Travel Guide Section Savute

Along with the River Front, the Savute is the most visited section of Chobe National Park. Made famous by Dereck and Beverly Joubert's superb wildlife documentaries(Eternal Ennemies, Lions of Darkness, Patterns in the Grass...), this section is also known for its large populations of bull elephants, lions and hyenas, although these appear to be in decline in recent years, and for its large migrations of zebra and wildebeest. Located to the west of the park, this area of mystery is worthy of its name, Savute, which means "uncertain" or "dark" in Siyei, the language of the Bayei. With its hills rising sharply out of the flat expanse and the remnant of its inland lake, Savute intrigues as much as it attracts. What is this swamp in name only? Why has the river, which once brought food and lushness, repeatedly dried up and now and then resurfaces? When Livingstone discovered it in 1851, the Savute flowed until it dried up completely thirty years later. Then for eighty years, the river remained lifeless before suddenly resuming its course in the 1950s for an almost continuous period of thirty years. Since 2009, the river has been flowing again in the area. However, questions remain and environmentalists wonder about the future of this region so rich in life and yet deprived of water during the dry season