As the much needed rains start to fall across most of Sub Saharan Africa and the wildlife gets some relief from what has been an incredibly hard year we look to the best places to travel in the hot, dry and harsh month of October.

With temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius this is not a time of year for those that don’t like the heat or need to be in air conditioning, this is the month for people looking to capitalise on some incredible game viewing as the wildlife is drawn to permanent water and more and more species are forced to interact as the need for food and water becomes greater.

Get reading and get planning, accommodation in Botswana is already fast booking out for peak season 2020

This is one of the most incredible late dry season safari destinations for those looking to view vast numbers of elephants. There is very little permanent in the area considering what a huge population of these wonderful animals this national park hosts, the national parks department and the safari companies do a fantastic job of providing solar powered boreholes to deliver water into the seasonal waterholes, with other properties also being located at natural springs.

Where to stay:
Deteema Springs
Somalisa Expeditions

The Okavango is one of the most talked about destinations in Africa, and while at this time of year much of the water has dissipated which means you get less of the iconic delta views, what you do get is some of the best game viewing that I have personally every experienced. The Khwai Community Concession is not one of the more exclusive concessions in the delta as it is shared by more camps and allows some self drives, HOWEVER, it is here that in the space of 24 hours this October I witnessed, two separate lion sightings including a male and female mating, a small clan of hyena interacting and playing, a leopard in a tree with a kill while a young hyena waited below, and to top it all a long time spent with Wild Dogs on a morning drive as they moved and eventually hunted (unsuccessfully) a group of Tsesebe.

Where to stay:
Machaba Camp
Khwai Tented Camp

One of Southern Africa’s premier wildlife destinations at any time of the year this only gets better and better as the area becomes short of water. With the mighty Zambezi as a border it is the draw for wildlife from miles around to come in order to survive the dry months, this is a superb place to come and experience early morning walks to enjoy the amazing feeling of being on the ground in Africa, follow this up with some evening drives in search of the wonderful leopards that seem spend their days dozing on overhanging branches just waiting to be photographed. This is by far one of the most picturesque wilderness areas in Africa even when much of the continent looks barren and harsh.

Where to stay:
Old Mondoro
Anabezi