Migration in Botswana
 

Does asnyone know anything about it? I am not finding much information anywhere. I am looking for an approximate route, as well as approx dates (I know these can be hard to pin down). And, has the vet fence really changed it?
One thing I have read is the flamingos are supposed to be beautiful in Nxai pan in December.

I am looking at this migration in trying to plan a trip to Makgadikgadi. Just about the only report that I have seen of Meno was a trip in October, where it would be very hot, dry, and dusty with little game. I'm thinking it might be better of even great in mid-late December.

Currently the western border of Makgadikgadi Pans NP is fenced at the Boteti River, and west of Boteti River is cattle land. I doubt that the fence has a large influence on the migration. During the dry season animals are moving west from the pans and MPNP towards Boteti River, with start of the first rains they're moving back eastwards. This might change with construction of the eastern fence (not before 2008).

I'm not quite sure if this migration in Makgadikgadi Pans is such fantastic as you read it in the brochures. I saw the concentration of animals at the Boteti River during end of dry season, by far not as impressive as in East Africa or even what I saw at Nxai Pan further north. When the rains start animals begin to disperse in a huge area. During my transfer through whole MPNP I only saw a few. And in the rainy season your movements are limited, you can't drive on the pans (that's the reason why Uncharted Africa close down San Camp and their Kubu Island explorations during these months). I guess you must have great luck for seeing big herds of animals near Jack's or Makgadikgadi Camp during this time.

how is it at Nxai?

thousands of springboks around the last remaining waterhole, with lions so fat and round as I've never seen before, only 20 metres walk for the next meal...

If you count the big herds of buffalo/elephants during the dry season....that's migration too! Huge numbers Kwando/selinda/Duma Tau

September/Oct in it's peak......

Isnt there a mini-migration, mainly zebra and wildebeest in the Savuti area in January/February?

my understanding is that there is a largish migration in the northern and either eastern or western, can't remember, pans as the herbivores, mainly wildebeest and zebra, go there for the browsing. I have read that once the grass greens up, it is pretty spectacular there.
Having never been, I wish I knew how much is hyperbole... But, I guess according to Nyama, it is over hyped. However, I would like to see a fat, round lion ;)

Hello Momliz
Nxai when we were there (June) was stunning, and more than I expected at the start of the dry season. We saw elephant and zebra but no predators. I understand the migration of the grazing animals occurs in the wet season, but that makes the going trickier if you're self-driving. The zebra herds on the Boteti were massive, but because there is a derth of lions in the area. I thought Nxai was very lovely, but for the landscape as much as the fauna. The fencing goes around the Boteti and is been designed I believe (unlike fencing in Namibia) so it will not interfere with the migratory movements.
kind regards
WD.

The migration in Botswana is primarily that of zebra, thousands of them and can be seen around the last week of April into early May.

Yes, this occurs around the Mgadi NP. It is different to east Africa as it is primarily zebra and not wildebeest.

check out the movie "Patterns in the Grass" by the Jouberts. It chronicles the zebra migration in botswana and shows their route.

"Patterns in the Grass" features the Linyanti-Savuti-Mababe migration. That's an different migration than that of Pans-Boteti.