Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Botswana/Namibia in November

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Botswana/Namibia in November

Hello, We're looking to travel to Botswana and Namibia in November. My understanding is that this is the start of the rainy season and, as such, we're less likely to see as much wildlife. I'd appreciate feedback from anyone who has traveled to the area at this time of year....will we be disappointed? Would we see a significant difference if we began our travels in mid-October? If not, are we better off holding off on our trip until the end of the rainy season? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi Paul We're going to Botswana in November too. I did a search here on "Botswana" and in there I found some very useful information including about the start of the rainy season and it appears we may be ok but weather being weather you can't tell. What are your dates in Botswana and which camps are you staying in? Andy

Hello Guys Can't comment on the weather, we just got back from a June trip to Namibia and Botswana, infact my thread is still up near here, so you might have read it... Since reliving a holiday and talking about it just seems to make the experience go on longer... please feel free to email me about either country if you want... (take out commas, spaces and MOOs) kaMOO vita_fav,elle @talk21.MOOcom Which camps are you visiting? In Namibia I would absolutely not miss Wolwedans camp, in Botswana I adored Little Mombo, though it is expensive it is excellent. Kavey

Currently our plan is to begin travel the first week of October....not sure where we're staying yet, as we're just beginning our research. The opportunity to make the trip came through at the last minute, so hopefully, we're not starting our planning too late! For those of you that are also interested in knowing about weather conditions in November, I received this e-mail from a tour operator in Houston...hope this helps: Most of Botswana is arid (semi-desert) with very low annual rainfall - even in the 'rainy' season. November is considered to be the first month of the rainy season, but they consider themselves lucky to get much, if any rain, that early in the season. Usually the first few showers fall in November and December, but the 'real' rainy season doesn't set in until Jan/Feb/March. So I would say that rain is not really much of an issue in November: but it will be very hot. In both October and November, afternoon high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 90's F. Fortunately most of the better camps (such as the ones operated by Wilderness Safaris) have fans in the tents, and the camps have small pools to cool off during the middle of the day. One caveat regarding rainfall in Botswana: it is generally low, but fluctuates erratically and unpredictably from year to year and from place to place. The rainfall variability in the northern third of the country (which has an annual average rainfall of 26 inches) is about 25%. So it is very difficult to make predictions: if you want to be absolutely sure of being in Botswana in the dry season, the best months to travel are from June through September. I hope that helps. Sincerely, Bert du Plessis E-mail: [email protected] Fish Eagle Safaris

I went to Botswana and Namibia at the end of October of last year, and we had no rain. It was wonderful - saw a lot of animals. We did a camping safari in Botswana for $1600 for 16 days, all inclusive, with Drifters out of Jo'Burg. We did a private trip in Namibia with Chameleon for less than $900 for 10 days. If you'd like more information, please e-mail me directly.

November is the BEST time for Birds in the Okavango Delta - all the migrating species have arrived. The rain does not affect the Game Viewing, and you will still see plenty of wildlife. It is hot and humid - getting up to 46 degrees. The rains in November should not interfere with your Game Viewing as they tend to be short sharp showers, the heavy rains do not arrive until Jan - March.The rains do as least cool everything down! The best time to visit is June when the new waters have arrived, game is concentrated around the water, temperatures are a pleasant 26 dgeree maximum and there are few tourists. Nigel