31 Jul 2025

Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) has raised concern over the misconduct and violation of park regulations by tour guides inside Chobe National Park.

This follows several videos circulating on social media platforms where mobile safari vehicles on a game drive diverted from the gazetted routes and encircled a pride lions as they devoured on a buffalo.

In an interview, DWNP Senior Wildlife officer stationed at Sedudu gate, Mr Phuthego Phuthego acknowledged that there were cases of misconduct inside the park where operators went off-road to search for animals like lions in order to please their clients.

He explained that there was an incident in June where lions made a kill about 1.6 kilometres away from the gazetted route hence tour guides made a diversion to follow the lions. The officer indicated that the wildlife wardens were on a patrol during that incident which resulted in an arrest of eight tour guides.

Moreover, he remarked that their guiding licenses were suspended for a month prohibiting them from guiding. Mr Phuthego said Chobe National Park was endowed with flora and fauna which thrived on sustainable conservation of the ecosystems.

“There is an array of organisms and plants which are inhabitants of the park some are very small which means when a safari vehicle off-roads they trample on these species and kill them and destroy plants that are food and shelter for animals.”

Moreover Mr Phuthego underscored the paramount responsibility for Botswana to remain a model of conservation admired by the rest of the world adding that diverting from gazzetted routes did not only degrade the ecosystem but posed a danger to tourists.

He said that in some instances, tour guides sped off from a crime scene inside a park when approached by wildlife officers, which he said, could cause accidents and injure vehicle occupants. He pointed out that the DWNP continued to hold consultations and outreach with mobile tour operators to raise awareness about park regulations professional guides’ code of conduct.

Mr Phuthego stated that the tourism peak season from April to October meant that many vehicles entered the park on a daily basis with about 50 safari vehicles entering the park through Sedudu gate.

He explained that there was no limit in terms of vehicles entering the park, having recorded 2 199 vehicles using Sedudu Gate in April, 1449 in May and 2340 in June.

Mr Phuthego said many operators taking tourists on a game drives preferred the riverfront route, which commenced at Sedudu gate stretching to Serondela because it offered an opportunity to see more wildlife as they descended down to Chobe River.

The officer highlighted that the department had a decongestion strategy that proved to be unfeasible because it only allowed 25 safari vehicles on each three routes per session hence crippled the business. 

He said since 2022 to date this strategy was mellowed to allow any number of vehicles inside the park and generate income for the tourism sector. ENDS