Botswana

BOTSWANA:  Gaborone | Pula

A landlocked country in Southern Africa surrounded by South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and a small section of Zambia. A mid-sized country of just over 2million people, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated nations in the world and is divided into 9 Districts.

At 581,730 square km (224,607 sq mi) Botswana is the world's 48th-largest country. It is similar in size to Madagascar or France.

The local population are BaTswana and their official languages are seTswana and English.  The country is fairly flat and is mostly covered by the Kalahari Desert, but the abundance of wild life and the booming diamond industry makes it a country worth visiting. The currency, the Pula, is pegged to the South African Rand.

VISA REQUIREMENTS:
https://botswana.visahq.ca/#!botswana-tourist-visa

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO GO TO BOTSWANA?

Botswana's climatic pattern is typical of southern Africa, although its rainfall is less than countries further east. The rains in Botswana come mostly between December and March, when average minimum temperatures are in the low 20°s. Some days will be bright and sunny, some will have afternoon thunderstorms, and some will just be grey.

April and May in Botswana are generally lovely, with the sky clear and the landscape green. Night temperatures start to drop during these months, especially in the Kalahari. Note that places in and around the Okavango tend to have less extreme, more moderate temperatures than the drier areas of the Kalahari.

From June to August the night-time temperatures in drier areas can be close to freezing, but it warms up rapidly during the day, when the sky is usually clear and blue. It's now very much 'peak season' for most safari areas: the land is dry in most areas so the animals congregate around the few available water sources.

This continues into September and October, when temperatures climb again, drying the landscapes and concentrating the game even more. This is the best time for big game safaris – although October can feel very hot, with maximum temperatures sometimes approaching 40°C.

November is difficult to predict, as it can sometimes be a continuation of October's heat, whilst sometimes it's cooled by the first rains; it's always an interesting month.

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