10 Reasons for Green Season Botswana
Think of Botswana and maybe images of dusty savannahs with thirsty wildlife clustered around water come to mind. True enough in the dry season, but it couldn’t be further from Botswana’s Green Season landscape.
The Green Season is the southern hemisphere summer – December to April – and in Botswana it’s when nearly all of the year’s rain falls. Don’t let that put you off: the summer rains bring vibrancy and new life to the land and a Green Season safari can deliver a unique wildlife experience. Besides, most of the rain is in the form of brief afternoon downpours instead of long drizzly days; otherwise, the weather in summer is warm and sunny.
Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of a Green Season safari in Botswana.
1. The Emerald Transformation
A better name perhaps for the Green Season would be the Emerald Season: the rains trigger one of the richest changes in natural landscapes as luxuriant growth emerges from the dry-season brown. Thorn trees are bejewelled in fresh green, standing over thick carpets of grass studded with summer flowers – it’s not the country you thought you knew from the dry season.
2. It’s the secret safari season
Botswana is renowned for its dry-season wildlife but the Green Season reveals the country’s safari secrets. It’s during summer that Botswana’s great zebra migration occurs, when elephants are found in the Kalahari and when the big predators – lions, wild dog, cheetah and leopard – find the most to hunt. It’s perfect for a seasoned safari traveller looking for a new experience.
3. More choice, more time
It’s no surprise to learn that the Green Season sees the year’s lowest occupancy at safari lodges but this gives the advantage to Green Season travellers. Even with the top lodges, there’s usually no problem with availability in summer – even at relatively short notice – and you’ll find it easier to book accommodation at this time of year if you are travelling as a larger family or group.
4. Green season savings
You’ll also get a better financial deal during Botswana’s Green Season: lodges are keen to get business through their doors and offer the year’s lowest rates in summer (except at Christmas) as well as special offers such as three nights for the price of two. If you are a single traveller then ask around for lodges that waive the single supplement fee in the Green Season.
5. Far from the crowds
Another enjoyable facet to the Emerald Season is the fact that you may well be the only ones out there on your game drive or boat cruise. Botswana’s top destinations such as the Chobe River and Okavango Delta are very busy in peak dry season but visitor numbers plunge as the rain begins in October, often leaving you alone with great wildlife sightings. If you prefer to have your game viewing on the more private side, then go in the green.
6. No blankets required
Botswana’s dry season is the coldest time of year so if you like things on the warmer side, then a Green Season safari is for you. There’s no need to pack woollen hats, feather-down jackets and wrap up in blankets for the early morning drive; in summer you’ll get long hours of daylight filled with mostly warm and sunny weather.
7. Use the pool
It sounds crazy but do you know how many guests don’t use the pool at their safari accommodation? Because most people travel in the cooler dry season, they never get round to it but it’s exactly what you need in summer. And since many lodges offer a private plunge pool at your suite rather than a large shared pool, the Green Season is the best time to chill out at your private pool; did someone mention room service?
8. The year’s best birding
Whether you’re a beginner or a serious birder, Botswana in the Green Season is unquestionably Birding Season. Food and water are plentiful and migrant species arrive from Europe and Africa to swell the already impressive bird list. Some major events may be underway – flamingos breeding on the Makgadikgadi salt pans for instance – and summer always brings the exquisite Carmine Bee-eater to Botswana’s grasslands, often flying next to the vehicle to snap up insects as you drive.
9. Great photographic conditions
Sure there’s a bit of rain but the Green Season delivers what many photographers think is the best conditions for professional nature photography. The dust clouds and blinding white sun of Botswana’s dry season give way to a softer, deeper perspective. Colours are more pronounced, the air clearer and Green Season clouds make the light easier to work with.
10. Calving season
Botswana’s summer air rings with the bleating of thousands of young antelope and zebra as the herds give birth en masse, taking advantage of the availability of water and grazing. It makes for great photography and also means an easy kill for Botswana’s predators – big cats, wild dogs and spotted hyenas – and if you’d like to watch the drama of the hunt – the chase, the kill – then the Green Season gives you better chances than most.