Communal Herding for Lion and Livestock Protection
This communal herding programme by CLAWS safeguards cattle, creates employment, reduces retaliatory killing of lions and restores overgrazed landscape
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For more than 30 years, Jack’s Camp has been an icon of African safaris, pioneering under-canvas luxury on the fringes of Botswana’s ethereal Makgadikgadi Pans. Now the adventurous spirit of Jack Bousfield ventures into new territory, with the opening of Duke’s Camp in the magical wilderness of the northern Okavango Delta. While Jack’s has long taken its cue from the desert, Duke’s Camp draws its inspiration from the crystal-clear channels of the Okavango Delta, which wind sinuously around this permanent camp.
Pitched on raised wooden decks beneath a canopy of ebony and leadwood trees, the luxurious safari tents offer an unforgettable under-canvas adventure in the midst of this remarkable World Heritage Site. With expert guides honed in the bushcraft and lore of the Delta, there are few better ways to discover this wild landscape.
Duke’s Camp is a striking new safari destination set on a vast concession rich in game and natural beauty, and it lies waiting to be discovered.
Simply by making the choice to visit Duke’s Camp you are already leaving a positive impact on conservation in the area. Human-wildlife conflict is one of the biggest issues that we face in conservation, and it’s particularly prevalent in areas where villages and predators are within close proximity. Our award-winning Elephant Express project and our support of communal herding programmes on the border of the concession help to minimize human-wildlife conflict in this crucial wildlife corridor.
Duke’s Camp is situated in the northwest sector of the Okavango Delta adjoining the renowned Moremi Game Reserve. The unusually large size of the concession, coupled with limited human impact and a vast abundance of wildlife, ensures a stay at Duke’s Camp is a rare opportunity to enjoy a truly wild and untouched corner of the Delta.
Duke’s Camp is open year-round, offering unique adventures in the Okavango Delta during each season. The best time to visit is between April and October, the dry winter months when the Delta is in full flood, providing ample opportunities for mokoro and boat activities. Game viewing is exceptional during this time, with elephants and antelope navigating flooded channels for excellent photo opportunities.
From October to March, the landscape transforms during the Green Season as the first rains bring a fresh flush of growth and vibrant colour. While the main rains usually arrive from November onwards, the build-up brings warmer days, dramatic skies, and the occasional early thunderstorm. As conditions change, water levels in the channels gradually recede, and access to perennial channels for boat safaris and mokoro excursions is dependent on the local rains and flood conditions.
Duke’s Camp offers eight canvas safari suites, each carefully positioned to offer spectacular views of the Okavango Delta. The tents are on raised wooden decks and sit elegantly amongst leadwood and ebony trees. Taking their cue from the style and panache of the original Jack’s Camp, the guest tents at Duke’s Camp revel in the much-loved vintage safari aesthetic of plush fabrics, Persian rugs and hand-carved four-poster beds.
Each tent offers a spacious en-suite bathroom, bedecked with brass fittings and bespoke amenities, as well as a private viewing deck. Here leather campaign chairs offer a space for quiet reflection on your time in the wilderness, and the opportunity for spontaneous game sightings. Herds of elephant and red lechwe are common here, and moments spent in quiet observation rarely go unrewarded.
The main mess area at Duke’s Camp is a delight with its old world glamour and elegant Persian tea-tent. Grab a drink from the well-stocked drinks cabinet and settle into the small lounge furnished with intricately carved tables, antique oriental rugs and campaign furniture.
Meals are enjoyed under the shade of the giant ebony trees or in the communal dining tent, where the long vintage dining table dominates the space. Meals are a lavish affair of crystal glasses and antique silverware, with three-course dinners that celebrate the rich Jack’s Camp tradition of honouring guests with fine food and wine in the African bush.
Where the prey goes, the predators will follow. And with the high carrying capacity of this concession guests can look forward to impressive wildlife sightings throughout the year. Lush grasslands sustain large herds of herbivores – including African buffalo – while the Okavango’s iconic elephants are here in abundance, with guests often enjoying thrilling sightings on vehicle, mokoro, and boating excursions. This diverse habitat is also exceptional in its ability to sustain a diversity of wildlife, from healthy populations of herbivores to leopard, lion, African wild dog and smaller carnivores including serval and caracal. In fact, this corner of the Okavango Delta is said to have some of the highest concentrations of lions in the Delta.
The birdlife in this region is equally remarkable, with more than 350 species recorded in the region, including the endangered wattled crane, black crake, Hottentot teal, carmine bee-eaters and the Pel’s fishing-owl. The trademark cry of the African fish eagle is the soundtrack to many a game drive, as twitchers tick dozens of new species off their life list.
Get access to a range of experiences that can be enjoyed during your stay
When you visit, you will be directly supporting the following Natural Selection conservation initatives:
The camp is named in honour of Sarefo ‘Duke’ Sarefo, the custodian of this remarkable island wilderness amid the Okavango Delta. Duke was born 80 years ago on the very island that the camp now occupies, and his roots run deep into these sandy soils. Duke’s forefathers are of the Wayeyi tribe, who have long worked the waters of the Okavango Delta as traditional fishermen. For three generations Sarefo’s family have called the bountiful Kgao Island home, and today his father and grandfather lie buried on the island, cementing Duke’s deep ancestral links to these ancient lands.
In 2002 Duke applied to take ownership of the island to acknowledge his family’s heritage in the area. A master fisherman, Duke has amassed an encyclopaedic, and intuitive, knowledge of this landscape, and it is with great pride that we have named the new camp in his honour.
Duke remains dedicated to protecting and preserving this wilderness and, working in partnership with Uncharted Africa, has embraced environmentally conscious tourism as a means to safeguard this landscape for future generations of the Sarefo family. A lease agreement on the concession allows travellers the unique privilege of exploring this unexplored corner of the Okavango Delta.