best time to visit selinda reserve

January falls in the wettest stretch of the year, with afternoon thunderstorms and the bush at its thickest. Standing water lies everywhere, so animals no longer depend on the permanent channels and spread out across the reserve. General game viewing is harder and predator sightings less predictable than in the dry months.

The trade-off is a green, well-watered landscape full of newborn antelope and a heavy presence of resident and migrant birds. Some of the lighter, more mobile camps close through this period. It suits a returning traveller drawn to birds, young animals and quiet over reliable big-game concentrations.

February remains hot and wet, the height of the green season. Vegetation is dense and water widely spread, so plains game and the predators that follow them are scattered. This is the least predictable time of year for the classic Selinda sightings of massed elephant and concentrated cats.

Birding is at its best as migrants fill the reserve, and calving continues, which keeps predators working the vulnerable young where they can be found. Skies are dramatic for photography. Expect short, heavy storms and the prospect of some camps being closed.

March sees the rains beginning to ease, though the reserve stays green and well watered. Game is still fairly dispersed and the bush thick, so visibility lags well behind the dry months. It is a transitional, late green-season feel rather than a true game month.

Birding holds up well and the landscape is at its most photogenic. Days are warm and the worst of the storms is passing. Worth considering for travellers who value lush scenery and fewer vehicles over concentrated wildlife, but it is not the time for a first classic safari here.

April is the turn of the season, with the rains largely finished and the land starting to dry. Seasonal pans shrink and animals begin drifting back toward the permanent water of the Spillway and the Linyanti, so game viewing improves week by week without yet reaching its peak.

The scenery is still green and the weather pleasant, with warm days and mild nights, and visitor numbers are low. A good shoulder month for travellers who want improving wildlife alongside green-season beauty, accepting that the strongest concentrations are still a month or two away.

May brings cool, dry weather and the early build of the dry season. Water sources are thinning, zebra and other plains game are arriving, and animals begin concentrating along the channels. Sightings are strong and steadily improving, just short of the dense gatherings of midwinter.

In years of good Okavango flood, water starts pushing down the Selinda Spillway around now, opening the prospect of canoeing and boating where levels allow. Cooler temperatures and lower numbers make this an appealing month, with the caveat that the spillway flow is never guaranteed.

June opens Selinda's prime season, as cool, dry weather and shrinking water draw wildlife onto the permanent channels. Elephant and buffalo herds build along the Spillway and the Linyanti, and predators concentrate to follow them, with thinning bush making everything easier to find.

This is also when the reserve's wild dog packs settle at their dens. A guide who knows the den sites can return for careful, repeated viewing of an animal that is otherwise hard to predict. Days are warm and clear, nights cold, and the insect pressure of the wet months has gone.

July is one of the strongest months of the year, the dry season at full strength. Water is scarce away from the channels, so elephant, buffalo and antelope cluster at the water's edge and predator activity is intense and frequent. Clear, mild days and cold nights make for comfortable, productive game drives.

The wild dog dens are active, with pups beginning to appear, which makes for some of the most rewarding sightings on offer. Where the Okavango flood has reached the Spillway, water-based outings add another dimension. This is a reliable month for a first classic safari at Selinda.

August holds the reserve at its driest and the wildlife at its most concentrated. Large herds gather along the remaining water, and lion, leopard and wild dog are seen regularly as prey funnels toward the channels. Visibility is excellent through the thin, dry bush.

The wild dog pups are out and exploring around their dens, a particular draw for repeat visitors. Days are mild and sunny, nights still cold. In a good flood year the Spillway carries enough water for boating and canoeing, adding to what is already one of the best months to come.

September delivers some of the year's best game viewing, the land stark and dry and wildlife tied to the last permanent water. Predator-prey action around the channels is at its most intense, and big herds remain a daily sight. The reserve is busy with movement focused on a shrinking set of water sources.

Temperatures climb through the month but stay short of October's extremes, so this is often the sweet spot of strong game and tolerable heat. Wild dog sightings continue, and water activities run on where the flood holds. A dependable choice for serious wildlife.

October concentrates wildlife more tightly than any other month, with animals crowded onto the few remaining water sources. Sightings are easy and predator activity around the water is relentless. For sheer density of game, this is the peak of the Selinda year.

The catch is heat. October is the hottest month, and midday temperatures can be demanding, with activity best confined to early mornings and late afternoons. Anyone sensitive to heat is better served by July through September. As local channels recede, some water-based outings taper off ahead of the first rains.

November brings the first rains and a quick change in mood. The bush greens, the heat of October eases, and herds that had massed on the channels begin dispersing as water spreads across the reserve. Game viewing is still workable but becomes less predictable through the month.

Migrant birds return and antelope calving begins, which draws predators to the newborns. Storms are usually short and the landscape revives fast. A shoulder month for travellers happy to trade peak concentrations for green scenery, returning birdlife and far fewer vehicles.

December is hot and wet, the green season properly under way. With water and fresh grazing everywhere, animals are well spread and the thick bush limits visibility, so the dense dry-season sightings are not on offer. Predators are still about, working the abundant young, but they take more finding.

The reward is a lush, dramatic landscape, plentiful newborn animals and excellent birding. Afternoon thunderstorms are common and some of the lighter camps stay closed. Best suited to a returning traveller drawn to birds, young game and solitude rather than big-game numbers.