Zambezi Queen
Luxury houseboat · Houseboat based on the Namibian bank of the Chobe; boarded from Kasane · Zambezi Queen Collection (Mantis)
Top-end
Outside the gate
Safari company
The flagship houseboat of the Zambezi Queen Collection, a member of the Mantis Collection, which runs a fleet of houseboats and a land-based lodge on the Chobe River where it forms the border between Namibia and Botswana. The boat is based in Namibian waters and guests board from Kasane. Two- and three-night cruises include meals, local drinks, water-based game viewing, seasonal fishing and one village tour, priced in South African rand by chobe.com. Game drives in Chobe National Park are not included. Children under seven are not accepted, per the reseller. Choose it for a slow, comfortable river trip, and pair it with a Kasane lodge if you want game drives.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Luxury river cruising opposite the park
- A village tour included
- Seasonal fishing from the boat
- Kasane transfers included
Cons
- No children under 7, per the reseller
- Game drives in the park not included
- Rates only from a reseller, in rand
- Capacity not published
What's here
Arranged from the lodge:
- Boat trips
- Fishing
- Community visits
Read from Zambezi Queen's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Chobe National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryP270 a day for non-residents, roughly $20 at P13.5 to the dollar.
- $20per person, per day
- VehicleP115 a day for a foreign-registered vehicle, roughly $9 (P30 for a Botswana-registered or hired car).
- $9per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $147 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Chobe National ParkRates at Zambezi Queen
From ZAR 27,774 per person, 2-night cruise (reseller rate). Reseller chobe.com, per person sharing, in South African rand: 2-night cruise ZAR 27,774 (January and February 2026), ZAR 34,549 (March to November); 3-night cruise ZAR 41,659 and ZAR 51,824. Includes meals, local drinks, water-based game viewing, seasonal fishing, one village tour and Kasane transfers; game drives in Chobe National Park are excluded.
All inclusive. The rate covers meals, drinks, activities and the transfers named below. Park fees are charged separately.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked on 4 October 2026, per person per night sharing, from each property's own website or rate sheet where one is published. Desert & Delta, Belmond, &Beyond, Bush Ways, Machaba and several Kasane lodges publish none, so those figures come from two resellers, chobe.com and the Siyabona network (safari.co.za), and are marked as a reseller rate; the houseboat and Ichingo figures from chobe.com are in South African rand. SKL's campsite table is undated. Kwando Safaris, African Bush Camps and several smaller lodges publish no rates at all. Park entry is P270 per non-resident per day for a private visitor and P190 on an operator's activity, and many Kasane packages leave it out, so check what your rate includes.
Questions about Zambezi Queen
Is the Zambezi Queen in Botswana?
It sails on the Chobe River, which forms the border, and is based on the Namibian side. Guests are transferred from Kasane to board.
What does the Zambezi Queen cost?
chobe.com, a reseller, lists a two-night cruise at ZAR 27,774 per person sharing in January and February 2026 and ZAR 34,549 from March to November, and a three-night cruise at ZAR 41,659 or ZAR 51,824. Game drives in the park are extra.
Can children sail on the Zambezi Queen?
Not under seven, according to chobe.com, a reseller. The operator's own pages read state no child policy.