Wilderness DumaTau
Wilderness DumaTau is a luxurious tented lodge in the remote Linyanti concession of northern Botswana.
Wilderness DumaTau occupies a beautiful waterfront position overlooking Osprey Lagoon, and offers a very high end big game experience. The lodge offers contemporary tented accommodation of a luxurious level, together with superb hospitality and food. It is one of Botswana’s superior offerings, with a price tag to match, but it doesn’t quite offer genuine five star opulence. The Linyanti Concession offers outstanding big game, especially during the dry season, including elephant (often seen drinking and swimming in the lagoon in front of camp), buffalo, hippo, lion, leopard and wild dog. The birdlife is superb and night drives can be very productive. With a wide water frontage, wildlife viewing from the comfort of your private suite with plunge pool is a wonderful way to relax during the heat of the day. The location of the lodge within the concession is superb with easy access to both the Savuti Channel and Linyanti River game drive routes. All in all, a great experience, providing you can afford it.
Rooms
The camp comprises eight spacious tented suites, including one family unit, which are built on to raised wooden decks, just meters from where wildlife roams through the camp. Each suite has an indoor lounge and bedroom, leading on to an outdoor lounge area with sala and a private plunge pool. En-suite facilities comprise an indoor shower, outdoor shower, double basin vanity, bath tub and separate toilet. The family unit comprises two en suite bedrooms (one of the bathrooms has no outdoor shower or bath) connecting off the internal lounge area. Further facilities include a writing desk and chair, easy chairs, luggage rack, mosquito net, electronic safe, tea and coffee making facilities, mini-bar and ‘gym in a bag’.
Central Areas
The lounge, dining and bar areas are all under canvas and raised on a wooden deck with wide open views overlooking the lagoon and floating deck with fire pit where pre dinner drinks are taken. Away from the central area is a wellness centre with a pool, gym, drink and snack counter, and curio shop.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for charging – Yes
Swimming pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
The Linyanti concession is run by Wilderness Safaris and is home to several camps – Duma Tau, Little Duma Tau, Kings Pool and Linyanti Tented Camp overlooking the Linyanti wetlands in the north and Savuti Camp overlooking the Savuti Channel in the south/central region. The concession covers a huge area, some 300 000 acres, and offers a classic big game wilderness experience.
The habitat along the Linyanti River is one of lush riverine woodland, giving way to the drier, mopane dominated woodlands of the interior, through which the Savuti Channel snakes it way to eventually feed the Savuti Marsh. The Savuti Channel is a seasonal waterway which extends south-eastwards from the Linyanti/Kwando river systems. In years of good rains, the channel holds water throughout the year but it is a delicate system easily affected by drought and tectonic plate movement. After several years of holding water, the channel is in a cycle of drying out again.
Once the dry season commences, the Savuti and Linyanti waters attract large herds of buffalo, zebra and elephant and the predator species which follow them, particularly lion. Other animals likely to be seen include hippo, kudu, impala, zebra, tsessebe, red lechwe, eland, sable antelope, giraffe, and wild dog. On night drives, you’ll have the opportunity to view nocturnally-active species such as bat- eared fox, spring hare, leopard, spotted hyaena, aardwolf, porcupine, aardvark, honey badger, bushbaby, civet, genet, serval and wild cat.
The birdlife is prolific, attracting both water and dry country species such as slaty egret, Allen’s gallinule, wattled crane, and African skimmer, as well as, Bradfield’s hornbill, white-breasted cuckoo-shrike, Bennett’s woodpecker, Arnott’s chat, Kori bustard and secretary bird. The area is even better when the summer migrants return and swallow-tailed and carmine bee eaters, racket-tailed rollers, and high concentrations of raptors, including Dickinson’s kestrel, are commonly seen.
Activities
Activities include game drives (day and night), guided walks and boat cruises on the Linyanti River. Helicopter scenic flights are possible (extra cost) and can be arranged either locally or in advance. Fishing can be arranged (March to December only) with basic spinning gear supplied in camp. Guests at DumaTau also have the option (at an extra cost) of arranging an excursion to learn more about CLAWS (Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainability – an organisation focussing on reducing conflict between people and predators) or a “Life With Elephants” village visit with EcoExist (an NGO aiming to reduce conflict between people and elephants).
Seasons
Wilderness DumaTau is open all year round, though game viewing is best from June to early November. However, birding is best from November to April.
Wilderness DumaTau accepts children 6 years and older though with big game regularly wandering through camp, it is naturally a destination for families with slightly older children. The family unit is perfect for staying ‘under one roof’ whilst having plenty of space with separate bedrooms, and a private plunge pool. Wilderness Safaris offer a complimentary ‘Bush Buddy service’ for children up to the age of 12 (on prior request) where a member of staff is dedicated to the family to ensure that each stay is tailored to suit including arranging additional age-appropriate activities. Children must be 13 years or older to join walks. DumaTau would offer a wonderful option for a family with teenagers looking to enjoy exciting big game action from a luxurious base.
Wilderness Safaris established the Children in the Wilderness programme (CITW) focusing on the children from villages close to the remote areas in which they operate, educating them in environmental awareness and training them in the life skills needed to care for and nurture their natural environment. Some of these programmes include operating annual camps for up to 30 children at a time in their lodges, running regular Eco-Clubs in rural schools, Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) which mentors particular children who have shown a strong interest in their environment and scholarship programmes for primary, secondary and tertiary education.
The Wilderness Wildlife Trust is involved in conservation, anti-poaching, community empowerment and education. The Trust has many projects throughout Botswana (Wildlife Research Increasing Capacity), Namibia (Desert Dwelling Giraffe Study), Zimbabwe (Hwange Elephant Movement Study), Zambia (Zambian Carnivore Program), Malawi (Mobile Response Unit) and Rwanda (Shoebill Arial Survey).
In 2019 Wilderness Safaris joined the Lion Recovery Fund and several of Africa’s other safari operators to form the Lionscape Coalition to raise funds for and awareness of lion conservation.
Conservation projects closer to the Linyanti area include working with local authorities and supporting the research of threatened species that can be found in the area such as wild dog, roan antelope and elephant amongst others.
The camp has a reverse osmosis water filtration system providing drinking water to guests drastically reducing the need for bottled water. Eco friendly detergents and chemicals are used in all Wilderness Safaris camps, adhering to strict in-house environmental standards.
Wilderness Safaris also offers its guests the option to bring a donation of supplies in partnership with Pack for a Purpose where guests may use the empty space in their suitcases for donations of much needed supplies for supported projects.
