The best time to go on a Botswana safari

Go any time you want because it's fabulous all year round!

There is something magical about a safari in Botswana. Unlike many destinations where timing can make or break a trip, in Botswana every month has its own treasures waiting to be uncovered. From the arid plains of the Kalahari to the watery labyrinth of the Okavango Delta, each season shifts the scenery and the stories you’ll encounter. Whether it is the peak of the dry season or the heart of the green season, the country’s national parks, game reserves, and protected areas are always alive with promise.

During the dry season, which runs roughly from May to October, the land wears the classic savannah palette of browns and golds. As water becomes scarce, animals gather around rivers, pans, and the last floodplains, creating some of the most concentrated wildlife viewing you’ll find anywhere in Africa.

This is the season of drama and spectacle. Large herds of elephants gather in Chobe, prides of lions patrol the open plains around Nxai Pan, and leopards drape themselves over acacia branches, their presence betrayed only by a flick of a tail or a flash of golden eyes. The annual Okavango Delta inundation adds its own theatre, as floodwaters from Angola turn channels, lagoons, and islands into a paradise for hippos, crocodiles, and a dazzling variety of waterbirds.

A photographer's dream

The contrast of wildlife against parched landscapes or mirrored floodplains makes this period irresistible for photographers. For first-time safari-goers, it feels like stepping into the pages of a classic safari story.

In contrast, the green season, from November to March, breathes new life into the bush. Rainfall transforms the landscape into a lush mosaic of greens, softening the edges of the wilderness and creating an intimate setting for wildlife encounters. This is birthing season, when the air is filled with the calls of newborns finding their feet, the sight of calves wobbling through long grass, and playful youngsters chasing each other in the rain-washed light.

Predators adapt to the thicker vegetation, making sightings more of a challenge but all the more rewarding when they come. Birders are spoiled as migratory flocks arrive in their thousands, filling the skies with colour and sound. Even the insects play their part, pollinating blossoms and supporting the delicate food chains that sustain the entire ecosystem.

Seasonal subtlety

It is not just the seasons that matter, but the little shifts within them. Dawn and dusk remain the golden hours, when wildlife is most active and the light paints the landscape in unforgettable tones.

In the Okavango, the play of sunlight on flooded channels can be mesmerising, while in the Kalahari, the evening glow over the plains feels almost otherworldly. Magic can happen in the quietest moments: watching elephants take long, deliberate sips at a waterhole, following the stealth of a leopard through whispering grass, or glimpsing a Pel’s fishing owl perched silently over a channel that never dries.

Botswana’s protected areas hold space for both the big and the small. Moremi and Chobe deliver the classic safari icons, while Makgadikgadi surprises with its shimmering salt pans that sometimes flood into havens for flamingos, pelicans, and migratory waders. And it’s not just the headline species that matter – civets, genets, dwarf mongooses, and other small mammals tell their own stories, adding depth and texture to the greater picture. This harmony of scale is one of the reasons Botswana works beautifully at any time of year.

Stories waiting to be told

Perhaps the most powerful reason why there is no single “best time” to go on safari in Botswana is that every journey is its own story. The land, the light, the wildlife, and even the observer all shape the narrative. No two days are alike, and no visit is ever repeated.

The dry season is defined by open vistas, concentration of wildlife, and big drama. The green season is about renewal, intimacy, and surprise. In between lie the transitional months, when you might see a sudden storm refresh the earth while the Delta still shimmers with floodwater, or when a thinning of the grasses reveals the predators that had been hiding in plain sight.

Every chapter is different. Every sighting is part of the bigger rhythm of life. This is what makes Botswana timeless.

Magic waiting to be discovered

Whether it is your very first safari or your fifteenth, whether you come during the height of the floods or under soft summer rains, Botswana always offers something extraordinary.

The takeaway is beautifully simple – there is no wrong time to visit. Every season has its own treasures, every month its own surprises, every journey its own discoveries.

From the shimmering heat of the dry season to the fresh green glow after the rains, Botswana’s wilderness promises encounters as varied as they are unforgettable. A safari here lingers long after you leave, a collection of memories stitched together by the wild itself. Come with us and find your own story waiting in Botswana.