We knew that Chobe is known for its vast elephant population — in fact, it boasts the highest densities in Africa — but this was the wettest time of the year, when the animals are normally spread around the park and more difficult to spot. The day's sightings were beyond our wildest dreams.

Our trip began the previous day when we hopped into a riverboat at Chobe Safari Lodge. Even there we'd had some pretty good encounters. A hippo grazed nonchalantly on the lawn as we returned from dinner, and elephant spoor was clearly visible in the morning.

The lodge, in the Botswana frontier town of Kasane, is the right on the edge of Chobe National Park, and since there are no fences the animals pay slight regard to the park boundary and frequently wander into town. The riverside setting, with shaded places to lounge and watch the birds, crocs and hippo, is guaranteed to put you in the mood for a safari, and the range of affordable accommodation options — big chalets, rondavels and a shady campsite — ensures that it's a long-standing favourite among southern African travellers.

Recently renovated, the lodge has a superb deck and bar area where you can chill and enjoy the African bush before wandering into the dining room to feast on local specialities — impala pie, venison roasts and local fish — as well as stir-fries and fresh salads.

Jensen, our guide for the trip, met us after breakfast and escorted us to the jetty. As we completed the park formalities, our skipper Rambo explained the unique geography of the area — just downstream of the lodge four countries meet.

... beady crocodile eyes poking out of the water...

Indeed, the easiest way of getting to Chobe is to fly to Vic Falls or Livingstone, from where Kasane is only an hour's drive. We were now a short distance from the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe, but across the river lay Namibia's Caprivi Strip. This little corner of Africa takes some working out. I'd always thought of Namibia as a desert destination, but the Caprivi consists of swamps and hippo grass as far as the eye can see.

Here and there are occasional fishing villages — temporary structures that would soon be underwater as the river rose in its annual cycle. After the skipper alighted quickly to sign us into the park, we pottered along slowly, watching kingfishers hovering then diving, often surfacing with small fish in their beaks.

We spotted beady crocodile eyes poking out of the water, saw the great beasts lying in the shallows and, of course, came upon numerous pods of grunting hippo. There were plenty of tuskers too, wallowing in the mud and towering over us on the riverbank, and cute impala swarmed the Botswanan bank — even in the grounds of the exclusive Chobe Game Lodge.

The only hotel in the National Park, this is where — as every local will proudly tell you — Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor got married in 1975. And the guides can fill you in on every detail about the secret wedding too. This was the second time the couple had been joined in matrimony — apparently only 16 months after their first ten-year stint at marriage ended in divorce.

... what a twitcher's paradise it is...

And there were giggles at Rambo's suggestion that Taylor was clearly a serial wife — Burton was her fifth husband, while she was his second wife! Clearly the lives of rich and famous visitors to Chobe is every much a part of the guide training course as knowledge about the 450-odd bird species in the park.

And what a twitcher's paradise it is. The collectors ticked off some 50 species in three hours — dikkops (or thick knees, as I'm reliably informed they are now called), egrets, lilac-breasted rollers, cormorants, darters, Egyptian and spur-winged geese, white-faced duck, and yellow-billed and saddle-billed storks.

We enjoyed the classical African experiences — the haunting cry of the fish eagle, graceful jacana looking as if they were literally walking on the water, and yellow-billed ox-peckers removing ticks from the ever-present elephants. For me, it was a pleasure to come across birds that I'd never seen, though my enthusiasm to photograph a squacco heron nearly ended in tragedy.

Disturbed by the boat, the bird took flight and settled further away in the reeds. Moments later we saw an African fish eagle leave its treetop perch and dive straight for the heron. It missed, but I learnt my lesson to not upset the natural balance in my urge to take home holiday snaps.

The cruise passed so quickly that we were surprised to see a game cruiser waiting for us at White Sands. I was sorry to leave the river — it was such a tranquil, beautiful place, but as we drove the short distance to the camp we saw a huge herd of Cape buffalo, yet more elephant, and some magnificent sable antelope, so the land-based adventure started full of promise.

We could smell lunch before we even noticed the tented camp hidden in the trees — the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted enticingly in the breeze. Whoever plans these trips has an eye for detail and a good sense of the little luxuries that can really make a trip.

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