Botswana - Welcome
Botswana is a year round wildlife destination. There are, however, certain seasons for special interest groups to take note of:- Best birding months are Nov - March when the Delta is brimming with migratory birds.
- Best botanical months are Dec - May when the vegetation is lush and green, and also when most plants are in flower.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE OKAVANGO DELTA
The best time is certainly during the dry season from April to October. The drier it becomes, the more animals one usually sees near permanent water. It becomes very hot from October onwards. The roads are very bad during the rainy season (November - March), but it is certainly good for the more adventurous visitor who does not mind getting stuck a few times. Advantages of the rainy season are that most of the animals have their young at this time, the landscape is green and beautifully decorated with wild flowers and you have virtually the whole place too yourself.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE MOREMI
The rainy season is from October to April, the peak being January and February. During this time most of the roads are very difficult to negotiate and some completely impassable. Temperature and humidity are very high during the summer months. A visit to the Moremi during the peak of the rainy season is therefore only for the truly adventurous, but for plant lovers it is a must. Game viewing is generally better during the dry season (April to October), when there is a concentration of game along permanent rivers. October is definitely the best time for game viewing, although it is also the hottest month. September/October months are also good for bird watching as that is the time when the herons and other water birds breed in the Delta. The Khwai River is particularly famous for the large number of raptors, especially Bateleurs that congregate along the extremities of the river between August and November. Bird-watchers should put the Khai River at the top of their list at this time of year.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE CHOBE
The rainy season is from October to April with a peak during January and February, although it often does not start raining until mid-December. The rains can make traveling very difficult in the clayey areas, but Chobe remains quite accessible if these areas are avoided. The Chobe riverfront and the Linyanti are equally beautiful, but rather devoid of game because of the availability of surface water elsewhere. In the areas mentioned, humidity and temperatures are very high during the summer months and mosquitoes are therefore abundant. A visit to the Chobe National Park during the rainy season is perhaps for the more adventurous, but the wild flowers, the exquisite scenery, the rich bird life and the abundance of baby animals make a bit of mud around the ankles a small price to pay. Savuti in the rainy season is magnificent because this is the time when the plain's animals (mainly zebra) move south to enjoy the lushness of the Savuti Marsh and Mababe Depression. The pans abound with bird life and the landscape is decorated with veld flowers.
During the dry season there is a concentration of game along the permanent watercourses and pans. The Chobe and Linyanti areas are excellent for game this time of the year, especially during October. Remember, however, that October is the hottest month and the heat can become very uncomfortable.
During October Savuti represents Africa in the harshest terms and veld fires often accentuate it. At night Savuti becomes alive with nocturnal sounds - elephants screeching impatiently at the water holes, earth-trembling lion roars and hyenas laughing at something only they will know what.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE MAKGADIKDAGI PANS
The best season to visit is probably from April right through to December. From March too about May the animals are more concentrated in the southeastern corner of the Park, after which they move gradually to the Boteti. October to December is a very good time, as many of the large herds of zebra and wildebeest have reached the Boteti side of the Park.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE
The best season is most certainly during the rainy season, when everything is green and thousands of springbok and gemsbok are attracted to the north, but a visit at any time of the year is most rewarding in this incredibly beautiful reserve. The rainstorms in summer are frequent but not long-lived and the cloud formations that accompany them take one's breath away!
