only thing that could have worked out better was if John was more helpful in confirming our next day's flight from Zimbabwe airport back to Namibia. In the morning of our last day, I asked John to check with the local tour company that was going to pick us up to check on our flights. He said he would see what he could do. He never got back to me and I failed to follow up. The next day, after we got through immigration and passport checks to get to Zimbabwe airport, we found out that our flight was delayed by 8 hours! Later, we learned that all other travelers were notified by their travel agencies about the delay and the travel agency had found accommodations/activities for them to do during their delay. That was not the case for us and one other couple from Spain. We ended up staying at the airport for 8 hours. Even the other couple's travel agency came and picked them up and took them back to their hotel for most of that delayed time. I think both John at Chobe Princess and Expert Africa could have alerted us to this situation as other travel agencies seemed to have been able to do so.
I will say that on the boat we did receive our luggage. It finally caught up to us and I believe this was due to the efforts of Wild Horizons/Africa Sport & Leisure, as well as Expert Africa, Avani and the Peech hotel, as well as South African Airways. We thank all of you for the herculan efforts to get our luggage to us 6 days after the start of our trip.
