When to Go to Botswana

The country is without question a year-round wildlife destination. However, when debating the best time to travel to Botswana, it's important to identify why you are going.

• The best time to travel to Botswana for wildlife viewing is the dry winter season (May to October) when the bush is at its thinnest and the animals at their thirstiest - head for the Chobe River, Savuti and Okavango Delta for some of Africa's most awesome game viewing.

• The best time to go to Botswana for bird watching is in the summer rainy season (November to April), when the bush is brimming with breeding local birds, not to mention all the intra-African and Palaearctic migratory birds.

• The best time to visit Botswana's Kalahari areas (Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai Pans National Park and Makgadikgadi Pans National Park) is also during the summer rainy season (November to April) when many species of antelope (followed by predators) move onto the now green pans to graze - usually dropping their young at the same time. The bird watching is also great in these parks at this time of year with a combination of desert specialists and migrant birds - anything can turn up, and usually does!

• The best time to visit for matters botanical is from December to May, when the vegetation is lush and green and most plants are in flower - although bear in mind that, despite an interesting flora (including awesome trees), Botswana is not famous for acres of wild flowers.

When to go on a Botswana Safari

Undoubtedly the most comfortable time for a Botswana tour or safari is during the dry winter season (May to October). The rains have finished, the mosquitoes (mostly) gone and the wildlife begins to concentrate, in increasing numbers, at waterholes and rivers.

Winter in Botswana is a pleasant affair - warm sunny days and cool to very cold nights. Morning game drives will see you wrapped up in blankets but you'll be by the pool after lunch.

November to April is a less popular time for taking a Botswana safari. This is the summer wet season, and due to the abundance of water it is less certain that one will see wildlife at perennial water holes. Also, the heavy rains can make some dirt roads impassable, not to mention the fact that the rains herald the beginning of the mosquito season.

If you are thinking about when to visit Botswana and you are worried about malaria, then a dry season visit would be the best time to travel.

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