Best Time to Visit Botswana for Safari

The wet season in Botswana usually runs late November through to March or early April. When the rain comes, average temperatures are very comfortable in the low 20's degrees Centigrade. Storms can be sporadic afternoon affairs, often leaving plenty of the day bright and sunny.

This wet season follows two very hot months (October and November), when temperatures can reach 40oC.

The dry season can be bone dry in the Kalahari, lasting May and into October. The Okavango Delta experiences the same rainfall patter, but in the middle of this period (July) waters emanating from the Angolan highlands can spill right across the Okavango Delta making this the wettest period to visit, despite clear sunny skies. This is when the delta is easiest to visit, with flood waters allowing wide access using traditional dugout canoes.

In the Kalahari Desert, the dry season is of course intensely dry. This means that wildlife has to come to water holes to drink, which makes opportunities to spot them easier here. The wetter season in contrast causes the desert to bloom with green grasses, yellow and violet flowers against a backdrop of copper red sand dunes. Skies are often clear with dotted cloud which can provide some of the most beautiful scenes for landscape photography. With more vegetation to feed on, antelopes breed during this period.

In summary, July and August are particularly good months to visit the Okavango, with dry season Kalahari providing good opportunities to find game concentrated at water holes.

March to May is good for drier areas, but not so good for the Okavango.

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