Botswana in December
 

Hi

I;ve been thinking about doing the Green Desert trip from Wilderness (http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/sa...mp;method=menu).

The itinerary includes -

2 nights at Njuca hills near the Makgadikgadi Pans (mobile camping),
3 nights in Deception valley (mobile camping),
2 nights at Xigera in the delta.

I propose to add an extra night at Xigera followed by 3 more nights at Chitabe or a lodge in the Linyati area.

Has anyone done this? Any opinions? What will the game viewing be like in December? Can the rain spoil it? They have 2 departures on 1st and 14th December. I was planning to opt for the 1st since it was closer to the dry season, therefore offering the benefit of better game viewing in case the rains are delayed.

Any advice / recommendations on choice of lodge appreciated.

Topping it up just in case anyone missed it..

I did a similar trip with game trails. We travelled in April so were able to see the zebra migration.

It is a fabulous trip, I can only give it the thumbs up. can rain spoil it?

Tough question because rain in those parts is so unique I would imagine that it would only be enhanced. I guess some of the roads would wash and the game would be disperessed.

Your decision to head north after is OK, however I might be tempted to focus on the delta instead of linyati

I have done some research on this since and reached the conclusion that going to the Linyati area in December wouldnt be worth the cost/effort.

Adding an additional day in Xigera would be worthwhile, but I cant seem to find any other part of the delta that will offer excellent game viewing with the possible of Mombo/Little Mombo.

Any thoughts?

We were in Botswana in December. It was our first trip and we were very satisfied with the game viewing. I was also concerned because of the rain, however it was not a problem. At Little Vumbura we had great game viewing and we also did at Duma Tau. We saw every animal,including Cheetah and wild dogs,lions and babies of all species. It was great. Also liked the warm weather-had no problem with mosquitoes.

After some thought, I am thinking of dropping the extension into Linyati. I shall keep the additional day in Xigera (3 days in all).

The Wilderness rep in the UK recommends adding 3 nights at Chitabe to the itinerary. Any opinions on this? Which camp in the delta would be best in early January?

what did you finally decide? our august trip ended up being too expensive so now I am researching late December, over the kids christmas break. I am particularly looking forward to the desert greening up.

Besides the desert, which areas would anyone prefer in the rainy season?

I was advised by a well kown authority that the best time for the Green Desert trip is as late in the wet season as possible- ideally late February / March / April.

In terms of other areas to visit, the wetter parts of the delta are the least susceptible to wide variations in game densities, Chiefs island perhaps being the best location for this, followed by the western and northern parts of the delta.

The Selinda/Kwando/Chobe riverfront are to be avoided.

I am however, no expert on this, so feel free to rip this apart.

Amol,

There is a huge price difference between High Season and Green Season......so, this isn't a one to one price comparison.

The herds will disapper once the rains have started, but, with some luck and good tracking you may be able to find the resident predators....

I once remember a green season visit to Kwara, where we saw 20 differnt lions in a three night stay! including a pride of 11, pride of 5 (including 3 big males), Two nomadic males in their prime and two old beaten up males (they looked skinny and seemed to hv been in a fight). Didnt see cheetah on that trip......

Linyanti area predators may be around, so you need to track and find them and it will be well worth the trip! Not going to see the big herds of elephant or buffalo, perhaps.......

Cant argue against that.

so it sounds like good guiding is more important in the green season.

As for northern parts of the Delta - I'm thinking Duba is the best there? What does anyone know about Nxamaseri?

Thanks for the help!

Momliz,
Nxamaseri is a fishing camp. It has great fishing,tiger fish, barbel, bream at various times of the year. It's also good for water birds.Don't expect to see game at all. Sitatunga are there, but you would be very lucky to see one, they stay behind the tall papyrus which line the banks.
I shall be there in October for my tenth visit. In 2000 I took my husband's ashes there and let river take them away as nesting African skimmers flew overhead, calling. So you see why I keep returning.
If you have time for it, it is lovely to spend a couple of days on the river, quietly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere with very little river traffic.
Personaly, I never visit Botswana without going there, but as you will understand, I have my reasons.
Jan

I was in Botswana in the "green" season this past February and had a great time with a lot of amazing sightings... I honestly dont know how it could have been much better during the "peak" season. The Kwando camps were great, with excellent guiding. As their region is so large, it was amazing the sightings that we had with only 2 or 3 vehicles out at a time.

I would definitely go back during "green" season again. I think it is one of the best deals out there... at Kwando you can get a private vehicle and your room for roughly half the cost of some of the 6 paw Wilderness camps.

Richard

Momliz,

Good guiding is crucial be it green season or High season.....you need to be able to track and find the animals in either event!

Amol,

Isnt Xigera more a mekero/birding camp? I think it's more for the delta ambience.... i haven't personally been there.

Your TA may have a valid point about Chitabe being very good...

Yes. Its part of the Green Desert package so 2 nights there is non-negotiatible.

Hi

there may be something of help to you here: http://wilddogsandenglishmen.wordpress.com/

the full info (100+ pages) is a downloadable PDF.

Hope this helps.