Botswana, Africa

Okavango Delta in May

Floodwaters spreading and rising, grass still fairly long. Shoulder pricing with nearly peak-season conditions.

GoodPleasant, highs near 81F (27C), nights near 50F (10C)

Zebras crossing water in the Okavango Delta — Okavango DeltaPhoto: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

The straight answer

May is a good month to visit Okavango Delta. Floodwaters spreading and rising, grass still fairly long. Shoulder pricing with nearly peak-season conditions.

Weather: Pleasant, highs near 81F (27C), nights near 50F (10C)
Crowds: 3 of 5
Prices: 4 of 5

What May is like in Okavango Delta

May feels like the start of the good stuff. Days are pleasant, with highs near 81F (27C), and nights drop to around 50F (10C). The floodwaters are spreading and rising across the Delta, so mokoro trips open up at more camps. The grass is still fairly long, which can hide some animals, but game viewing improves week by week. Prices sit at shoulder levels.

May is one of the best value months for a first safari. You get nearly peak conditions for noticeably less than July or August, and camps are easier to book. Travelers who want the very highest water or the most concentrated predators should look at July to September, but most people will be very happy here.

Make the most of May

What is especially good about Okavango Delta this month.

Mokoro season opens up

Rising water fills more of the channels, so gliding through papyrus and lilies by mokoro becomes possible at many more camps.

Near-peak safari for less

Shoulder pricing with dry weather and improving wildlife makes May a favorite with value-minded travelers.

Easier camp availability

Camps that sell out a year ahead for July often still have space in May.

What to pack for May

A warm fleece or light down jacket for chilly dawn drives
A beanie and light gloves for early mornings
Sunscreen and a hat for warm afternoons
Binoculars for each family member if you can manage it

Our timing tip

Book a camp in the central or southern Delta for late May, when the flood is reaching those areas and mokoro trips are running well.

Book Okavango Delta for May.

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Hotels in Okavango Delta
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Vacation rentals in Okavango Delta
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
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Tours and tickets in Okavango Delta
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Okavango Delta for May. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
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Things to do in Okavango Delta

Full guide

A mokoro excursion

Poled by a local guide through the shallow channels. Best when water is high, roughly May to September; in low water, only camps on permanent channels can offer it.

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Moremi Game Reserve

The protected eastern core of the Delta, reachable by road from Maun, and the most accessible way to combine water and land game drives on a self-drive or mobile safari.

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A scenic flight over the Delta

Seeing the channels, islands, and elephant paths from a light aircraft or helicopter is the only way to grasp the scale. Short flights run from Maun.

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A private concession camp

The fly-in camps in private concessions offer night drives, walking safaris, and far fewer vehicles than the reserve. The priciest option, and the one that shows the Delta at its best.

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Chobe National Park

Famous for enormous dry-season elephant herds along the Chobe River, best from a boat at sunset. Usually combined with the Delta via Kasane.

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The Makgadikgadi Pans

Vast salt pans south of the Delta. In the green season, zebra migrate onto the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan grasslands; in the dry season, meerkat and quad-bike trips on the pans.

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Beat the crowds

Botswana limits camp sizes and vehicle numbers, so crowds show up as sold-out camps, not busy sightings. Book July through September camps 9 to 18 months ahead.
Consider May, early June, or late October: most of the peak-season experience at shoulder rates, with only a small trade in water levels or heat.
Choose a private concession over the public Moremi reserve if you want sightings without other vehicles; concession rules cap traffic and allow off-road tracking.
In green season, pick camps on permanent water so mokoro and boat activities still run when seasonal channels are dry.

Know before you go

A few camps close for part of the green season, usually somewhere in January through March, for maintenance. Most stay open with lower rates.
Water-based activities depend on flood levels, which vary every year. In a low-flood year, some camps cannot offer mokoro trips even in winter; ask each camp what it expects.
Most Delta camps are reached only by light aircraft from Maun or Kasane, with strict soft-bag luggage limits, often around 44 pounds (20 kg) including hand luggage.
Moremi's self-drive roads flood in high water; some routes and bridges become impassable, so route plans change with the season.

Okavango Delta in May, quick answers

Is May a good time to visit Okavango Delta?

May is a good month to visit Okavango Delta. Floodwaters spreading and rising, grass still fairly long. Shoulder pricing with nearly peak-season conditions.

What is the weather like in Okavango Delta in May?

Pleasant, highs near 81F (27C), nights near 50F (10C).

Is Okavango Delta crowded in May?

Crowds in Okavango Delta are moderate in May; timed bookings still help at the biggest sights.