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Lauren
By Lauren 14 September 2018

Yellow Zebra specialist Lauren sheds light on the advantages of visiting the Linyanti during the green season (December - April). 

The Linyanti is a collection of three big powerhouse reserves nestling between Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. The reserves are called Kwando, Linyanti, and Selinda. Together the group is home to some of Botswana’s most exclusive properties and is particularly famous for impressive amounts of game during Botswana’s dry season. But what happens here when the rains come?

As the anticipated rains burst in from December, the Linyanti is transformed from a dry and thirsty region to a lush emerald bounty bursting with colour. Watching life spring back into a land dehydrated by winter is so satisfying to witness, with the landscape’s reaction changing quite literally every day. A rainbow of flowers pops up unannounced and salt pans become a shimmering relief of wetlands full of colourful birds. Botswana boasts an abundance of resident birds, but as the rains arrive so do the migrant species from Europe, Asia, and other parts of Africa. This time of year, with its moody skies and bursts of colour, is a photographer’s mecca.

There is no denying that the abundance of game you would expect to see here in the dry season disperses somewhat – a lot of it, after all, consists of migratory herds – but to believe that the area empties of life entirely is unjust and, dare I say, uneducated. Antelope such as impala take advantage of the fresh growth of food and drop their young. Once the first calf has dropped, it seems that every single pregnant antelope for miles around decides to give birth too – and the result? Predators. Nature is at its most ruthless and bittersweet in the rainy season.

Not only is this an area that boasts some incredible year-round game, but the camps and lodges here are among the most famous – with a price tag to match. However, during the greener months camps such as the intimate Selinda Explorers enter the affordable realm and luxury paradises such as Zarafa and Wilderness King's Pool drop their rates by nearly $1,500 per person.

I have just returned from a trip to the Linyanti during green season, where I had some of my best game-viewing experiences ever – think, sat on the bonnet of the Land Cruiser with a gin-and-tonic in hand surrounded by wild dogs, hyenas, and elephants. As a safari specialist, the last thing I want to do is create a trip for a client for ‘the sake of it’, so if I honestly believe that visiting any area isn’t going to positively impact a safari then I will be totally candid. With this in mind, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Linyanti as an all-year-round destination.

Would you like to discover the Linyanti for yourself? Feel free to contact us to find out more on +1 855 225 1155 or send us an email at [email protected].

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