When to go on safari in Botswana

The Okavango Delta is the only place we know of where the busiest season is when there is the most water and the busiest season is also the driest. That sentence sounds wrong. It is correct. The water people see in the Delta in July arrives from rain that fell on the Angolan highlands four months earlier, and by the time it has worked its way down through fifteen hundred kilometres of channel, it crosses Botswana exactly when the local rains have stopped. Dry sky, full water, peak game. That is why July to October is what most people picture when they picture the Delta.

But the green season has its own argument, and it is a strong one. So this is the proper monthly breakdown of when to go to Botswana, and what each month gives you.

The dry season, May to October

This is peak. Plan around it.

May. The water is rising fast in the Delta. The bush is still relatively green from the recent summer rains. Animals are starting to move toward permanent water. Mornings are cool, days are mild, evenings are crisp. Lodge rates are mid-range, occupancy is rising. A good month for a first Botswana trip if you want some green still in the bush.

June and July. The Delta is at high water. The mokoro experience is at its best because the channels are full and you can pole through papyrus that drops down on you from above. Daytime temperatures are mild (low to mid twenties Celsius), nights are cold (down to 5 degrees in camp). Game density is climbing as the surrounding bush dries.

August and September. The peak window. The water is still high in the Delta but the bush around it has dried out. Animals are concentrated. Predator activity is at its strongest. Visibility is best. Skies are clear daily. Daytime temperatures rise into the high twenties and start touching the low thirties by late September. Rates are at peak, lodges are full, and the small camps go nine to twelve months in advance.

October. The hottest month. Daily temperatures regularly hit 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. The bush is at its driest, animal concentrations are at their tightest, the Delta is starting to drop. Photographers love October because the light is golden, the dust hangs in the air, and the action around the remaining waterholes is intense. First-timers can find the heat punishing, especially in midday camp downtime.

The shoulder, November

The first rains usually break in November. They arrive in afternoon storms, dramatic and brief, and they cool the country quickly. The bush flushes within days. Migrant birds start to arrive. Game viewing is still strong but starts to spread out. Rates drop noticeably from November onward and lodges have more availability. We like this month for guests who want strong game with fewer guests.

The green season, December to April

The Botswana the camps don't always show on their websites.

December and January. The wettest months. Daily afternoon storms, sometimes torrential. The bush is emerald green. Newborn impala, zebra, and warthog are everywhere by January. The Makgadikgadi pans flood and the zebra migration arrives across them, Africa's longest land migration, and almost no one knows about it. Birding is exceptional. Game viewing is harder because of cover and dispersal, but the photography is rich.

February and March. The peak of birding and big-skies photography. The Kalahari is at its greenest, which is the only time it doesn't look like a desert. Some of the more remote camps close briefly during the heaviest rains because of access. Always check before booking.

April. The transition. Rain has stopped, water is starting to push down into the Delta from Angola, the bush is still lush. Lodge rates are at their lowest of the year and quality of guiding is identical. We have sent guests in late April who said it was the best safari they had ever done, and I believe them.

When to go for what you want

For first-timers who want the classic dry-season Delta with high water and dense game: late May to early August.

For photographers who want golden light and big predator action: September and October.

For honeymooners who want quieter camps and softer weather: late April, May, or November.

For families with young children: April, May, or June. Avoid October heat.

For the lowest rates and almost no other guests: February, March, or April.

For the Makgadikgadi zebra migration specifically: late December through March.

How to think about the regions in season

Okavango Delta core: best in the dry, but its water-based experience (mokoro) needs the high water from June onwards. April and May are good if you want the rising water without the peak crowds.

Linyanti and Selinda: best August through October when the river is the only water for kilometres in any direction. Predator concentrations here in those months are extraordinary.

Chobe: known for its elephant gatherings on the river in the dry. June to October peak. Very busy at Chobe National Park itself; we use private concessions adjacent.

Makgadikgadi: a green season specialist. Best from December to March for the migration and the salt pans being usable as a dry surface but with vegetation in the surrounding mopane. The Kalahari proper is dry-walking country and works best from May to October when it is cooler.

Start with a conversation

Tell us when you can travel and which regions catch your imagination, and we'll match the season to the country honestly. There are months we'd send you and months we wouldn't, and we will tell you which is which.