The best months are not the ones you would guess.
Botswana’s flood arrives months after the rain, and from another country. Here is what that means for your dates, honestly.
What each one actually gives you.
| Season | Months | Character | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak / Dry | Jul – Oct | Flood at its height, game concentrated at water, the best predator viewing of the year, cold mornings and dry warm days | Highest rates. Book 12–18 months ahead |
| Shoulder | May – Jun, Nov | Excellent game viewing, thinning crowds, mild days, and the flood arriving or receding | Strong value, and our own favourite months |
| Green / Emerald | Dec – Apr | Zebra migration, newborn animals, spectacular birding, dramatic skies and the best photographic light of the year | Lowest rates — up to 40% below peak |
The green season is not the consolation prize it gets treated as. For photographers, birders and anyone watching the cost, it is often the better trip.
What is happening, and where.
January – March
Peak green season. The zebra migration is on the Makgadikgadi and Nxai grasslands, newborn animals everywhere, and the Kalahari is at its best of the year. Afternoon thunderstorms and superb light. Lowest rates.
April – May
The rains end and the country dries out slowly. Landscapes still green, crowds still thin, and the flood beginning to push into the Delta. Excellent value and, in May, some of the most comfortable weather of the year.
June – July
The flood arrives properly and the mokoro channels open. Cold mornings, dry warm days, and game beginning to concentrate. July starts peak pricing but June is one of the best-value months in the calendar.
August – September
The classic months. Flood at its height in the Delta, Chobe’s elephant massed on the river, predator viewing at its very best, and no rain at all. Highest rates and the earliest to sell out.
October
The hottest month, and for game viewing arguably the best. Water sources have shrunk to almost nothing and the concentrations are extraordinary. Daytime heat can exceed 40°C, which not everyone enjoys.
November – December
The first rains break the heat and the country transforms within days. Migrant birds arrive, the pans green up, and rates drop. An underrated window if you can travel then.
The flood peaks in the dry season.
Rain falls on the Angolan highlands between December and March. The water takes months to travel down the Okavango River and spread across the Kalahari sand — so the Delta is at its fullest between June and September, in the middle of Botswana’s dry winter, when every other water source in the region has gone.
That is why the game concentrations are so extreme in the dry months, and why a “water safari” in the Delta is best in the season you would assume was worst for it.
How far the water gets varies from year to year with the Angolan rainfall. In a low flood year some water camps lose their mokoro channels altogether, which is worth asking about before you book one.
What guests ask before choosing dates.
When is the single best month?
If you must have one: August. The flood is high, the game is concentrated on water, the days are warm and dry, and the nights are cold enough to make a fire worthwhile. It is also the most expensive month of the year and needs booking twelve to eighteen months out.
Is the green season really worth considering?
Yes, and we probably push it harder than we should. December to April brings the zebra migration, newborn animals everywhere, the best birding of the year, spectacular storm light for photographers, and rates up to forty per cent below peak. The trade is thicker vegetation, harder game viewing in the Delta, and afternoon rain. For photographers, birders and value-conscious travellers it is frequently the better trip.
How cold does it actually get?
Colder than people pack for. Between June and August a morning game drive at 6 a.m. in an open vehicle can be close to freezing, and the wind chill makes it worse. Camps provide blankets and hot water bottles; you should still bring a proper jacket, hat and gloves. By mid-morning it will be shirtsleeves.
When can I see the zebra migration?
December to March, between the Makgadikgadi grasslands and Nxai Pan. It follows the rain, so the exact timing shifts each year: we position on current information rather than a brochure calendar. See The Zebra Migration.
Are any camps closed in the wet season?
Some, yes — particularly mobile camping operations and camps on black-cotton soil that becomes impassable. Others stay open and drop their rates sharply. We will tell you which of your shortlist is actually operating on your dates before you fall in love with one.
Does the flood level change from year to year?
Considerably. The Okavango’s flood depends on rainfall in Angola the previous season, and a low flood year changes which camps are worth booking — some water camps lose their mokoro channels entirely. This is exactly the kind of current, local information that a specialist has and a booking engine does not.
Tell us when you can travel.
Dates first, then the itinerary. We would rather design the right trip for your window than the trip you read about for somebody else's.