Botswana
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Clive, Helen, Jonathan, Hayley, James, Sarah, Thomas & Emily from Berkshire travelled to Botswana, Zimbabwe & South Africa
Hi Michele, I now have access to my emails and a mobile for the first time in over two weeks! Really we just wanted to say a great big thank you to you and your team. You put a fantastic itinerary together that really captured our requirements. All the accommodation was excellent and all the people we interacted with (with one slight exception) were lovely helpful people. Inevitably issues will arise on such a package but whatever arose your team responded very quickly and sorted things out – even over Christmas! We particularly appreciated your excellent response to the car hire issue. If we can provide any further reference or endorsement to support your business then just let us know. Once again many thanks for organising this trip of a lifetime.
Botswana
When to Travel & Seasons
Botswana Seasons And Weather – When To Visit The Okavango
The dry season in Botswana is from April to October, with the rains falling from November through to March.
In general, game-viewing in Botswana is best between May and November. In April/early May, the grasses are still long and game viewing can be more challenging. From late May onwards, conditions the game viewing can be considered as excellent, though it is probably best from August to the end of the dry season in October. The landscape can look harsh and very dry during this time, but game-viewing is easiest because grasses and foliage have withered or being eaten, and animals are reliant on more limited water sources. Migrant birds tend to start arriving in late September.
November usually brings the start of the rainy season, and whilst game-viewing can still be excellent with great visibility, certain animals (particularly elephant and buffalo herds) will start to disperse as soon as enough rain has fallen for them to survive away from the permanent water sources.
The most challenging time of year to visit Botswana is from December to March, unless you are mainly interested in birds and don’t mind a bit of rain!
The exception to this rule is the Kalahari ecosystem, where game-viewing is actually more productive during the rainy season (best from December to March) when game concentrates on the open plains and around pans. During the dry season, and particularly from July to October, the Kalahari is very harsh and game is widely dispersed.
The Okavango Delta floods annually from April (when the waters usually start to arrive) to June, so the best wetland ‘Okavango’ experience is usually had between May and September.
Temperature-wise, Botswana is temperate (not too hot or cold) in April and late August/ September. May through to late August is lovely and fresh, with clear sunny days but very, very cold evenings and early mornings. From late September onwards it can get very hot with day temperatures often exceeding 35°C and humidity increasing until the onset of the rains in November when temperatures drop off a little. December to March can be very hot and at times, humid.