Zambezi Queen River Cruise

Send Us An Enquiry
Send Us An Enquiry
Full Name*
Email Address*
Your Enquiry*
Save To Wish List

Adding item to wishlist requires an account

3053
Availability : Select Dates, All Year

Zambezi Queen River Cruise

Highlights Include:

  • Relaxing on a luxury cruiser and observing wildlife coming to drink from the river
  • Special dining experience in a traditional boma with African food and music
  • Experiencing land and water-based game viewing, including a mokoro excursion
Tour Details

From: $667 per person | Single supplement on request

3+ days

2021 Departures: Select Dates
2-night/3-day cruise: Mondays and Wednesdays, from $667
3-night/4-day cruise: Fridays, from $806

*prices quoted are for a standard suite; please contact us for Master Suite pricing

The Zambezi Queen is a boutique floating hotel offering elegance and comfort. Departing three days a week, this unique African river safari traverses over 15 miles of the Chobe River while you soak up beautiful scenery and enjoy mouthwatering food. Each of the 14 suites features air-conditioning and your own private balcony, where you can enjoy unobstructed views of the Chobe River and African landscape beyond. Wake up to the sight of an elephant drinking from the river, or watch a fish eagle take flight – all from the comfort of your own luxurious bed.

There can be few natural wonders as synonymous with Africa’s raw wilderness as the great Chobe River. It is on this great expanse of untamed water that an adventure unlike any other awaits. 

Whether you are watching the animals gather at the water’s edge at dusk from the beautiful dining room, game viewing from one of the private boats, or attempting to land your first tiger fish, the professional team on the Zambezi Queen will be on hand to meet your every need.

Choose from weekly 3- or 4-day cruises to combine with any of our Southern African journeys. Your personal Borton Overseas Africa Specialist will help guide your decisions from endless options.

3-Day Itinerary
This is an escorted tour. Our Destination Specialists will work with you to customize any pre- or post-departure arrangements to your travel preferences.

Day 1Board the Zambezi Queen in Kasane, Botswana | Meals: D

Moored on the banks of the Chobe River, the Zambezi Queen awaits for your arrival in Kasane, Botswana. Don’t think of your time on Zambezi Queen as a river cruise. Instead, think of it as a floating boutique hotel that departs and returns to the same point.

You’ll first arrive at the Zambezi Queen via a short tender boat ride from the Kasane Immigration Office. We offer staggered transfer times on the hour between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., so you can arrive at your own pace and don’t have to worry about missing the boat. Welcome aboard! Overnight on the Zambezi Queen

The Zambezi Queen

Day 2Cruising the Chobe River | Meals: B L D

Some guests like to watch the sunrise as they sip on their coffee, while others like to take a more leisurely approach. That’s why you are able to choose your morning activities, depending on the type of experience you’re searching for. Choose from a water-based safari or a village tour on the Namibian side of the river. Or perhaps you’d prefer a spot of bird watching or fishing instead? You may even decide to simply remain on board as the luxurious Zambezi Queen glides its way along the banks of the Chobe River.

After your morning activities, enjoy lunch on board while using your unique vantage point to spot wild animals and drink in the expansive views. Join our guide in the afternoon for a water-based safari on a tender boat where you can get up close to an array of wildlife, including some of the 120,000 elephants for which the Chobe is well known. After a delicious dinner, settle down for a restful and tranquil night in your luxurious suite. Overnight on the Zambezi Queen

Day 3Disembark in Kasane, Botswana and Depart | Meals: B

Enjoy a morning cruise during breakfast savoring river life. Bid our crew a reluctant farewell and then make your way via tender boat to the Namibian Immigration Office. Once you’ve had your documents stamped you’ll be transferred via tender boat to the Kasane Immigration Office, where you’ll have your documents stamped once again before entering Botswana to continue with your onward arrangements.

4-Day Itinerary
This is an escorted tour. Our Destination Specialists will work with you to customize any pre- or post-departure arrangements to your travel preferences.

Day 1Board the Zambezi Queen in Kasane, Botswana | Meals: D

Moored on the banks of the Chobe River, the Zambezi Queen awaits for your arrival in Kasane, Botswana. After passing through immigration between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., you will be collected and transferred via a game viewing cruise to the Zambezi Queen, where you will have a welcome briefing and dinner at 7:00 p.m. Please note that the border closes at 4:30 p.m., so it is imperative that you are through immigration by that time. Overnight on the Zambezi Queen

The Zambezi Queen

Day 2Cruising the Chobe River | Meals: B L D

After an early wake-up call and breakfast aboard the Zambezi, you may choose between a half-day land game drive in Chobe National Park, or a sailing adventure along the bank of the river in a game-viewing boat. Just before lunch the Zambezi Queen will begin its 3-hour cruise along the banks of the magnificent Chobe National Park. These waters divide Namibia’s Caprivi Strip from Botswana’s Chobe National Park, and its exotic banks boast one of the densest populations of wildlife on the African continent. Teeming with life, this National Park sprawls across some 36,000 feet of lush African bush, and is home to the largest populace of elephants in the world – currently estimated at roughly 120,000. Along with the elephants, prides of leopard and lion, huge groups of buffalo, waterbuck, roan, eland, sable, giraffe, and, if you are lucky, one of the rare puku, can also be seen. In the river itself watch out for hippo and crocodile, and keep your binoculars at the ready for spotting a rich selection of bird life. This afternoon you will enjoy water-based game viewing or a cultural village tour by mokoro (African canoe). Dinner this evening will be on land in a traditional boma with African food and music. The boat will be moored on the banks of the river near a cultural village. Overnight on the Zambezi Queen

Day 3Choice of Activities on the Chobe River | Meals: B L D

You have a whole extra day to enjoy the delights of Zambezi Queen.

After a hearty breakfast, head off to experience those activities you didn’t manage to fit in yesterday: enjoy a water-based river safari by tender boat, go bird watching or go fishing for tiger or bream. Return for lunch on board and some relaxation time before the afternoon activities start. Again, you have the choice between tiger or bream fishing, game viewing by tender boat or bird watching. In the evening, you’re in for a treat! Enjoy a traditional African dinner, served with festive African singing and dancing. You can even join in the festivities if you feel like it! Overnight on the Zambezi Queen

Day 4Disembark in Kasane, Botswana and Depart | Meals: B

This morning is an early breakfast and a lazy morning cruise back up the river. At 9:00 a.m. you will depart for Kasane immigration and continue with your onward arrangements.

Included
  • 2/3 nights’ accommodation on the Zambezi Queen
  • Transfers as indicated
  • Meals as indicated (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner)
  • All soft drinks, mineral water, coffee, tea, and local beer & wine
  • Water-based game viewing and bird watching on tender boats
  • A land-based cultural tour of a local village
  • Tiger & bream fishing in season (tiger fishing is strictly catch and release)
  • Road Transfers to and from Kasane Airport and Kasane Immigration Office located on the Botswana side of the Chobe river
  • Boat transfers between Kasane Immigration Office in Botswana and Namibia Immigration Office
  • 15% Namibian VAT
  • 1% Namibian Tourism Levy
Not Included
  • All flights and related taxes
  • Travel insurance (emergency medical & evacuation coverage required)
  • Premium alcoholic beverages, such as sparkling wine, spirits, and dessert wines
  • Additional transfers to and from Zambia/Zimbabwe/Namibia/Botswana
  • Optional half-day 4×4 game viewing in Botswana’s Chobe National Park
  • Fees for passports, visas, or health vaccinations
  • Transfers, sightseeing, activities, meals, and beverages not specified
  • Gratuities
  • Items of personal nature such as laundry, spa services, internet, phone, etc.
Inquire about this Journey
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Resources
Map
This map is for orientation only.
Share
Also Consider
11 Days
Departures: Daily, All Year
Savute Safari Lodge
From  $4,240
7 Days
Departures: Daily, All Year
Ruckomechi Camp, Mana Pools, Zimbabwe
8 Days
Departures: Daily, April-November