Botswana in December?
 

Just beginning to plan my first ever trip to Africa next December. Ideally, would like to travel to Botswana and South Africa for safari. Would this be my best choice for a first safari? Does it make sense to go during this time, or is the animal viewing much better up north in Kenya/Tanzania? Also, just how rainy is the rainy season in Southern Africa?

Thanks!

rainy season in Southern Africa varies year to year. Yes, it's a fantastic destination.....first time or not.

Animal viewing all depends on the luck of the draw........they are wild and can be anywhere at any time.

Hari

Just came back from our first Safari in South Africa and Botswana. We were totally satisfied with our game viewing and I too, was concerned because of the rainy season. We saw so much and we enjoyed the warm weather. I would go in December again.The rain wasn't bad. Out of ten days,we also went to
Capetown, we only had 1 game drive that was actually rainy. It mostly rained at night, and a scattered shower during the day aat times.The rain was not a problem, nor were the mosquitos.

Thanks so much for the firsthand advice!

You are going to love Botswana and South Africa, and it is an excellent choice for a first (and definately not your last!) safari! I recommend that for the South African leg of your safari, you choose one of the lodges in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve. This reserve offers prime Big 5 and other game viewing! (In a 2 - 3 night stay, you are almost guarenteed of seeing the big 5 and many other wonderful animals!) Yes, it could be a bit rainy in December, but fortunately in the Kruger National Park area (which is where the Sabi Sands is), if it does rain, it's normally in the form of late afternoon thunder showers that don't last for long, and aid in cooling things down a bit, so your safari activities shouldn't be too much affected by the weather!