Conjure up an image of an African safari and chances are you’ll imagine dusty days spent rattling through the bush in a Land Rover, bumping down rutted roads in search of the "big five". After a few hours, you’ll feel like you’ve gone five rounds in the ring, and will head straight for the spa to try to massage out the kinks.
Aboard the Zambezi Queen, a five-star safari takes on an entirely different course, as you cruise serenely along a 25-kilometre stretch of the beautiful Chobe River in north-eastern Botswana.
The Chobe is one of Africa’s most famous waterways. From its source in the Angolan Highlands, it flows through the famed Linyanti Swamps to form the border between Botswana and Namibia, before joining the Zambezi River. A year-round source of water, it attracts vast numbers of herbivores, with thousands of elephants, buffaloes and hippos making their home here.
Few visits to the region are as memorable as those aboard the Zambezi Queen, the most luxurious houseboat in southern Africa. The vessel has plied the waters of the Chobe River since 2009, and was recently relaunched after a complete revamp. The new aesthetic is the work of interior designer Maurette van Eyssen, who let the organic colours and textures of the surrounding riverbanks guide the boat’s new aesthetic.
“Bringing nature into the design was very important, since I wanted to create a seamless sophisticated flow from indoors to outdoors,” says van Eyssen, who found myriad touch points to work with.
Nguni cowhides are a nod to the villagers that graze their cattle on the grassy shores, while natural textures and tones subtly reflect the lush Chobe landscape in Botswana. “The subtle colour palette of nature, the reeds growing along the river, the trees on the banks, the boldness of the building clouds before the storm, the bright designs on [local] printed skirts” were but some of the things van Eyssen drew upon.
That splash of colour carries through to the guest suites, which feature striking fabrics by Ardmore, an award-winning South African artists’ collective. The 14 suites are spread across the lower two decks of the Zambezi Queen, and offer more than enough room for your days aboard, with spacious bedrooms, ample bathrooms and generous showers. The pick of the lot is the four luxury suites at the bow, each with a wide private balcony and impressive views of the river unfurling ahead.
Upstairs, the top deck of the Zambezi Queen are communal areas, including a sun deck and splash pool. Step inside (the air-con is a gift on hot African afternoons) and you’ll find an airily elegant space that stretches the length of the ship, with a cosy dining area and intimate lounges facing onto sliding picture windows, allowing for effortless game viewing as the Queen cruises upstream.
But as tempting as it is to stay onboard, the real adventure begins when you step aboard the dedicated game-viewing speedboats. Much like a land-based safari lodge, days on the Zambezi Queen follow a familiar rhythm of morning and afternoon excursions, and the speedboat trips in search of wildlife are an unforgettable highlight of my time aboard.
The Chobe River is shared by Namibia and Botswana, and safari boats traverse the waters of both countries, cruising between the grassy islands of the Namibian shore and the forested banks of Botswana’s Chobe National Park.
The dry months of winter – roughly June to September – are the best time to visit. With the rainy season long gone, and the waterholes drying out, large herds of herbivores throng the banks, with adventurous elephants wading shoulder-deep to feed on juicy aquatic plants.
And while the birding is best in the rainy summer – January is peak season for twitchers – there was no shortage of sightings to keep us entertained, from white-faced whistling ducks in the grasslands to green wood hoopoes cackling in the branches of riverside jackalberry trees. Spend some time scanning the waterberry trees of Kakumba Island and you may be rewarded with a sighting of the rare Pel’s fishing owl too.
With minimal effort, it soon felt like we were ticking off a “greatest hits” of being on safari. To the left, a pied kingfisher sat with a tiny tilapia clamped within its razor-sharp beak. Deeper into the bush, two lions had paired off. To the right, a herd of buffalo eyed us warily as they chewed the cud. Up ahead? A herd of elephant sploshing in the shallows, throwing showers of water across their leathery skin. Above, delivering the soundtrack to it all, the unmistakable call of an African fish eagle.
Aside from the game viewing trips, guests can visit nearby villages for a glimpse of local culture, or set aside a few afternoon hours casting a line for tiger fish. These hard-fighting game fish are legendary in Africa, and the rapids downstream of Kasane town are an excellent place to catch them.
I try my luck on the last evening, as the sun dips low over the Zambezi. “Tiger fishing is best in July and August when the water is low,” says my guide Success Kachingo, as he baits my line. “But maybe we’ll be lucky.”
We certainly are, and it’s not long before my reel whines and a 2kg tiger fish is scooped aboard, a foot-long slab of muscle and angry teeth. We land a few more before the grunting of nearby hippo and the lowering sun remind us that it’s time to head back to the Zambezi Queen. While there may not be a campfire crackling, she rests quietly at anchor against a burnished orange sky. The queen of the river indeed.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
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European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
