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Mokoro in the Okavango Delta

Travel guide · The Okavango Delta and the elephants of Chobe

Travelling to Botswana

The Okavango Delta by mokoro, Chobe’s herds of elephants, the Makgadikgadi salt pans and safaris with few other visitors. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from April to November
  • Where to eat: the safari camp or a local restaurant
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Botswana in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Botswana are from April to November.
  • To eat like a local: the safari camp or a local restaurant. Don’t leave without trying: Seswaa, Pap, Morogo.

Botswana in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Botswana. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Botswana

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Botswana are from April to November.

  1. Jan with warnings
  2. Feb with warnings
  3. Mar with warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec with warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in April · where to travel in May · where to travel in June · where to travel in July

  • from December to March

    Rainy season

    From December to March it rains, it’s hot and the animals spread out; some camps close.

    What to do: The best time is June to October, when the delta is full and wildlife gathers at the waterholes.

What to see in Botswana

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Okavango Delta

    Okavango Delta

    A maze of channels and islands in the Kalahari, a World Heritage Site, explored by mokoro.

    • Mokoro trip
    • Moremi Game Reserve
    • Scenic flight
    • Walking safari
    Okavango Delta guide
  • Maun

    Maun

    The gateway town to the Okavango, where the light aircraft leave for the camps.

    • Scenic flights
    • Thamalakane River
    • Mokoro excursions
    • Market
    Maun guide
  • Chobe National Park

    Chobe National Park

    Herds of hundreds of elephants drinking in the Chobe River at sunset.

    • Chobe River cruise
    • 4×4 safari
    • Savuti
    • Sedudu Island
    Chobe National Park guide
  • Kasane

    Kasane

    The town beside Chobe, a short hop from Victoria Falls and where four countries meet.

    • Gateway to Chobe
    • Victoria Falls
    • Prison tree
    • Tiger fishing
    Kasane guide
  • Gaborone

    Gaborone

    The quiet capital, with a monument to three chiefs and a wildlife reserve within the city.

    • Three Dikgosi Monument
    • Gaborone Game Reserve
    • National Museum
    • Gaborone Dam
    Gaborone guide
  • Makgadikgadi

    Makgadikgadi

    An endless white salt pan with meerkats, baobabs and a zebra migration in the rainy season.

    • Meerkats
    • Quad biking on the salt pan
    • Chapman’s Baobabs
    • Kubu Island
    Makgadikgadi guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From the Okavango Delta

From Maun

From Chobe National Park

From Kasane

From Gaborone

From Makgadikgadi

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Botswana

To eat like a local: the safari camp or a local restaurant, and order seswaa or pap. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Seswaa

    Slow-cooked shredded meat, the national dish.

  • Pap

    Maize porridge.

  • Morogo

    Wild spinach.

  • Mopane

    Fried mopane worms, for the brave.

  • Vetkoek

    Fried bread.

  • Braai

    Barbecue.

The typical dish of Botswana, at home

Seswaa
Photo: Kalanga · CC BY-SA 3.0

Seswaa

Botswana’s national dish: beef cooked for hours with salt until it falls apart, then pounded. It’s served at weddings and celebrations with pap (maize porridge) and greens.

  • Serves 6
  • 3 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg bone-in beef (shin, flank or short rib)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pap (maize porridge) and spinach to serve

How to make it at home

  1. Put the meat in a cast-iron pot with the onion and bay leaves and cover it with water.
  2. Simmer over a very low heat for about 3 hours, adding water if needed, until the meat comes away from the bone.
  3. Let the water evaporate almost completely.
  4. Remove the bones and pound the meat with a wooden spoon until it shreds.
  5. Season with salt and pepper and serve with pap and spinach.

The trick: Just salt and time: the meat should fall apart on its own.

Curious facts about Botswana

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • The Okavango is one of the few great deltas in the world that never reaches the sea: it disappears into the Kalahari.
  • Chobe has the largest concentration of elephants in Africa.
  • The country is committed to low-volume, high-value tourism.
  • The Makgadikgadi salt pans are among the largest in the world.
  • It’s one of the world’s biggest diamond producers.
  • Its currency, the pula, means “rain”.

Traditions of Botswana

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • 30 September Independence Day

    A national holiday.

  • Traditional music and dance

    Tswana choirs and dances.

  • San villages

    The culture of the Kalahari.

  • Kgotla

    The traditional village assembly.

What not to do in Botswana

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t leave the vehicle or the camp without a guide: the animals roam free.
  • Don’t forget malaria prevention in the north.
  • Don’t drive at night: there are animals on the road.
  • Don’t take hard-shell luggage on light aircraft: soft bags only.
  • Don’t underestimate how cold winter nights get.
  • Don’t swim in rivers or lagoons: crocodiles and hippos.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Botswana

What people search for most before travelling to Botswana.

What’s the best time to travel to Botswana?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Botswana are from April to November.

What to see in Botswana in a week?

The essentials of Botswana: Okavango Delta, Maun, Chobe National Park, Kasane and Gaborone. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Botswana?

Seswaa, Pap, Morogo, Mopane, Vetkoek, Braai. To eat like a local: the safari camp or a local restaurant.

What is the typical dish of Botswana?

Seswaa. Botswana’s national dish: beef cooked for hours with salt until it falls apart, then pounded. It’s served at weddings and celebrations with pap (maize porridge) and greens.

What should you not do in Botswana?

Don’t leave the vehicle or the camp without a guide: the animals roam free. Don’t forget malaria prevention in the north. Don’t drive at night: there are animals on the road.

Is it worth travelling to Botswana in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Botswana. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0). Okavango Delta, Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0). Maun, jonrawlinson (CC BY 2.0). Chobe National Park, Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0). Kasane, Dicklyon (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gaborone, Shoodho (CC BY-SA 4.0). Makgadikgadi, Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0).