Things to Do in Botswana in July
July weather, activities, events & insider tips
July Weather in Botswana
Is July Right for You?
Advantages
- Peak wildlife viewing in the Okavango Delta - July sits right in the middle of the dry season when animals concentrate around permanent water sources. You'll see elephants, lions, and leopards at close range because they have nowhere else to go. Water levels are perfect for mokoro trips through crystal-clear channels.
- Comfortable daytime temperatures of 20-25°C (68-77°F) make game drives actually pleasant - you're not melting in 40°C (104°F) heat like you would be in October. Mornings start cool enough that you'll want that fleece layer, then warm up perfectly for midday activities without becoming oppressive.
- School holidays in Europe and North America mean July is actually when the best guides and camps are fully staffed and operating at peak service levels. Despite what you might hear about crowds, Botswana's concession system caps visitor numbers, so you're never dealing with Kenya-style vehicle congestion around kills.
- Virtually zero rainfall means you can access remote areas of the Kalahari and northern Chobe that become impassable in the wet season. The Makgadikgadi Pans are bone-dry and surreal, and you can visit ancient baobabs and archaeological sites without worrying about getting bogged in mud.
Considerations
- This is peak season pricing, no way around it - expect to pay 40-60% more than shoulder season rates. A mid-range Delta camp that costs USD 450 per person in November will run you USD 650-750 in July. If budget is tight, you might want to consider June or early August instead.
- You're competing with European and American summer holidaymakers for availability. The best camps and mobile safari operators book out 8-12 months ahead for July. If you're reading this in May 2026 hoping for a July trip, your options will be significantly limited.
- Vegetation is sparse and dry, which is fantastic for game viewing but means your photos will have that brown, dusty aesthetic rather than the lush green you see in marketing materials. If you're after dramatic storm clouds and verdant landscapes, this isn't your month.
Best Activities in July
Okavango Delta Mokoro Excursions
July is genuinely the ideal month for traditional dugout canoe trips through the Delta's waterways. Water levels have stabilized after the flood peak in June, creating perfect channels that are deep enough to navigate but shallow enough to see fish and aquatic life clearly. The weather is cool enough that you're not baking in the canoe, and wildlife viewing from water level gives you a completely different perspective than game drives. You'll pole past elephants drinking at 10 meters (33 feet) distance, watch hippos from a respectfully safe distance, and spot sitatunga antelopes in the papyrus. The experience is silent except for bird calls and water sounds, which is a beautiful contrast to vehicle-based safaris.
Chobe River Boat Safaris
The Chobe riverfront in July offers some of Africa's most concentrated elephant viewing - herds of 100-plus animals come down to drink in the late afternoon, and you'll watch from a boat at close but safe range. The dry conditions mean animals must come to the permanent river, so your sighting success rate is essentially 100% for elephants, very high for buffalo and hippo, and decent for lions and leopards coming to hunt at the water's edge. Morning boat trips tend to be cooler and better for birds, while afternoon trips from 3pm onwards are peak time for elephant herds and predator activity. The light in late afternoon is exceptional for photography.
Makgadikgadi Pans Exploration
July is one of the few months you can safely access the vast salt pans - they're completely dry and the surface is hard enough to walk and drive on. The landscape is otherworldly, like standing on a frozen ocean that stretches to the horizon in every direction. This is also when you can visit habituated meerkat colonies in the early morning, watching them emerge from burrows and sun themselves before foraging. The temperature differential between night and day creates stunning mirages and optical effects across the pans. If you want something completely different from the typical Delta safari experience, this delivers. You'll need at least one full day, ideally two, to properly experience the area.
Walking Safaris in Private Concessions
July's comfortable temperatures make multi-hour walking safaris actually enjoyable rather than an endurance test. The dry ground means quieter walking with less mud squelching, and reduced vegetation gives you better sightlines for spotting animals before you're on top of them. Walking with an armed guide completely changes your safari experience - your senses heighten, you notice tracks and signs you'd miss from a vehicle, and there's an element of appropriate caution that makes wildlife encounters more visceral. You're not guaranteed big game sightings on foot, but you'll learn infinitely more about ecology, tracking, and animal behavior than you ever would from a Land Cruiser.
Maun Cultural Experiences
While everyone focuses on wildlife, Maun offers genuine insight into modern Botswana life that most safari-goers miss entirely. July is actually a good time to visit local craft cooperatives and cultural centers because they're fully operational and not dealing with wet season disruptions. You can visit basket-weaving collectives where women create the intricate Botswana baskets that take weeks to complete, learn about traditional medicine plants with local guides, or arrange village visits that feel authentic rather than performative. This provides important context for understanding whose land you're traveling through and how conservation intersects with local livelihoods.
Night Game Drives in Private Reserves
July's clear, dry nights are exceptional for spotting nocturnal animals that you'll never see during day drives. The cool temperatures mean animals are more active after dark, and the lack of rain means better road conditions for navigating at night. You're looking for leopards on the hunt, aardvarks, porcupines, honey badgers, genets, civets, and if you're exceptionally lucky, aardwolves or pangolins. The spotlight technique takes some getting used to, but experienced guides know exactly where to look based on eye shine color and behavior. Night drives also give you a completely different perspective on the bush sounds and smells that disappear during the day.
July Events & Festivals
President's Day
July 17-18 is a public holiday celebrating Botswana's presidents past and present. While not a tourist event per se, you'll notice banks and government offices closed, and there are sometimes cultural performances and celebrations in larger towns like Maun and Kasane. It's worth being aware of for planning purposes - some services may be limited, but safari operations continue normally.