There are two routes through the park between Kasane (GPS: KASANE) and Savuti. Certainly the shorter, and probably the more beautiful, is the western route, which takes about 172km to reach Savuti from Kasane and can take in the Chobe Riverfront drive if you have time. The alternative is the eastern route, which is about 207km long. This stays within the park and passes through the Nogatsaa Pans area.

Note that in the wet season, you're recommended to use the western route. Firstly, because it's probably slightly more frequented by vehicles. Secondly, you'll find it particularly easy to get stuck in the clay soils found around the pans (both Zweizwe and Nogatsaa/Tchinga). That said, if you do brave the pans route, the birding can be particularly good at that time of year.

Don't imagine that the western route is always easy at that time. Most of this is fairly thick sand and you'll often be crossing fossil dunes with woodland on the crests and scrub or grasslands in the valleys. Veronica Roodt (see Further Reading) reports that there's a patch where water sometimes gathers just south of the Gcoha Hills. So beware of problems there too after heavy rains.

Eastern route – via the pans
For the eastern route, you need to take the fast road from Kasane to Ngoma, away from the river. About 16km after the Sedudu Entrance Gate, near Kasane, you'll reach a crossroads. A right turn, north, would take you to the riverfront road in the Serondela area. Left leads you through the Nantanga Gate, onto the only road through Chobe, and within a kilometre to the Nantanga Pans.

About 35km later there is a left turn to the complex of roads around Nogatsaa airstrip, Ngwezumba Dam and the old Nogatsaa and Tchinga campsites. Continue straight and after about 22km you'll pass another left, leading back to the same area. Shortly after this the road begins to follow the dry bed of the Ngwezumba River.

Around 22km from this (GPS: CNP1) you pass a small track on the right, which leads after almost 4km to Nxunxutsha Pan (GPS: NXUNXU), which is the southernmost point of the Chobe Forest Reserve.

About 60km later after the second Nogatsaa turn-off, this road takes a more southerly direction and leaves the riverbed behind (GPS: CNP2). About 7km later the road splits it (GPS: CNP3), with the right turn leading southwest through the pans. About 11km later the road turns west and finally northwest towards Savuti. This track enters Savuti by the south side of Qumxhwaa Hill (Quarry Hill) and joins the western route from Kasane just north of the channel.

At this final split in the pans route, there is an alternative left fork (which is not recommended as a route) which leads south for a few kilometres before passing Chosoroga Pan. One spur from this used to swing west around the pan and join into the roads on the south side of Savuti Marsh (from where you bear north and slightly west to reach the centre of Savuti). Another track apparently heads down directly from this pan to Mababe Village. I'm unsure of the current state of either of these tracks, so I would welcome news on either (preferably accompanied by details and GPS co-ordinates if they're navigable).

The total distance from Kasane to Savuti along the eastern route is about 195km, and takes five or six hours to drive in the dry season. An advantage is the possibility of a midway stop at the Ngwezumba Pans, although scenically this route lacks the beauty of the Chobe River.

Western route – via the riverfront
Taking the western route you have a choice of ways to start. If you're in a hurry, or starting late in the day, then drive to Ngoma from Kasane on the tar. Alternatively, and much more enjoyable, is to meander along the riverfront road, which passes Serondela and Ihaha. Both are a little over 50km. The fast route will take under an hour, whereas the river route will take several, depending on how much you stop to watch animals or take photographs.

Either way you'll reach the scout hut at Ngoma, where you will probably be required to sign the register. Then you should take a left turn heading roughly southeast, signposted to Mabele (12km), Kachikau (36km), Parakarungu (70km) and Savuti. This is sometimes referred to as the B334 and it appears to be good tar – but don't let that deceive you, for after a little over a kilometre it reverts to gravel. This brings you into the Chobe Forest Reserve, mentioned in more detail after this route description.

About 11.5km past the turning you'll pass a big baobab near a few simple buildings and a large sign proclaiming Mabele. You'll still be able to see the Chobe floodplain off to the right, but with little game on it. Mabele has a 'Hi-life' bar and a soccer pitch. Mabele General Dealer (GPS: MABELE), on the right, is the best shop in town though it's very limited.

Whilst the road through Mabele is a slow sand surface, after Mabele it becomes a faster grey gravel again. The vegetation is mostly acacia species here, with lots of umbrella thorn, Acacia tortilis. The scenery becomes less inspiring, and almost 22km after Ngoma you pass a police camp on the right-hand side (various prefabricated houses) which overlooks the floodplain again.

Shortly afterwards, almost 25km from Ngoma, you reach the small town of Kavimba, which has a landmark in the form of two baobabs which stand in the road (GPS: KAVIMB). Entering town there's a new Apostolic church on the right.

A little over 10km later you'll reach Kachikau, which is marked on some maps as Kachekabwe. You'll be able to buy a limited range of drinks and foodstuffs at the shops here if you need them. There's a forestry camp here, and the smart, well-built Lizwasani Community Secondary School. In the centre of town (GPS: KACHIK) there's a right turning signposted to Setau, a small settlement in the communal area to the north of the Forest Reserve, near Lake Liambezi. Ignore that turning and just afterwards you'll pass the Chobe Craft Shop on the left, which sells a very good range of baskets.

After Kachikau the sand starts to get deeper and the track worse. (See box for a possible detour to avoid this.) The country around here is rolling vegetated dunes, which mean lots of corrugations and deep, deep sand. Plenty of leadwood trees are around, so beware of punctures (especially if you've reduced the pressures in your tyres for the sand). The long, strong leadwood spines will cause punctures in even the sturdiest of 4WD tyres.

About 80km after Ngoma you'll meet what looks like a crossroads, although in reality you are crossing the cut-line that marks the end of the forest reserve, and the start of Chobe National Park. If you were to turn right here, then this (very rough and bumpy) cut line would lead you to a spot on the Linyanti River just east of the Linyanti Campsite. If you were heading directly from Kasane to the Linyanti or Selinda concessions, you would probably use this track (the right side is better when it's wet, the left better in the dry season).

Continuing straight across the cut-line, however, and less than a kilometre later you'll reach the impressive Ghoha entrance gate (GPS: GCHOHA), which was completed as recently as May 1999. This is about 80km from Ngoma, and 28km from Savuti. Here you'll need to produce your camp reservations, sign in and pay any required park fees.

As you enter Chobe you'll see the Gchoha Hills on your left in the distance – the first set of hills. A few kilometres later you'll pass the first of the hills, which is dotted with baobab trees. The road inside the park is generally less sandy and better than that which is outside – although it does cross the northern edge of the Magwikhwe Sand Ridge just south of the hills.

About 25km after the entrance gate you'll pass a (sharp-angle) right turn which leads to Savuti airstrip, and a couple of kilometres further on you'll reach the main Savuti waterhole on your right, where you'll often find vehicles game viewing. The road eventually approaches Savuti from a northeasterly direction. Although this route is shorter (about 166km in total) and arguably more spectacular, it is probably more difficult and time-consuming to drive than the eastern route described above.