Best Time to See the Makgadikgadi Zebra Migration on Horseback

Generally, January to March, though the exact timing depends on when the summer rains arrive. Nature doesn’t follow a calendar, and the zebra migration can shift from year to year. This is one of Botswana’s best-kept secrets: while most people have heard of the Great Migration in Kenya and Tanzania, far fewer know that thousands of zebra and wildebeest make their own seasonal migration through the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan grasslands.

The rains transform the landscape, turning the usually dry grasslands green and drawing huge herds of zebra and wildebeest into the area. It can also be a fantastic time for birdlife, with seasonal water attracting flamingos and other waterbirds to parts of the pans. From horseback, you get to experience this vast landscape without the noise of a safari vehicle, often riding among zebra with nothing but open grassland stretching towards the horizon.

How this is different from dry season

The thing most people don’t realise is how different this is from riding the Makgadikgadi at other times of year. From roughly May to October, the area is much drier, with the famous salt pans becoming vast, open expanses that are ideal for some of the best long, fast canters in Africa. Wildlife is different too, with animals concentrating around remaining water sources.

Both seasons are spectacular; they’re just spectacular in completely different ways. If seeing the zebra migration is the priority, aim for January to March and be prepared for some flexibility around the rains. If what you’re after is huge open spaces, dry salt pans and exhilarating canters, the dry season is hard to beat.

Riding holidays in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Makgadikgadi Pans are best experienced from the saddle, and Camp Kalahari provides the base for riding in this extraordinary part of Botswana, with San Camp available as a luxury upgrade for those who want something a bit extraordinary! And if you’d like to experience the magic of riding in the Okavango Delta, the Desert & Delta trail is the ultimate way to explore Botswana. You can also chat to the team to create your own bespoke horse riding holiday.

Does Botswana really have its own zebra migration?
Yes, and it’s genuinely one of Botswana’s best-kept secrets. Following the summer rains, thousands of zebra and wildebeest move through the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan grasslands in search of fresh grazing. It’s a real migration, just much less well-known than those in East Africa.

Can I ride the salt pans during the zebra migration?
Yes. You’ll ride through green grasslands with zebra moving nearby, alongside seasonal water and flooded sections of the pans that can create striking, mirror-like reflections and attract thousands of flamingos.

What’s the difference between visiting in the wet season versus the dry season?
The wet season, roughly January to March, brings the zebra migration, fresh green grass, flamingos and seasonal water across the pans. The dry season, roughly May to October, brings vast, open, dry pans that are ideal for long, fast canters. They’re completely different but equally spectacular experiences.

Is the timing of the zebra migration guaranteed?
No. It follows the summer rains, so the exact timing shifts from year to year depending on when the rains arrive and how much falls. January to March is the general window, but nature sets the actual schedule.

Where do I stay to ride the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans?
Camp Kalahari is the base for this ride, with San Camp available nearby as an ultra-luxury upgrade if you’d like a higher level of comfort in the same area.