About Botswana
Sur le Botswana
Cliquez - ici
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Botswana is a land of contrasts, from the lush Okavango Delta to the arid Kalahari Desert, but filled throughout with some of the most spectacular un-spoilt and widespread wilderness areas on the planet.
General information
The Botswana Tourist Board's web site is a good source of information about Botswana; probably most relevant to your trip is the following:
Climate
As Botswana is within the Southern Tropics, it has two main seasons: a dry season from May to October and a wet season from November to April. Although as with the climate in any part of the world, nothing is fixed and the starts and ends of these seasons can easily vary!
January and February are the wettest with frequent torrential rain in the afternoon. Temperatures are still high, maybe 40°C max.
March, April and May are transitional, as the rains and temperature decrease. The rains are usually over by April and the temperatures have dropped to 30C max.
June, July and August are the coolest months, with day temperatures around 25°C and nights dropping to 5°C, with the occasional exceptional cold snaps down to below freezing!
September and October are the hottest and driest, days can around 35°C;-45°C with low humidity.
November is transitional, as everyone awaits the rains, these can start at any time but it is normally yet by the end of December.
Principal places to visit
When to visit
There are things to see in Botswana at any time of the year, and the best time to come will be very dependent on what you wish to see. The following is therefore a broad outline of the general patterns of game behavior.
From July until November when the rains come, game tends to concentrate around the remaining available water making for good sightings of plains game and predators. Lack of dense vegetation makes it easier to view and photography the wildlife, although they may not be in their best condition!
The wet season from December to April is known as the green season. In the delta of the Okavango, the game disperses as many smaller pans and waterholes start to fill with water. In the drier regions of the Central Kalahari and Makgadikgadi pans to the south, the situation is reversed, with animals such as oryx and springbok gathering in large numbers on the pans to take advantage of the new grasses,
November also signals the onset of the calving season for many of the plains game.
Large herds of buffalo and elephant migrate towards the northern parts of the country reaching the Savuti and Chobe areas around April and May.
Game densities in the permanently flooded central parts of the Delta are pretty constant throughout the year. As the dry season progresses towards October, the game densities on the edge increase as wildlife from drier areas move to this available water.
It is almost impossible to sum up the complexity and sometimes unpredictable nature of game movements and weather patterns, but in one sentence: wet season best for arid areas, dry season best for river and delta. For expert advise please contact us!
Cultural guidelines
Useful phrases
You can make a positive impression with the local people you meet by mastering a few simple phrases in Setswana. Although most people speak good English, a simple greeting in Setswana is guaranteed to receive a warm (and sometimes amazed) response.
Note 'g' is pronounced like the 'h' in 'loch'
Hello Sir - - Dumela Rra
Hello Madam - - Dumela Mma
Good morning/How are you? - - O tsogile jang? (literally "How did you rise?")
I am well - - Ke tsogile jang (literally "I have risen well")
Good afternoon/How are you? - - O tlhotse jang (literally "How did you spend the day?")
I spent the day well - - Ke tlhotse sentle (I spent the day well)
How are you? - - Le kae?
I'm fine - - Re teng
I would like help - - Ke kopa thuso
How do you get to...? - - Ke kopa tsela...?
I don't know - - Ga keitsi
I would like some cold water - - Ke kopa metse a tsididi
It's good/delicious - - Go monate
Thank you - - Ke itumetsi
Thank you - - Ke le boha
It's okay - - Go shap/Go siame
Okay - - Shapo
There's no problem - - Ga gona mlato
Let's go - - A retsamaye
Come here - - Tla kwano
Its hot - - Go mogote
Its cold - - Go tsididi
Yes - - Ee
No - - Nyaya
What is your name? - -Ke wena mang?
What is your name? - - O mang?
Stay well - - Sala sentle
Go well - - Tsamaya sentle
Sleep well - - Roballa sentle
See you soon/again - - Ke tle gobona
There is a lion in my tent! - - Gona le tau mo tante yame!
Currency
The national currency is the Pula, Exchange rates are currently (January 2015) approximately:
UK Sterling = BWP 14.00
US Dollar = BWP 9.00
Euro = BWP 10.0O
The Currency of Botswana reflects the dependency of the Country on the Annual Rains, "PULA" is the Setswana word for "RAIN" and "THEBE" is the Setswana word for "A DROP OF RAIN"
- ...Imagine a peaceful lily filled lagoon punctured by the spray of a surfacing hippo
- ...Imagine a vast night sky studded with innumerable stars
- ...Imagine the sound of a lion roaring across a river valley
- ...Imagine a seemingly endless salt-pan merging with a cloudless sky
General information
The Botswana Tourist Board's web site is a good source of information about Botswana; probably most relevant to your trip is the following:
Climate
As Botswana is within the Southern Tropics, it has two main seasons: a dry season from May to October and a wet season from November to April. Although as with the climate in any part of the world, nothing is fixed and the starts and ends of these seasons can easily vary!
January and February are the wettest with frequent torrential rain in the afternoon. Temperatures are still high, maybe 40°C max.
March, April and May are transitional, as the rains and temperature decrease. The rains are usually over by April and the temperatures have dropped to 30C max.
June, July and August are the coolest months, with day temperatures around 25°C and nights dropping to 5°C, with the occasional exceptional cold snaps down to below freezing!
September and October are the hottest and driest, days can around 35°C;-45°C with low humidity.
November is transitional, as everyone awaits the rains, these can start at any time but it is normally yet by the end of December.
Principal places to visit
- Moremi Game Reserve
- Chobe National Park and river front
- Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve
- Kgalagadi transfrontier park
- Khama Rhino sanctuary, Nata Bird Sanctuary
- Tsodilo, Aha, Tswapong hills and Moremi gorge
- Settlements of Maun, Serowe, Seronga, Ghanzi, Kasane,
When to visit
There are things to see in Botswana at any time of the year, and the best time to come will be very dependent on what you wish to see. The following is therefore a broad outline of the general patterns of game behavior.
From July until November when the rains come, game tends to concentrate around the remaining available water making for good sightings of plains game and predators. Lack of dense vegetation makes it easier to view and photography the wildlife, although they may not be in their best condition!
The wet season from December to April is known as the green season. In the delta of the Okavango, the game disperses as many smaller pans and waterholes start to fill with water. In the drier regions of the Central Kalahari and Makgadikgadi pans to the south, the situation is reversed, with animals such as oryx and springbok gathering in large numbers on the pans to take advantage of the new grasses,
November also signals the onset of the calving season for many of the plains game.
Large herds of buffalo and elephant migrate towards the northern parts of the country reaching the Savuti and Chobe areas around April and May.
Game densities in the permanently flooded central parts of the Delta are pretty constant throughout the year. As the dry season progresses towards October, the game densities on the edge increase as wildlife from drier areas move to this available water.
It is almost impossible to sum up the complexity and sometimes unpredictable nature of game movements and weather patterns, but in one sentence: wet season best for arid areas, dry season best for river and delta. For expert advise please contact us!
Cultural guidelines
- Ask before taking photographs of people
- Never launch into a question -- always greet people and ask "How are you" before proceeding
- Dress modesty in public places
Useful phrases
You can make a positive impression with the local people you meet by mastering a few simple phrases in Setswana. Although most people speak good English, a simple greeting in Setswana is guaranteed to receive a warm (and sometimes amazed) response.
Note 'g' is pronounced like the 'h' in 'loch'
Hello Sir - - Dumela Rra
Hello Madam - - Dumela Mma
Good morning/How are you? - - O tsogile jang? (literally "How did you rise?")
I am well - - Ke tsogile jang (literally "I have risen well")
Good afternoon/How are you? - - O tlhotse jang (literally "How did you spend the day?")
I spent the day well - - Ke tlhotse sentle (I spent the day well)
How are you? - - Le kae?
I'm fine - - Re teng
I would like help - - Ke kopa thuso
How do you get to...? - - Ke kopa tsela...?
I don't know - - Ga keitsi
I would like some cold water - - Ke kopa metse a tsididi
It's good/delicious - - Go monate
Thank you - - Ke itumetsi
Thank you - - Ke le boha
It's okay - - Go shap/Go siame
Okay - - Shapo
There's no problem - - Ga gona mlato
Let's go - - A retsamaye
Come here - - Tla kwano
Its hot - - Go mogote
Its cold - - Go tsididi
Yes - - Ee
No - - Nyaya
What is your name? - -Ke wena mang?
What is your name? - - O mang?
Stay well - - Sala sentle
Go well - - Tsamaya sentle
Sleep well - - Roballa sentle
See you soon/again - - Ke tle gobona
There is a lion in my tent! - - Gona le tau mo tante yame!
Currency
The national currency is the Pula, Exchange rates are currently (January 2015) approximately:
UK Sterling = BWP 14.00
US Dollar = BWP 9.00
Euro = BWP 10.0O
The Currency of Botswana reflects the dependency of the Country on the Annual Rains, "PULA" is the Setswana word for "RAIN" and "THEBE" is the Setswana word for "A DROP OF RAIN"
