Green Season Botswana Safari
12 days, 11 nights
Price Range:
$12,204 – $45,644
(all-inclusive price per person, depending on dates & camps selected)
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A safari during the Green Season in desert and delta reveals a vibrant profusion of life that few visitors are fortunate to discover. During the rains, riverbeds fill, wetlands sprawl, grass grows and animals nurture their newborn young. As herds are drawn to the water, predators follow, creating a thrilling natural spectacle. Explore the wonders by boat, on foot and by 4x4 day and night game drives through a striking range of habitats.
Our Expert Says
For me, a wildlife safari should be exciting at every turn, with time to savor the feeling of anticipation of what lies just around the corner in the thick of the African wilds. That's why I prefer visiting during the "green season," which offers an experience vastly different -- and in many ways more authentic -- than the midsummer "waterhole to waterhole" game drives. On this itinerary, lush meadows, cool deserts and a roaring Victoria Falls complement the astounding Okavango Delta, flooded to its brim with water and wildlife.
– Colby Brokvist
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Days 1-3: Makgadikgadi / Kalahari
In the legendary Kalahari, the only sound is the silence ringing in your ears. Though arid and austere, the desert abounds with wildlife. Explore the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, where desert-adapted animals browse scrub-grass savanna. Or discover the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, an immense ancient lakebed that is an important habitat for migrating wildebeest and zebra. Herds follow seasonal rains, trailed by predators like cheetah and the famous black-maned Kalahari lions.
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Days 4-6: Okavango Delta
Where the Okavango River meets the Kalahari Desert, a green oasis sprawls amid the sands and parched savanna. The maze of channels sustains a profusion of wildlife in permanently flooded lagoons and on land. Explore the marsh by poled mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe, and wildlife drives on higher ground. Islands and wetlands are home to prolific birdlife, hippo and red lechwe, while elephant, lion, leopard, zebra and more thrive beyond the water’s reach.
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Days 7-9: Linyanti / Savuti Reserves
The Linyanti and Savuti region of northern Botswana is noted for its shifting landscapes, from riverine to dry pans, woodlands to plains. Perennial water attracts great herds of animals that come to slake their thirst in the dry season. The once-flowing Savute Channel, which experiences long, unpredictable intervals of drought, cuts through the reserve. Large prides of lion and other predators steal behind, making for exciting wildlife viewing. Elephant, zebra and giraffe are also abundant.
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Days 10-11: Victoria Falls (Zambia)
You'll see the spray first, visible for miles, called Mosi-oa-Tunya – the “smoke that thunders” – by the local people. The roar of the cataract follows, as the Zambezi River plunges 350 feet over a basalt cliff into the gorge below. View Victoria Falls on rainforest trails, from the famous bridge, or via an exhilarating helicopter or ultralight flight – activities abound in Livingstone, including whitewater rafting, canoeing and sunset cruises.
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Day 12: Livingstone/Home
Your safari adventure ends today in Livingstone, Zambia.