Duke’s East is open year-round, with each season offering its own unique character and opportunities for adventure in the Okavango Delta.

Arguably the best time to visit is between April and October, and these dry winter months are peak season in the Okavango Delta. Though they are the ‘dry’ months – because rainfall is almost unheard of – there is water everywhere!

At this time most of the Delta is in full flood from the constant pulses of waters arriving from the moist Angolan highlands around 1000km away. Channels fill with crystalline waters, marking this to be the best time for mokoro and boat activities. Game viewing is exceptional, with photo opportunities of elephants and antelope navigating flooded channels. Daytime temperatures during our winter are mild, with clear blue skies, while mornings and evenings are cool enough to call for a light jacket. This is, undoubtedly, the best time to visit the Delta.

With the change of weather in October we welcome the ‘Green’ season, when the landscape erupts in a riot of bright green foliage fed by the summer rains. Temperatures begin to climb, and rain falls in intense afternoon thunderstorms that lend an undeniable drama to the Okavango.

Though water levels in the channels begin to recede from October, the unique location of Duke’s East up north ensures that it receives the first pulses of new floodwaters often as early as February ensuring near year-round access to perennial channels for mokoros and boat safaris.  It’s very rarely in a deep drought year that boating can’t be enjoyed at Duke’s East year round.

These warmer summer months are also best for bird watching, with the arrival of summer migrants from central Africa and Europe that set the bush alive with birdsong.

Seasonality

•   Green season: 10 January – 31 March
•   Shoulder season: 01 April – 31 May | 01 November – 19 December
•   High season: 01 June – 30 June | 01 September – 31 October | 20 December – 09 January
•   Peak season: 01 July – 31 August

For decades the quality of guiding has been a defining feature of Jack’s Camp, and this unique Okavango Delta experience is no different. At Duke’s East guides combine their in-depth naturalist expertise and years of experience in the bush with the trademark knack for storytelling passed on by founder Ralph Bousfield.

And with all game activities taking place on a vast concession away from public access, guests can look forward to utterly unique wilderness experiences.

• Morning and afternoon into evening game drives, explore the pristine private concession home to a rich array of wildlife including healthy populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, and elephant. A highlight of any visit to the Delta is sighting the semi-aquatic red lechwe and rare sitatunga antelope.
• Glide through crystal-clear channels on a traditional mokoro (dugout canoe) safari, as expert guides introduce you to the remarkable fauna and flora of the Delta. Note that mokoro activities are subject to the annual floodwaters, and in dry years may be restricted or curtailed from October to January.
• Between June and September, spend a night fly-camping on a remote, lantern-lit island, sleeping under the stars armed with a mozzie net and a bedroll. (Weather dependent and at additional cost).
• Cast a line for the myriad fish species of the Okavango Delta, including African pike, nembwe and tilapia. Note that fishing is catch and release and is not permitted during the breeding season, from January – February.
• Escape the African sun in the camp pool, with the chance to spot wildlife from your lounger.
• The Okavango Delta is a haven for birders, with more than 350 species spotted in the region. While the arrival of northern hemisphere migrants makes summer the best time for birding, twitchers will be mesmerized year-round.
• The Tsodilo Hills is a fascinating World Heritage Site that is located  just 30 minutes flight away by helicopter. The Tsodilo Hills have a special significance to the Bushmen who have been living here for thousands of years. With over 4,500 individual paintings, Tsodilo is a treasure trove of ancient rock art with some of the highest concentrations in the world dating back between 800 to 1300 AD.  A half day helicopter trip should be booked in advance to spend a morning exploring these Hills and their paintings.
• Experience the thrill of a scenic helicopter flight, offering an entirely new perspective of the Okavango Delta (at an additional cost).
• Enjoy unforgettable sunset from both land and water.
• Head out (by heli) on a community visit to meet with some of our community based outreach partners in the nearby villages. You’ll also spend time with one of our conservation partners to see first hand how together we are able to make a difference to wildlife conservation in the area (at an additional cost).

This landmark new 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.