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Every photographer’s dream month, with dazzlingly green, lush landscapes! Days are hot and humid, and it’s the wettest month, with heavy afternoon rain to cool things down. The Okavango Delta bursts to life with flowering water lilies and croaking reed frogs. Birding is excellent, with insects and frogs providing plenty of food. Game viewing is harder, but calves are everywhere, drawing in predators! The Zebra Migration still sweeps across the Makgadikgadi, with pans still full of water and flamingoes.

The season is beginning to shift slightly. Days are still hot, but the rains begin to taper off. The bush is at its most photogenic, vibrant, and emerald green, and completely alive with birds. Elephants feast on fruiting Marula trees. Game viewing remains tricky because of the dense bush. Zebras start migrating back to the Delta and Chobe, as they finish off the last of the Makgadikgadi’s pastures. Flamingos are enjoying the last of what the pans have to offer.

Seasons start to shift as rains fade and nights cool, especially in the Kalahari, though days stay hot. Skies clear over green landscapes, with sausage trees showing off low-hanging pods. Depending on Angolan and local rains, the flood may start to trickle in. Game viewing isn’t yet at its best, thanks to the lush landscape, but the Impala rut is in full swing and birdlife flourishes, with bugs loving April and sometimes swarming for a week. The Makgadikgadi salt pans start to dry up, sending the flamingoes on their way.

We’re now transitioning into the dry season, as the rains pretty much disappear. Days are still pretty hot but nighttime temps continue to drop. ,Skies are clear, and vegetation starts to thin. If not in April, the flood should now start trickling through the Okavango Delta panhandle. Wildlife sightings improve as the vegetation dulls and thins out. The salt pans continue to dry, creating opportunities for salt pan activities like quad biking, horse riding and sleep-outs.

Botswana is moving into its peak season with perfect “Goldilocks” daytime weather; cold mornings and evenings (sometimes below freezing in the Kalahari). The land is dry, and the flood starts to roll through the Delta. Flood waters bring fish and insects, which draw water birds to the delta. Dry land means animals congregate around available water sources, making for excellent game viewing.

This is very much peak season (and it comes with peak prices). Cool mornings and evenings (sometimes below freezing in the Kalahari), with beautiful, warm, sunny days. The Okavango is in full flood, becoming a complete oasis, whilst in other regions animals flock to the remaining waterholes. It’s an ideal time to adventure through the dry Makgadikgadi region too – it’s the best time to meet the meerkats.

This is Botswana’s bone-dry and brilliant month, with warmer days than July, and cool nights. Crystal-clear air, high water levels in the Delta, and phenomenal wildlife. The Delta floods have now made their way all the way to Maun. Animals continue to congregate around permanent water sources.

Temperatures start to climb again with the arrival of hot days surpassing 30°C (86°F). The bush is sparse as it’s the end of the dry winter, which means game viewing is still fantastic. This is a time of rich pickings for the lions! The First of the migrant birds from the northern hemisphere start to arrive, and elephants crowd the rivers.

This is the hottest month of the year for Botswana with scorching days – sometimes surpassing 40°C, especially in the north. The land is incredibly dry, and animals jostle for water as the dry season draws to a close. Migrant birds such as the carmine bee-eater are in full flock. The Delta is chaos (in the best way possible), as the annual catfish (barbel) runs kick off, which, of course, the birds love!

The rainy season has finally arrived, as storm clouds build, heat lingers with high temperatures surpassing 30°C (86°F), and finally, the first rains transform the landscape. Grasses and trees burst to life, seasonal pans fill (to the great relief of wildlife), and newborns abound – making the lions very happy. The first rains bring fresh grazing, triggering the Zebra Migration from Chobe and the delta to the Makgadikgadi.

Lush, warm and alive. Summer storms create spectacular skies, beautifully green landscapes, and great-value safaris. The Kalahari bursts into colour as dormant seeds flower, and pans remain full of water, allowing wildlife to disperse. By now, the arrival of migratory birds has increased the bird population by 20%. Full pans trigger algae growth, which gives life to crustaceans, drawing flocks of Flamingoes to the pans! The Zebra Migration arrives in the Makgadikgadi region.