When to go to the Okavango Delta

Best Time To Go On An Okavango Delta Safari

When you are looking to travel to such a place as Sub-Saharan Africa, the chances are you are not hoping to be rained on. African holidays are made up mostly by time in the wilderness on safari and on the beach in a little slice of Indian Ocean paradise. For a safari, it is generally better to travel in the drier months which are, as a rule of thumb, usually in the British Summer Time of end of June – October. Very sweepingly, this is when most of the parks in both east and southern Africa are drier, making the animals forced to congregate around waterholes and easier to spot generally. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some travellers may want to see the African bush in all it’s green glory in rainy season, catch some rare wildlife experiences whilst paying low season rates… Essentially it is completely down to you and to which individual park you are going to, but if wildlife viewing and brilliant beach time is a priority then the classically dry months are generally speaking a safe bet.

The Okavango Delta has a rainy season much like that of the rest of southern Africa. It rains from November through until the end of April, so the best time to go is in the dry season from May/June until the end of September/October. It does begin to get very hot in October, though the wildlife viewing is fantastic. However, where the Okavango is concerned, being the only inland Delta in the world, there are certain other considerations to make when planning a trip here… The flood waters begin to fill the delta in May/June and from this point until the end of October/November it is possible to enjoy beautiful boating safaris and mokoro rides. A lot of people go to the delta for this experience as well as the unbelievable year-round wildlife. The flood waters begin to dry out, starting from the south and heading back north west from September, so if you are going later on in the season in October/November it is important to be in a camp a bit further towards the pan handle (mouth of the delta) if you wish to still enjoy the wet camp activities. The Okavango is very expensive as it is made up of private concessions, so we would advise looking at the shoulder season months whilst placing yourself in the best locations possible to still make the most of all the beautiful Delta has to offer.