When to go on safari in Botswana

June is the first month of the cool dry season in Botswana, the prime period for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes should be almost dried out, with the long grasses having yellowed and toppled and the wildlife significantly migrated back towards permanent water, making for strong and reliable wildlife viewing.

This is the first month when the floods typically fully arrive into the west and northcentral parts of the Okavango and Linyanti wetlands, which can be fun to witness and can create a clustering of wildlife.

The night time temperatures remain low, meaning hot water bottles in bed and ponchos on morning drives.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges are now at their highest, but the lodges are unlikely to be totally full.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early winter at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

early dry season and flood arrival

July is the second month of the cool dry season in Botswana, the prime period for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes should be almost dried out, with the long grasses having yellowed and toppled and the wildlife significantly migrated back towards permanent water, making for strong and reliable wildlife viewing.

This is the second month when the floods typically fully arrive into the west and northcentral parts of the Okavango and Linyanti wetlands, which can be fun to witness and can create a clustering of wildlife.

The night time temperatures remain low, meaning hot water bottles in bed and ponchos on morning drives.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges are now at their highest. The lodges are likely to be fully booked, but that’s not a particular problem.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is winter at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

cool nights and epic wildlife

August is the third month of the cool dry season in Botswana, the prime period for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes will have dried out, with the vegetation having long since died back and the wildlife now settled around permanent water, making for strong and reliable wildlife viewing.

By now, the flood should have arrived into most of the wetland areas, although perhaps not as far as the southern part of the Okavango Delta.

The night time temperatures are likely to remain quite low, meaning hot water bottles in bed and ponchos on morning drives.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges are now at their highest. The lodges are likely to be fully booked, but that’s not a particular problem.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is winter at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

approaching the thumping height of the dry season

September is the fourth month of the dry season in Botswana, arguably the best month of the year and certainly a prime period for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes will be starting to become very desiccated, with the vegetation having long since died back and the wildlife migrating daily in and out of permanent water sources, making for very strong and reliable wildlife viewing.

By now, the flood should have arrived into almost all of the wetland areas and will be subsiding from more westerly parts.

The night time temperatures are now much more comfortable than preceding months, so probably no more need for hot water bottles in bed.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges are at their highest. The lodges are likely to be fully booked, but that’s not a particular problem.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early spring at this time, which is not perfect, but still pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

arguably the best month of the year in Botswana

October is the fifth and final month of the dry season in Botswana, usually the best month of the year for wildlife viewing.

By now, the landscapes should be very desiccated, with the vegetation having long since died back and the wildlife migrating daily in and out of permanent water sources. This makes for very strong and reliable wildlife viewing, but can also be quite a painful scene, as the animals struggle with the harsh conditions.

By now, the flood should have passed through all of the wetland areas and will be largely subsided, especially in more westerly parts.

The daytime temperatures can now start to soar, in advance of the upcoming rains and they can become quite oppressive. Bear in mind that most lodges do not have air-conditioning, so you need to be good with these high heat and humidity. If not, then aim for the preceding months, which are much cooler.

Unfortunately, the prices in almost all lodges remain at their highest. The lodges may continue to be fully booked, but that’s not a particular problem.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is spring at this time, which can be very pleasant. There are also options to combine with tropical beaches.

epic wildlife but potentially very warm conditions

By November, we are entering the most challenging time to be on safari in Botswana.

The temperatures climb in advance of the rains, making for potentially uncomfortable nights in camps without air-conditioning (almost all of them). Once the rains properly break, temperatures should ease, but the timing of this event is unpredictable and can take place any time through this period. Even during rainy periods, the sunshine hours usually remain high.

Before the rains, during the height of the dry season, wildlife is gathered around the few remaining waterholes and sightings can be truly epic.

Once the rains break, the wildlife starts to disperse away from the permanent sources of water in the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront, making wildlife viewing gradually less intense, but still relatively rich.

Out in the Makgadikgadi and Central Kalahari areas, the migration spectacles of the upcoming green season are yet to really get underway.

Heading into November, many camps are massively discounted, to compensate for these various adverse factors.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early summer at this time, making it the perfect complement to a Botswana safari.

uncomfortably hot in advance of the unpredictable rains

December in Botswana is usually a continuation of the challenging conditions of the previous month.

The temperatures remain high, making for potentially uncomfortable nights in camps without air-conditioning (almost all of them). Once the rains properly break, temperatures should ease, but the timing of this event is unpredictable and can take place any time through this period. Even during rainy periods, the sunshine hours usually remain high.

Once the rains break, the wildlife starts to disperse away from the permanent sources of water in the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront, making wildlife viewing gradually less intense, but still relatively rich.

On the open grasslands of the Makgadikgadi area, large herds of wildebeest and zebras should be starting to congregate to have their young.

During the first three weeks of December, many camps are massively discounted, to compensate for these various adverse factors. Predictably, these prices rise again for a short period over Christmas and New Year.

The Cape (Cape Town, Whale Coast, Cape Winelands) has a converse seasonality to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. It is early summer at this time, making it the perfect complement to a Botswana safari.

probably still hot and sticky, depending on the rains