Best time to visit Botswana
The heat peaks in October - this is the best time to go and see game as it clusters around the Delta.
The "green" season, from November to March, is more pleasant, though game disperses once more and water levels drop in the Delta. Thunderstorms tend to occur late afternoon, dulling the heat yet leaving time for sunshine. Migratory birds and baby antelope are best seen now. However, rainy skies don’t match what flows on the ground: the water takes six months to filter through the sprawling Delta, meaning it’s at its fullest during the driest months.
Arid May and June can be extremely chilly, and the heat peaks in October, with cloudless skies providing little respite from the African sun. This is the prime game season, as wildlife heads to the Delta.
Arid May and June can be extremely chilly, and the heat peaks in October, with cloudless skies providing little respite from the African sun. This is the prime game season, as wildlife heads to the Delta.
Botswana Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
20
33
94
FEB
19
31
81
MAR
17
31
56
APR
14
28
44
MAY
8
25
11
JUN
5
22
4
JUL
5
23
3
AUG
7
26
2
SEP
12
29
14
OCT
16
31
40
NOV
18
32
69
DEC
19
32
82
Our Botswana Vacations
Namibia and Botswana camping safari
Camping safari to Namib desert, Caprivi, Etosha & Okavango
From
US $2815 to US $2950
21 days
ex flights
Botswana safari and Chobe river cruise
An exclusive combination of land & water based adventures
From
US $6125
10 days
ex flights
Botswana safari and Victoria Falls
An unforgettable wildlife and scenery experience
From
US $3853
11 days
ex flights
Namibia and Botswana safari vacation
Namibia & Botswana lodge safari Caprivi Etosha Okavango
From
US $3845 to US $4140
21 days
ex flights
Botswana camping safaris
Botswana's premier game parks, Okavango Moremi Savuti Chobe
From
US $2035 to US $2250
14 days
ex flights
Botswana fly-in safari vacation
Experience Botswana on a 6 night fly-in Safari adventure
From
£2850
7 days
ex flights
Best of Botswana and Zimbabwe
Visit two of southern Africa’s most amazing countries
From
US $7650
14 days
ex flights
Botswana lodge safari
Botswana affordable lodge safari Okavango, Moremi, Chobe
From
US $3000 to US $3140
13 days
ex flights
Vic Falls to Johannesburg tour, Southern Africa
Soak up the sights and sounds on this African adventure
From
US $1611 to US $2165
9 days
ex flights
Botswana safari, lodges and mobile camps
Wildlife lodges, mobile tented safaris & Victoria Falls!
From
US $6615
13 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Vic Falls small group tour
Adventure packed vacation from Cape Town to Victoria Falls.
From
US $2342 to US $3035
22 days
ex flights
Kalahari desert expedition safari, Botswana
Central Kalahari Game Reserve & Kgalagadi National Park
From
US $3400
14 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls vacation in Southern Africa
A spectacular and diverse African journey
From
US $2879 to US $5049
20 days
ex flights
Botswana luxury tailor made vacation
Wildlife of Okavango, Chobe and Makgadikgadi Park, in luxury
From
£3100 to £4930
7 days
ex flights
Zimbabwe & Botswana safari, elephant paths
Follow in the paths of one of Africa's most iconic creatures
From
US $3555
11 days
ex flights
Southern Africa luxury wildlife & beach vacation
Pristine beaches and rich wildlife on this Southern African tour
From
£9510
15 days
inc UK flights
Zimbabwe & Botswana self drive vacation
Victoria Falls and incredible wildlife on self drive tour
From
US $4380
16 days
ex flights
Luxury Botswana safari & Victoria Falls
Luxurious lodges & spectacular wildlife viewing
From
£9850
12 days
ex flights
Camping safari in Southern Africa
Camping safari highlights of Zimbabwe, Botswana & Kruger
From
US $2195
16 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group lodge tour
Classic route lodge safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
US $4195
21 days
ex flights
Botswana wildlife adventure
Fantastic Botswana wildlife adventure to 4 different areas
From
US $8865
12 days
ex flights
Botswana and Zimbabwe Ivory Route lodge tour
Classic Journey adventure safari Botswana, Zimbabwe Namibia
From
US $4750 to US $4970
15 days
ex flights
Botswana family adventure
A true African adventure for all the family!
From
US $4940
11 days
ex flights
Botswana highlights and Victoria falls
Great value safari adventure covering Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
US $4180
11 days
ex flights
Botswana family Safari with teenagers vacation
See some of the world’s greatest waterfalls and wildlife
From
US $1169 to US $1655
10 days
ex flights
Botswana vacation, tailor made
Enjoy the beauty of magnificent Victoria Falls & Botswana.
From
£3995
11 days
ex flights
Botswana and Zambia lodge safari, small group
Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls
From
US $4590 to US $4740
14 days
ex flights
Botswana flying safari and Victoria Falls
The very best of Botswana in the 4 principal national parks
From
US $8365
11 days
ex flights
Botswana and Zimbabwe lodge safari
Victoria Falls to the meandering waterways of the Okavango Delta
From
US $4949 to US $5049
14 days
ex flights
Botswana, Month by month
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Summer storms provoke dramatic skies and vibrant green landscapes, while flourishing wildflowers create wonderfully colourful backdrops.
Our photography pick: Chobe in January
Bruce Taylor founded our supplier Sunway Safaris in 1994, and has guided small group tours across southern Africa since then. Here he describes one of his favourite times to go to Botswana:
"I enjoy the green season, from December to April, because there's no dust. The beauty of the rains in Botswana is that they’re generally late afternoon thunderstorms that come rolling through then pass on, so you can still have gloriously sunny days. The rain cools things down a bit, there are a lot of young animals around and all the migratory birds are in the Okavango at this time – and they’re spectacular."
"I enjoy the green season, from December to April, because there's no dust. The beauty of the rains in Botswana is that they’re generally late afternoon thunderstorms that come rolling through then pass on, so you can still have gloriously sunny days. The rain cools things down a bit, there are a lot of young animals around and all the migratory birds are in the Okavango at this time – and they’re spectacular."
Our top Botswana Vacation
Botswana camping safaris
Botswana's premier game parks, Okavango Moremi Savuti Chobe
From
US $2035 to US $2250
14 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2019: 21 Jul, 25 Aug, 1 Sep, 15 Sep, 22 Sep, 29 Sep, 13 Oct, 20 Oct, 10 Nov, 15 Dec, 22 Dec, 29 Dec
2020: 5 Jan, 19 Jan, 9 Feb, 15 Mar, 22 Mar, 29 Mar, 5 Apr, 12 Apr, 19 Apr, 26 Apr, 10 May, 17 May, 24 May, 31 May, 14 Jun, 21 Jun, 5 Jul, 12 Jul, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 9 Aug, 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 1 Nov, 8 Nov, 15 Nov, 29 Nov, 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 20 Dec, 27 Dec
2019: 21 Jul, 25 Aug, 1 Sep, 15 Sep, 22 Sep, 29 Sep, 13 Oct, 20 Oct, 10 Nov, 15 Dec, 22 Dec, 29 Dec
2020: 5 Jan, 19 Jan, 9 Feb, 15 Mar, 22 Mar, 29 Mar, 5 Apr, 12 Apr, 19 Apr, 26 Apr, 10 May, 17 May, 24 May, 31 May, 14 Jun, 21 Jun, 5 Jul, 12 Jul, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 9 Aug, 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 1 Nov, 8 Nov, 15 Nov, 29 Nov, 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 20 Dec, 27 Dec
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Botswana or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
Festivals & events in Botswana
Did you know about…
The “Barbel Run”
Each September-October, the receding waters of the Delta cause huge shoals of fish to swarm back to the Okavango River. This causes a feeding frenzy amongst the larger barbels (catfish) and tigerfish, who slap the water with their tails, terrorising the smaller fish out from the reeds – into their own mouths, or the beaks of the stalking herons and eagles. It’s a fly fisherman’s dream – and a fascinating show even for those not armed with a rod.
Nov-Feb: Baby animals
The green season brings new life to Savuti as herbivores, including impala and wildebeest, begin to calve. But it’s not all cooing at wide-eyed babies; vulnerable youngsters also trigger a thrilling increase in predators, creating plenty of action for those watching from hides.Kuru Dance Festival
Held each August outside Ghanzi, Kuru stages the world’s largest gathering of San dancers. Hundreds of San from across Botswana and Namibia share skills, sell crafts and perform spiritual rituals – before dancing until the early hours of the morning.More about Botswana
If you’re looking to travel to southern Africa then our Botswana travel guide, packed full of information, is the perfect place to start your journey.
Our Botswana interactive map page reveals the country's highlights, with details of three classic itineraries, too, to help you make the most of your time.
There are of course myriad things to do in Botswana, from a mokoro canoe ride in the Delta to bush walks and an authentic San experience in the Kalahari.
Carrying water and silt from the Angolan highlands, Botswana’s Okavango Delta floods life into the Kalahari Desert and supports wildlife on an epic scale.
Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve offers what is arguably some of the finest game viewing in southern Africa, in one of the continent’s richest and most diverse ecosystems.
Discover the diverse and fascinating wildlife roaming through one of Africa’s last great wildernesses on a Botswana safari.
The chance to see a vast array of Botswana wildlife hunting, feeding and raising young in some of Africa’s most unspoilt, pristine environments is what draws people to this desert nation.
You know your children and if you think that traveling in Botswana with kids will work for you and your family then don’t hold back, go for it.
Botswana is an exclusive destination with exclusive accommodation – often small, always perfectly formed and frequently at the forefront of responsible tourism.
We really rate travel advice from our friends in Botswana and think you should too; read pearls of wisdom from expert travel writers, photographers and fellow travelers, too.
Learn about Botswana's responsible tourism issues, from hunting bans to the San people, is an important part of traveling right in Botswana and finding out what you can do to help.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: 2630ben] [Jeeps: Ray in Manila]
[Elephants from jeep: abi.bhattachan]
[Elephants: Malcolm Macgregor]
[Elephants: Sander Wehkamp]
[Fancy food: Walter Scharer]
[Woman: WycliffeSA]
[Meal: Jeremy t. Hetzel]
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