barminski

I would like to know the best month(s) to be on a safari. One travel agent said June - Aug. is best for the savanna grass has died off and the animals are less hidden. Would the
beginning of May be good too, or the end of April? Thanks

graemeB

Hi Barminski,
It is dawn here in Palapye, Botswana today and the temperature is 4 degrees C. It will be a lovely sunny day later, but right now it is a bit chilly for me to want to be sitting on the back of an open game drive vehicle. I don't have to sit on the back of an open vehicle because I live here !

So the best time to come depends a bit on what you want to do here. If you want to watch birds the winter is a bad time: the migrants will all have left, though some will still be around in April. If you want to see mammals some of the most interesting ones are nocturnal and you will see them only in the dark, or at dawn and dusk, so early morning temperatures need to be considered - though of course you can come prepared and wrap up warmly. If you want to experience the very best of local cuisine then late autumn would be hard to beat - lots of forest fruits and fresh farm produce available, so you would have the best of the seasonal delicacies like mosata pods. And if you are interested in traditional music July is a good month to come - the annual President's Day public holidays are in the middle of July and there are national music and dance competitions - you can see the very best of the local performers.

On balance I think May would be my pick. The weather is just a little warmer; the herds of animals are just starting to gather at the water holes; there will be some wildflowers; the leaves are usually still on most of the trees; there are not so many tourists around; and some accommodations and activities will still be offering low or shoulder season rates so travel should be a little cheaper.

But you will have a good time here regardless of when you decide to come.

Good luck with your planning !

Graeme

barminski

Thanks Graeme for your input. I looked up weather history for Botswana and May looks good. I think your comment of going in May is something for me to seriously consider. My main focus is to see the animals. I am from Colorado, USA and cold mornings do not bother me. Yet, I would like to avoid hoards of people and I know June - Sept. is high season. I just wonder how in the world do they control the crowds of safari vehicles on the roads. There must be a quota for the day.
Thank you for your quick response, love Fodor's Forum.
Kathy

graemeB

Hi Kathy,

Well, if you want to see animals you are coming to the right country ! We had a brown hyaena digging up the sweet corn in our vegetable garden recently. Our dog buries bones in the garden and if she forgets where they are something else steals them. Our security camera captured a small spotted genet last night, and African crested porcupines raided our melon crop. And that is just on our farm.

With three countries to cover in fifteen days you won’t have time to see much of Botswana, but hopefully you will see enough to make you want to return for longer. Motor touring here is just as easy as it is in Colorado and no more expensive.

Have a great holiday with Vantage Travel and make sure you post a trip report !

Graeme

barminski

Hi Graeme,
Well I have had some time to research safari companies and I am overwhelmed with so many companies. I see luxury camps where decadent food and champagne is more of an emphasis than the wildlife.
Wonder if you have an knowledge of great safari companies in Hwange Park and Okavango area where we have comfort but not necessarily luxury. One outfitter had us on 5 moves via small plane in 12 days.
I think that we would be spending most of our time at customs and doing the flight, time consuming. I would rather hit 2-3 camps and spend longer times there, at least 3-4 nights. Your input is valuable to me and I appreciate any
suggestions. Thanks again!

graemeB

Hi Kathy,

Sorry about the delayed reply. I have been away in northern Botswana myself.

I’m afraid I can’t help you with respect to Hwange National Park. I have seen only a tiny part of it from across the border. What I have seen of it from Lesoma looks very attractive. But having a low tolerance for corrupt officials and impenetrable bureaucracy I try to keep away from Zimbabwe if I can.

Anyway, I will throw in a few general opinions about the Okavango Delta in the hope that they will be helpful.

1. There are at least 78 fixed camps and lodges in the Okavango Delta – it’s hard to keep track because new ones open from time to time. There are mobile safari operators too. So a wide range of choice. Prospective visitors always agonise over which to patronise, and I can understand why because the costs are rather high. No-one wants to make a bad decision. What they don’t realise is that it is hard to go wrong. The industry is tightly regulated by the Botswana Government and the standards are uniformly high. It should be possible to make the choice at random and still have a thoroughly enjoyable and safe experience whilst seeing plenty of wildlife.



2. Of course each camp offers something subtly different – some will take children; some offer excursions on horseback; others let you drift across the Delta in a hot air balloon; and as you have no doubt discovered some offer a private butler and chef and a wine list to rival a Michelin star restaurant in Paris.


3. For anyone whose main interest is the wildlife and the vast open spaces I think there are four important points to keep in mind.



(i) Activities inside National Parks and Reserves are somewhat restricted. The camps inside private concessions and on tribal land have more flexibility in what they can do – things like driving at night and off-road are possible in a private concession and forbidden within a National Park, so if you want to see nocturnal animals or take close-up photos the private concessions are preferable.



(ii) The cost of a private vehicle and guide might be justified. If you are on a vehicle full of people who want to see lions and you want to see a honey badger you will be taken to see lions. If you go to see lions and a husband and wife are having a whispered argument in the seats behind you, your day will be remembered for their marital issues rather than whatever the lions were doing. It will have cost you a lot to get all the way from Colorado to the Okavango Delta camp and you want top get the most from the experience.



(iii) Some of the Delta is permanently wet; some is permanently dry, and a lot is seasonally inundated. If you want to see hippos, crocodiles, red lechwe and fish eagles you need to go somewhere there is permanent water. Few camps can do justice to the full spectrum of habitats, so if you want to tick off the widest range of animal species you need to go to at least two located in different habitats. And….as you have figured out …

(iv) I think you need to stay for at least 3 nights in each camp you visit. When it comes to visiting wildlife camps and lodges the old adage that less is more certainly applies. The staff at each camp will do their utmost to make sure you get the most from your stay. But to get the most from the experience both sides need to get to know each other a little. If they find out today that (say) you really want to see a honey badger, and that you don’t like chocolate muffins then tomorrow the guide‘s vehicle will be stocked with scones, and he or she will have asked everyone roundabout for the locations of the latest honey badger sightings. Three to four days per camp is about right. And the staff are usually interesting people too – it is worth getting to know them. Difficult to do if you are here today and gone tomorrow. I realise you don’t have much time available – three countries in fifteen days is a punishing schedule, and if you have just five days for Botswana one camp might be enough.

I don’t want to recommend any specific camps or lodges in the Delta. I’m a minor shareholder in a company which owns some of them and I will be accused of self interest ! But I will say that in my experience most tourists come to Botswana for the wildlife, and many return because they have fallen for the Batswana themselves. The people here are both very interesting and extremely nice. I think you will end your holiday with the realisation that you should come back for much longer…..and that a ,longer stay can also be very affordable.

Kind regards

Graeme Bremner