Best time to visit Botswana

During the summer months of November to April, Botswana experiences its ‘green season’ and the weather can be very hot. Throughout most of these months, the rains are mostly short afternoon showers, with the only continuous rainfall occurring during January and February. The scenery is spectacular at this time with all the verdant vegetation.

The wet season also sees many of the herbivore species, including impala and wildebeest, give birth to their young and, alongside these cute newborns, there’s an abundance of migratory bird species to spot. December to April is considered the low season with less visitors and some lodges and camps closed during the wettest months.

The winter months of May to October bring a cool change particularly the early mornings and evenings, yet it is still reasonably warm during the day with mostly pleasant average temperatures. Therefore it’s advisable to pack warm clothing for morning game drives, particularly during June, July and August. Rainfall is rare during this period and so winter in Botswana coincides with the dry season.

This is considered the best time to visit, as less vegetation makes it easier to spot wildlife, with large groups of animals congregating around waterholes and rivers. July to October is the peak season in Botswana for these reasons. However, despite most tourists visiting at this time, the parks still feel relatively uncrowded.

Despite being famous for its waterways, the wet season is ironically not the best time to visit the Okavango Delta. During the wettest months from January to March, some areas become inaccessible and those travelling during this time need to choose their locations carefully. Confusingly, Botswana’s dry season is when the water levels in the Okavango Delta are at their highest. This is due to the time it takes for the rain waters to reach and flood the delta. The best time to visit is from July to October, when you can not only expect great wildlife viewing, but also explore the park in a traditional dugout canoe known as a mokoro.

Wildlife migrates through Chobe National Park with the seasons. Several animals, specifically the Burchell’s zebra, tend to migrate to the Savute Marsh during the wettest months. Chobe’s riverfront area is best visited during the dry season, however as this is widely known it can get quite crowded at this time. August to October is considered the best time to visit Chobe, however the temperatures can get extremely hot.

Moremi Game Reserve follows the pattern of most of Botswana’s parks, with the best time for wildlife viewing being during the dry season, specifically from July to October. The wetter months from January to March then see some lodges close and some areas become inaccessible.

Wildlife migrates through the Central Kalahari with the seasons, with the best time for viewing being from December to March. During these wetter months, animals tend to gather around the pans in the Deception Valley area. However, the rains can cause the roads to become very muddy and even off limits in some places. Therefore you may wish to visit in April and May, as the roads tend to be in better condition and there is still plenty of wildlife about.