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A Land Cruiser pushing through a flooded track

Best time to visit Botswana

Month by month: rain, heat, the flood in the delta and the wildlife — for every region our routes pass through.

Home Destinations Botswana When to go

In short

The best time to visit Botswana is the dry season from April to October: it hardly rains, wildlife gathers at the remaining water, and in the middle of the dry season the flood from Angola fills the Okavango Delta. November to March is the green season — hot, with thunderstorms, young animals, migrant birds and zebras in the Makgadikgadi, but also with closed tracks.

At a glance

Botswana’s year in three numbers

in October in Maun
35°C
The hottest month, just before the rain arrives. Wildlife then sticks close to the last water.
of the rain from November to March
93%
Measured against the annual rainfall in Maun. From June to August virtually none falls there.
travelled by the flood through the delta
250km
From the Panhandle at Mohembo to Maun the water takes three to four months. It arrives in the middle of the dry season.

Month by month

What to expect when

Temperatures are average daily highs and lows in Maun and Kasane; rain is the average monthly total in Maun. Individual days and years vary considerably.

Botswana through the year: season, temperatures in Maun and Kasane, rain in Maun and game viewing in Moremi and on the Chobe
MonthDay / nightRain in MaunWildlife in the parksOn the road
JanuaryGreen season
Maun: day 31 °C, night 20 °C
Kasane: day 29 °C, night 20 °C
139 mmfairThe height of the rains: humid, green, thunderstorms. Wildlife spreads out and zebras graze the Makgadikgadi plains. Some tracks around Savuti and on the Linyanti are under water.
FebruaryGreen season
Maun: day 30 °C, night 20 °C
Kasane: day 29 °C, night 20 °C
101 mmfairStill plenty of rain, and the grass stands tall. Tracks and campsites are empty, but one storm can close a route for days.
MarchGreen season
Maun: day 30 °C, night 19 °C
Kasane: day 29 °C, night 19 °C
66 mmfairThe rain eases, but the water remains. In 2026 rain and flood closed Moremi from early March to mid-April.
AprilDry season
Maun: day 30 °C, night 17 °C
Kasane: day 29 °C, night 17 °C
17 mmgoodThe change to the dry season. The flood from Angola reaches the Panhandle at Mohembo, and the zebras move back from the Makgadikgadi.
MayDry season
Maun: day 28 °C, night 13 °C
Kasane: day 28 °C, night 15 °C
2 mmgoodThe dry season begins: clear days and the first cool nights. The grass turns yellow, and wildlife comes to the water more often.
JuneDry season
Maun: day 25 °C, night 10 °C
Kasane: day 25 °C, night 12 °C
2 mmexcellentWinter: around 25 °C by day, cold at night, with frequent frost in the southwest. The flood reaches Maun, and the wild dogs of Moremi have their pups.
JulyDry season
Maun: day 25 °C, night 9 °C
Kasane: day 25 °C, night 11 °C
0 mmexcellentThe coolest month, around 9 °C at night in Maun. The flood peaks near Maun, and water and wildlife are there at the same time. High season.
AugustDry season
Maun: day 28 °C, night 12 °C
Kasane: day 29 °C, night 14 °C
0 mmexcellentWarmer, drier, windier. The delta now has its largest flooded area, and on the Chobe the elephants stay close to the river.
SeptemberDry season
Maun: day 33 °C, night 16 °C
Kasane: day 33 °C, night 18 °C
3 mmexcellentHot and dry; the bush is bare and the views are long. At Savuti the lions now also hunt elephants.
OctoberDry season
Maun: day 35 °C, night 20 °C
Kasane: day 35 °C, night 21 °C
10 mmexcellentThe hottest month, 35 °C on average in Maun. Water is scarce and wildlife crowds along rivers and lagoons; towards the end the first clouds build.
NovemberGreen season
Maun: day 34 °C, night 20 °C
Kasane: day 33 °C, night 21 °C
52 mmgoodThe first storms. On the Chobe most impala lambs are born within two weeks in mid-November, the migrant birds return, and the zebras head for the Makgadikgadi.
DecemberGreen season
Maun: day 32 °C, night 20 °C
Kasane: day 30 °C, night 20 °C
99 mmfairRainy season: the land turns green, wildlife spreads out, the tracks turn soft. Next year’s flood is forming now with the rain in Angola.

The choice

Dry season or green season?

A herd of buffalo crossing the sandy track ahead of a 4x4

April – October

Dry season

Our main travel season. The land turns golden, the flood fills the delta, and wildlife moves to the water.

In favour

  • Wildlife at rivers, lagoons and waterholes
  • The flood in the delta, near Maun from June to August
  • Hardly any rain, the tracks are passable
  • Pleasant days, around 25 °C in July

Bear in mind

  • Cold nights in June and July, frequent frost in the southwest
  • High season: campsites in Moremi and on the Chobe go early
  • Around 35 °C in Maun in October
  • Deep, soft sand on many tracks
A Land Cruiser splashing through water

November – March

Green season

Rain, green and young animals. For anyone who enjoys heat and thunderstorms and wants the land almost to themselves.

In favour

  • Young animals — on the Chobe almost all impala lamb in mid-November
  • Migrant birds from Europe and Asia
  • Zebras and wildebeest on the Makgadikgadi plains
  • Empty tracks and campsites

Bear in mind

  • Heat and humid air
  • Wildlife widely spread in tall grass
  • Tracks and whole parks closed at times, such as Moremi in March 2026
  • Higher malaria risk

Region by region

From the delta into the Kalahari

Between the delta in the northwest, the Chobe in the northeast and the Kalahari in the middle, rain and nights differ most: Kasane averages about 670 mm a year, the Central Kalahari about 400 mm, and in the west winter nights can freeze.

  • Delta

    Okavango Delta & Maun

    January
    31° / 20°
    July
    25° / 9°
    Best
    June – October

    The gateway to the delta. The flood reaches Maun in the middle of the dry season and peaks in July and August.

    Values for Maun

  • Chobe National Park

    Savuti & Linyanti

    January
    30° / 21°
    July
    25° / 10°
    Best
    May – October

    Sand, mopane and an open marsh. In the dry season wildlife comes to a few waterholes; in the rainy season the marsh road and the Linyanti route are often closed.

    Values for Savuti

  • Northeast

    Chobe riverfront & Kasane

    January
    29° / 20°
    July
    25° / 11°
    Best
    May – October

    The wettest part of our routes. In the dry season the elephants stay close to the river, and in November the impala lambs arrive.

    Values for Kasane

  • Salt pans

    Makgadikgadi & Boteti

    January
    31° / 21°
    July
    24° / 9°
    Best
    December – April on the plains, May – October on the Boteti

    Wide grass and salt plains. In the rainy season zebras and wildebeest graze here; in the dry season the zebras drink at the Boteti, the only river for miles.

    Values for Khumaga am Boteti

  • Game reserve

    Central Kalahari

    January
    31° / 20°
    July
    23° / 7°
    Best
    December – April

    After good rains, springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest and eland move onto the grassy valleys such as Deception Valley, and the predators follow. In the dry season many animals rely on artificial waterholes.

    Values for Deception Valley

  • From Namibia

    Ghanzi & the western Kalahari

    January
    31° / 20°
    July
    23° / 7°
    Best
    April – October

    Our journeys arrive here across the border at Mamuno. Higher and drier than the north: around 7 °C on July nights on average, with frost on clear nights.

    Values for Ghanzi

Climate figures: 1991–2020 averages calculated from ERA5 reanalysis data of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, retrieved via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). The values apply to an area of a few kilometres around the named place, not to a weather station. Compared with the weather stations in Maun and Kasane (1971–2000), the model makes the rainy season a little wetter and winter nights a good 1 °C warmer. Other sources: Botswana Tourism Organisation, Statistics Botswana, scientific literature on the flood and on elephants, impala and zebras, BirdLife Botswana, German Foreign Office (malaria, entry), Government of Botswana Daily News (2026 closures). As of 14 November 2026.

Through the year

What happens when

Rough periods. Nature does not keep to calendar months, every year is different, and the flood most of all.

  • Dry season: April – October

  • Green season: November – March

  • Flood at the Panhandle near Mohembo: April – May

  • Flood near Maun: June – August

  • Wildlife at the water: June – October

  • Savuti lions also hunt elephants: August – November

  • Cold nights, frequent frost in the southwest: June – July

  • Hot days in Maun, 32 °C and above: September – November

  • Impala lambing: November – November

  • Migrant birds from Europe and Asia: November – March

  • Zebras on the Makgadikgadi plains: November – April

Planning

What to know

  1. 01

    Ask early

    Inside the parks you sleep only at booked campsites, and there are few of them. Our small groups are booked about a year ahead — ask early if you have a particular month in mind.

  2. 02

    Pack layers

    In June and July there are a good 15 degrees between midday and dawn: around 25 °C by day in Maun, around 9 °C at night. A warm jacket, hat and gloves belong in your bag.

  3. 03

    Health

    The north is a malaria area. According to the German Foreign Office the risk in the delta and in Maun is high from September to May and medium from June to August, and high all year in northern Chobe. Get travel-medicine advice.

  4. 04

    Room to manoeuvre

    Heavy rain and a high flood can close tracks and whole parks: in 2026 Moremi was closed from early March to mid-April. A green-season route therefore needs some slack.

Journeys

Our Botswana journeys start in Windhoek and mostly run in the dry season. Tell us when you can travel — we will tell you which route suits that time best.

Journeys through Botswana

View all journeys

Frequently asked

Questions about when to go

When is the best time to visit Botswana?

For most travellers the dry season from April to October: it hardly rains, wildlife gathers at the remaining water, and the flood fills the delta. For wildlife and flood together, June to October is best. If you like heat and thunderstorms, November to March brings young animals, migrant birds and the zebras of the Makgadikgadi.

When is the rainy season in Botswana?

From about November to March, with most rain in January and February, often as thunderstorms. In Maun about 93 per cent of the annual rain falls from November to March, and virtually none from June to August. October and April are transition months.

When is the flood in the Okavango Delta?

The flood comes from rain in the Angolan highlands. At the Panhandle near Mohembo it peaks around April and May; the water then takes three to four months to cover the roughly 250 km through the flat delta. Near Maun it peaks in July and August, and the largest area is flooded from July to September — in the middle of the dry season.

When do you see the most wildlife in Botswana?

In the dry season, because wildlife then gathers at the remaining water: along the Chobe and the Linyanti and in the delta. According to one study, elephant families in Chobe then stay within 3.5 km of the river. In the rainy season the herds spread out, while zebras and wildebeest move onto the grasslands of the Makgadikgadi and the Central Kalahari.

How cold does it get at night?

In June and July nights in Maun average 9 to 10 °C, and much colder on clear nights. Frost is common mainly in the southwest, and the southern Kalahari has recorded −6 °C. Days are still around 25 °C.

When is Botswana hottest?

In October, just before the rain: Maun then averages 35 °C, with single days of 38 °C and more, rarely up to 44 °C.

Is Botswana worth visiting in the rainy season?

Yes, if you like heat and thunderstorms and can be flexible. The land is green and empty, almost all impala on the Chobe lamb in mid-November, the migrant birds are there, and zebras graze the Makgadikgadi. On the other hand wildlife is more spread out, and rain can close tracks or whole parks — in 2026 Moremi was closed from early March to mid-April.

Do I need a visa for Botswana?

German citizens do not. They receive a free entry permit at the border for up to 90 days per calendar year, and the passport must be valid for another six months, according to the German Foreign Office. Other nationalities should check the rules for their passport.

Another question? Write to us

Read on

  • Delta

    Okavango Delta & Moremi

    Water in the middle of the Kalahari: when the flood arrives, where you camp and what the park rules are.

  • National park

    Chobe & Savuti

    Elephants on the river, deep sand at Savuti: areas, tracks and rules in Chobe National Park.

  • Travel style

    Guided self-drive

    Drive yourself, but not alone: how it works, what you need and what is different on gravel.

  • Comparison

    Namibia or Botswana?

    Desert or delta, gravel or deep sand: the two countries compared, and which one suits whom.

All travel guides →

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