The African nation of Botswana is located in Southern Africa and is surrounded by Namibia to the west, Zimbabwe to the east and South Africa to the south. Botswana is now one of Africa’s most wealthy countries with the discovery of natural minerals including diamonds, gold, uranium, copper, and even oil. In the last 20 years or so Botswana has turned itself around from one of the world’s poorest nations to now boasting living conditions comparable to Mexico & Turkey. Botswana’s success story isn’t just down to its mineral wealth but also because of the countries tourism industry. Tourism is big business in Botswana with the government allocating much of the countries Northern Province to private concessions which has created a high value low visitor tourism model. The private concessions only take around 50 visitors at any one time but at an incredible cost especially in regions such as the Okavango Delta which is synonymous with safaris in Botswana.

Choosing the correct time of year to travel to Botswana is crucial as it predetermines not only where you will be able to travel but also what wildlife you will be able to see. The first 4 months of the year are known as the ‘green season’ indicating the falling of the monsoon rains which in turn has a direct effect on the wildlife numbers. During these months the majority of the animals have migrated to the Nxai and the Makgadikgadi pans in search of drier conditions. It’s particularly common during this time of year for tour operators to diversify their trips using activities such as quad biking and interacting with the local people to fill in for the time when the wildlife aren’t in their full numbers.

Once the rains cease around May/June the wildlife then begins to head back to the countries wetlands, the Tuli Game Reserve and of course the Linyanti & Okavango Delta. Wildlife stays in the region throughout the dry season when the flood waters from the Angolan highlands flood the Okavango Delta creating the largest inland delta in the world. It’s at this time of year when safaris in the region are at their absolute pinnacle and most people would go as far to say it’s the best wildlife experience in Africa.

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